If you happen to run low on gas in Chicagoland and you stop at a Shell, you'll be able to pay for your fill-up with a simple scan of your fingertip. Shell is the world's first gasoline retailer to adopt secure biometric payment technology. The pilot project is a collaboration between Shell and a company called Pay By Touch- a world leader in biometric authentication, data management and payment solutions.Biometrics is a means of verifying personal identity by measuring and analyzing unique characteristics like fingerprints or voice patterns. Chicagoland shoppers are largely familiar with such technologies already, and if set up with PBT elsewhere, they can use the payment method at Shell without having to sign up again. The system simply associates each registered customers fingerprint with their preferred method of payment- like a Shell Card or Mastercard. No official plans are announced to bring the technology mainstream, but Chris Suess, Shell's manager of global refueling innovations, is excited nonetheless. "What's easier than paying at the pump with your finger?" he says. "Pay By Touch will help Shell customers refill faster and easier, which is why we are so excited to be the first gasoline retailer in the world to offer it." photo: Shell
Shell pilots project allowing payment with fingerprint scan