As announced in NACS and other media sources, technology to authenticate a card transaction is being piloted in the U.S. on dual contact and contactless cards. The experience for the cardholder means no PINs (or signatures) are required:
Two banks, Mountain America Credit Union and Bank of Cyprus, are working with Visa on pilots for a new EMV dual-interface (chip- and contactless-enabled) payment card that leverages biometrics.
The card works when a cardholder places his/her finger on the sensor, where a comparison is performed between the fingerprint and the previously enrolled fingerprint template securely stored in the card to authenticate the transaction. Green and red lights are integrated into the card to indicate a successful or unsuccessful match. The biometric data is stored and matched locally in the card to ensure that a cardholder’s data and privacy is protected.
The biometric check can take the place in both contact and contactless scenarios, but certainly contactless provides the most streamlined process and fastest through-put in the checkout line.
Mercator Advisory Group had the opportunity to interview Fingerprints, the organization behind the technology. A link to that podcast can be found here.
Overview by Sarah Grotta, Director, Debit and Alternative Products Advisory Service at Mercator Advisory Group
Read the quoted story here