I read an interesting article this morning about a startup company called PayTango that is using fingerprints in place of credit cards. I was quite intrigued. The process involves registering your fingerprints and connecting them with your credit card info. After you’ve “registered” you can leave your credit card at home and just scan your index and middle fingers to pay.
What a cool concept.
I hate carrying around a wallet.
But this technology would not only work for payments, but also for things like gym passes, where it can be awkward to carry around a gym membership card while you work out.
Of course, this brings to surface a whole slew of methods for using biometrics:
Identification (driver’s licenses, social security)
Payments (credit card replacement)
Membership cards (Costco, gym, clubs, libraries)
Account verification (bank accounts)
Of course there are many more. Using biometrics in these areas is not an entirely new concept, just one that hasn’t fully caught on. But I believe it will. Sure, it might seem a little cyborg-ish, but when you really think about it, using biometrics is much more secure and convenient (in most cases) than using cards or account numbers. Cards have to be carried around and when you loose them, it can be tough to find them or replace them. Account numbers are long and often difficult to remember. Your fingerprints are always with you. So are your eyes (for retina scans) and voice (vocal recognition).
Sure, there can be some counterfeiting of biometrics, but it generally much more difficult than using someone’s card or account number.
The thing I would do if I was PayTango is to NOT include the word “pay” in my name. That way I could more easily expand to other areas of biometrics, such as identification, if the choice was right.
You can read the full TechCrunch article here: Fingerprints Instead Of Credit Cards? YC-Backed PayTango Aims To Make Payments Work Through Biometrics