Retail

Amazon 'palm pay' debuts in NYC Go store

Photo by istock.com

May 11, 2021

New Yorkers, at least those shopping in New York City, are the latest consumer population to have access to Amazon's Amazon One in which consumers use a hand wave to conduct a payment.

The technology is in place at the 42nd Street store, the first East Coast location, according to a Daily Mail report. It initially debuted in a Seattle Amazon Go store in 2020.

The news comes at a time when consumers are increasingly embracing contactless pay given the COVID-19 pandemic and health concerns. Such technology, however, is also coming under scrutiny given potential security concerns since palm-prints can't be changed and they may be more vulnerable to hackers and data thieves.

The system lets a user create their unique palm-print and attach it to a credit card or Amazon account. It is now available in about 20 Amazon stores including Amazon Books and Whole Foods locations.