Amazon Offers Store Customers Credit For Using Palm-Scanning System

Amazon is offering its store customers credit if they register their palm for use with the Amazon One system, a contactless option for paying for goods using your palm. The system is live in dozens of Amazon stores, though at a time when many consumers are more concerned than ever about privacy and their personal data.

Amazon One was introduced last year as a way to check out at Amazon's stores without having to physically touch a payment terminal. The system is simple to use, with customers registering their palm print using one of the scanners, linking it to their payment card, and adding their phone number.

If you go the extra step of linking your palm print scan with your Amazon account, you'll now get a $10 credit, as first noticed by TechCrunch. The Amazon One sign-up takes place at a kiosk or checkout in one of the stores equipped with this contactless payment system.

According to the Amazon One website, the scanning system works by capturing the "minute characteristics" of the customer's palm, including the vein pattern, in order to generate a unique biometric identifier for the user. Amazon goes on to address some of the concerns consumers may have about providing the company with such sensitive information.

The company said that Amazon One data is kept separate from the user's customer data. Amazon likewise says that neither palm scans nor payment details are stored on the Amazon One device and that it uses "multiple layers of security," including encryption and data isolation, to keep the information private.

Whether the $10 credit will be enough to convince skeptical individuals to register their palm print with the system is questionable. Being able to wave one's hand over a scanner to pay for goods is a novel and highly convenient option, but Amazon is no stranger to controversy surrounding its use of biometric data.