Checkout lets you grin and pay for groceries

Biometric system from Mastercard allows shoppers to buy with a smile or hand gesture

‘The way we pay needs to keep pace with the way we live, work and do business, offering choice with the highest levels of security’

A SIMPLE smile could soon be all it takes to pay for your groceries.

Under plans unveiled by Mastercard, customers will be able to pay by smiling or waving at checkouts.

It means the days of scrambling for a credit card or cursing a lost debit card could soon be over.

The payment company plans to roll out its “biometric checkout programme” worldwide and make the technology available to both major and small retailers.

Customers will be able to sign up for the programme by confirming their identity through a mobile app. They will be asked to take a picture of their face or scan their fingerprint to register, before adding a credit card that is then linked to their biometric data.

This will allow shoppers to pay for goods and services in-store by smiling into a camera or waving their hand over a reader to pay.

Mastercard said that it could also be connected to customer loyalty programmes.

“The new technology ensures a fast and secure checkout experience, while also empowering consumers to choose how they want to pay,” a Mastercard spokesman said.

Ajay Bhalla, president of cyber and intelligence at Mastercard, said: “The way we pay needs to keep pace with the way we live, work and do business, offering choice to consumers with the highest levels of security.

“Our goal with this new programme is to make shopping a great experience for consumers and merchants alike, providing the best of both security and convenience.”

Before launching in Britain, the technology will be trialled in Brazil. Five St Marche supermarkets in Sao Paulo will allow customers to pay by smiling or waving this week. More pilots are being planned in the Middle East and Asia.

Mastercard said the system would speed up transactions, leading to shorter queues in store. It is also more hygienic and means customers are less vulnerable to fraud than when using cards.

However, privacy experts have in the past warned against the use of biometric data because of the risk of the information being hacked and stolen.

Mastercard said it has established a set of standards for banks, merchants and technology providers to ensure the security of personal data. It said retailers would have no access to images or other personal information.

Many high street banks allow customers to make payments online by blinking at their mobile phone or by using their thumb print.