Natwest launches fingerprint payment trial for contactless card purchases
Natwest will trial fingerprint payment technology to allow customers to make purchases worth more than £30 when using their contactless card.
The trial, which will begin in the next few weeks, will allow shoppers to verify payments above the £30 contactless limit using their fingerprint rather than having to enter their Pin number.
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The bank said it is working with digital security company Gemalto, Visa and Mastercard to bring the service, trialled on 200 customers, to the UK.
David Crawford, Natwest head of effortless payments, said: “We are using the very latest technology across our business to make banking easier for our customers and biometric fingerprint cards are one of the many technologies we are exploring further.
“This is the biggest development in card technology in recent years and we are excited to trial the service.”
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Gemalto managing director Howard Berg added: “Using a fingerprint rather than a Pincode to authorise transactions has many advantages, primarily enhanced security and greater convenience.
“Cardholders can pay quickly and easily with just a simple touch, and they no longer need to worry about the limit on contactless payment transactions.”