San Francisco-based Pay By Touch has launched its finger-scanning payment system at four Piggly Wiggly supermarkets in South Carolina. Beginning today, Piggly Wiggly customers will have the option of paying for groceries by using a finger scan which is linked to their financial accounts.
Customers enroll in the Pay By Touch program by creating a "Pay By Touch Wallet" which includes: scanning their finger, selecting a PIN, swiping a supermarket rewards card and entering a debit card, credit card or their checking account information. All data is kept in a secure center.
The finger scanning technology does not store actual fingerprints; it creates a set of data points that cannot even be reverse engineered back to a fingerprint. The data points are converted into a mathematical equation that allows for a secure identity match at the point of sale.
Pay By Touch plans to roll out this technology in other national retail chains later this year
