Amazon announced Thursday it is rolling out its pay-by-palm services in Whole Foods Market stores across the country, making it possible for customers to use their palms for purchases without a wallet or phone.
The palm recognition service, called Amazon One, will be available for payment and Prime membership benefits in all Whole Foods Market locations by the end of this year. Instead of traditional payment methods, Amazon One allows customers to hover their palm over an Amazon One device.
Customers who link their Prime membership with their Amazon One profile will also automatically receive savings once their palm is registered, according to the Seattle-based retail giant.
Launched in 2021, Amazon said the technology "uses the information embedded in your palm to create a unique palm signature that it can read each and every time you use it.”
Technology experts have expressed concerns in the past over Amazon’s collection of such data. Amazon said customers’ information is not stored on an Amazon One device and “is protected at all times, both at rest and in-transit,” adding it treats palm signatures like other highly sensitive personal data.
Whole Foods is among 400 locations using Amazon One technology, others including Panera Bread, Coors Field in Colorado, airport travel retailers, sports and entertainment venues.
Amazon purchased Whole Foods in a $13.7 billion deal in 2017.