Visa Biometric Card Tech Eliminates PINs And Sigs

Visa announced late last week that merchants can now tap into its suite of sensory branding via a pilot program.

In a press release, the payments company said it is working with U.S. point-of-sale terminal manufacturers – such as Equinox Payments, Ingenico Group, Poynt and Verifone – to pilot sensory branding with merchant partners in the coming year. The pilot program is said to be available for both terminal manufacturers and developers.

“Our research has shown that Visa’s sensory cues signal speed, trust and convenience among consumers,” said Jack Forestell, head of global merchant solutions for Visa. “As new payment experiences proliferate, we are helping our partners assure their customers that their transaction has been quickly and securely completed, no matter how they prefer to pay.”

Visa cited a recent consumer study conducted in eight countries, which found that 81 percent of participants said they would look more positively at merchants who implemented sound or animation.

“We are pleased that Visa will be first to take advantage of new Verifone capabilities that enable distinctive experiences for cardholders,” said Vin D’Agostino, executive vice president at Verifone. “We believe merchants and consumers benefit from a more personalized and relevant experience at checkout, and offer a powerful and open platform to allow innovators like Visa to create those experiences at the last inch of commerce.”

Separately, Visa announced that it has launched pilots with Mountain America Credit Union and Bank of Cyprus of a new EMV dual-interface payment card. According to Visa, these are the two first commercial pilots to test an on-card biometric for contactless payments.

“The world is quickly moving toward a future that will be free of passwords, as consumers realize how biometric technologies can make their lives easier,” said Forestell. “As electronic payments expand dramatically around the world, Visa is committed to developing and investing in emerging capabilities that deliver a better, more secure payment experience.”

As part of the pilots, the banking institutions will test the use of fingerprint recognition in place of a PIN or signature.