Pay for shopping with a fingerprint

SHOPPERS could soon be paying for their purchases with the touch of a finger. A system designed to replace plastic cards and cash by using customers' unique fingerprint patterns is to go on trial in three Co-op supermarkets this summer.

Developers of Pay by Touch say it is totally secure and could help eliminate card fraud in Britain currently running at around £400m a year.

The US-designed system, which, it is claimed, 'will do for shopping what the cash machine did for banking,' is already operating in stores in California and South Carolina.

The Pay by Touch scanner creates a unique geometric pattern by linking various points on a person's fingertip.

Customers who want to use the system must first have their fingerprint recorded. This is then linked to their credit cards, which are swiped through the equipment to establish a match to a particular finger.

The customer then selects a four-digit-code. When shopping, they simply put their finger on a device at the till and punch in their code, selecting whether the purchase is to be charged to a debit or credit card.

The technology will be installed in self-scanning and manned checkouts by the Co-op during the trial.

Bill Laird, general manager of the group running the trial, said: 'The retail market in Britain is currently focused on chip and Pin technology to improve service and reduce fraud.

'The Pay By Touch system offers additional benefits. We are delighted to be the first retailer to bring this exciting project to the attention of UK consumers.'