Amazon One Pay-by-Palm Technology Adds Age Verification

Amazon has added age verification to its pay-by-palm technology.

With this expansion of the capabilities of Amazon One, customers will be able to buy alcohol by just holding their palm over an Amazon One device, just as they do when they use the service to pay or to enter a location, the company said in a Monday (May 22) press release.

The capability eliminates the need for the customer to produce a government-issued ID when buying alcohol, according to the release.

The new age verification capability has been launched at Coors Field, the home of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and will be rolled out at other locations in the coming months, the release said.

“Hearing from Amazon One customers across the country, we understand that they love the convenience it delivers: shorter wait times, quick access to buildings and locations, being able to link their loyalty memberships, and now an easy way to grab their beer,” John McKay, senior director of food service operations and development for the Colorado Rockies, said in the release.

Customers already enrolled in Amazon One can add the age verification features by visiting the Amazon One website, uploading a photo of their government-issued ID, and uploading a selfie. Those who are not enrolled can do so online or at an enrollment kiosk at locations that use Amazon One, according to the press release.

When an enrolled customer wants to purchase alcohol at a location using Amazon One, they hold their palm over the device, the bartender sees a “21+” message and the customer’s selfie on a screen and makes sure the customer matches the photo, and then the customer holds a palm over the device again to pay, the release said.

“Verifying a customer’s age for every alcohol purchase is a known friction point for retailers, bars and breweries. It leads to longer transaction times and puts a strain on employee productivity,” Amazon said in the release. “Amazon One’s age verification capability addresses these challenges and alleviates the burden — and time — of manual ID verification.”

Consumers have come to expect digital convenience across channels, Panera Bread Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer George Hanson told PYMNTS in an interview posted in March.

The fast casual restaurant chain announced in March that it is rolling out Amazon One to members of its MyPanera rewards program.

“What we’re starting to do is bring these digital capabilities into the café and into what traditionally have been non-digital channels,” Hanson said at the time.