(OPINION) Over the summer, Amazon announced that it would be rolling out its palm-scanning payment technology to every one of its 500+ Whole Foods locations in the US by the end of the year.
Amazon had been testing the payment system, called Amazon One, at a few stores in Seattle since 2021, but I didn’t think about it much until recently, when the palm readers appeared one day at the registers of the New York City Whole Foods where I buy most of my groceries.
As someone who writes about tech, I figured it was my duty to try it out in the name of journalism. The palm-recognition system works by linking a user’s payment information with their unique palm print. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can also link it with your Prime account —
no need to fumble in the Amazon app looking for your in-store code any longer. At Whole Foods, you just hover your palm over the reader once you’re ready to pay and the system will find your Prime account, apply any discounts, and charge the credit card you enrolled with.
Amazon One also gives the option to link your government ID to your account so you can use your palm to pay for age-restricted purchases without being carded. So far this option is only available at one participating Amazon One location, Coors Field in Colorado, but the company’s page says that more locations are coming soon.
