Now Your Thumb Can Pay for Gas
5 Comments By Eran Abramson on November 5th, 2007 in Customer Experience
Would it make your life more convenient if you could make purchases with a thumb scan instead of the current methods of payment?
There are currently 10 Shell gas stations test locations in Chicago where biometric finger scanners are installed as payment methods. By placing their fingers on the scanners, customers can pay at the checkout stands or gas pumps.
This does require pre-registration of your thumb print, and the payment method to go with it.
This sounds like it is taken out of an old Sci-Fi film and is somewhat innovative, but is it really helping? Is paying with a credit card, ATM, or even cash that difficult and time-consuming? Will we now have to worry about being mugged for our thumbs and not just our wallets?
Is this a good or bad innovative payment method? I will let you decide.
Via: Slash Gear
Dearest reader, if you enjoyed this post don't miss out on our RSS feed. Thank you for visiting!
November 6th, 2007 at 2:14 am
Wow, I was just talking about this technology earlier today. I can’t believe it’s available already!
I think I’d love the convenience of paying with my thumb. On the other hand, I would worry about thumb-theft, or kidnapping for your thumb, definitely.
It’s probably risky in some ways, but it sure would be convenient.
November 6th, 2007 at 3:01 am
I read this over again… you said they’re biometric, so hopefully the precious digit has to have a pulse? I hope?
November 7th, 2007 at 1:40 am
Hi Neece,
As nice as it is that it may ask for a pulse, those who would actually consider cutting off thumbs to pay for gas wouldn’t really think that part through.
November 7th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Yeah, good point, Eran.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
[...] it began with paying with coins, then bills, then a credit card, sometimes with a cell phone and now your thumb can pay for gas as well. Although the latter is not a vending machine, it illustrates an additional possible [...]