By The developers behind an app called FaceCash have just announced that you can use it to pay for meals at Subway. Intrigued by the prospect of using my face to buy a nice turkey club, I wanted to learn more about this payment system. Apparently, FaceCash allows you to pay for items – such as a $5 footlong – without the traditional methods of writing a check, swiping a card, or throwing down some cold, hard cash. Instead, you use a picture of your face on your phone for verification purposes that the merchant will use to identify you. I’m trying to imagine the countless applicable scenarios, but I just can’t find myself getting excited for this, and I don’t see it taking off as much as FaceCash would hope.
Nabbing a nationwide food chain like Subway is a great first step toward building the platform, but is this unorthodox method of paying cash really more convenient than carrying around a piece of plastic that barely adds any weight at all? It doesn’t help that it’s only available at select subways in California, for the time being. We hope they gain some traction and grab the attention of many other partners, but for now, this one’s looking to be another throwaway. [via AG]
Very interesting
indeed…
One advantage I can think of is security. If you keep a pw on your device and lose it, no one has your payment info. You lose your cc, someone’s out buying mcribs on your dime.
I like it… new and different ..
We all know one day this will be the only method of payment. Its slowly making its way in our society. Not sure i like it..but who knows.
This could save retailers a lot of credit card transaction fees.
Looks like the barcode not the face is used to do the transaction. This seems exactly like a credit card with a picture for user verification not payment processing.
funny, i’ve seen this around korea, i’ve heard it’s common in japan(using your phone as a debit card). personally, yeah, i think it is better. for a lot of reason. first and foremost being that even when you forget your wallet, you likely still have your phone with you.
@pmarsh: What’s scary is that one day, the barcode will by mandatorily tattooed onto your forehead and/or hand (ok, or they may allow it to be a RFID chip), and will be required for any kind of business transaction. NOT getting it, will be a crime, akin to tax evasion.
.
(Source: Revelation 13)
@rebelscum Go back to the fairytale world that you came from
mmmmmmmm McRib. We need another Simpson’s RibWich cartoon.
How long before some “enterprising” type comes up with a fake app that uses your barcode and their own face for identification. The fact that all the information presented for the transaction is presented visually makes it easy to reproduce, alter or counterfeit. I hope there’s more to it than that.
Anyone who knows how to root a device will definitely find a way to exploit this….