The system, called Amazon One, links a user's payment information and account with their palm print.
I decided to try it out, and while I was initially skeptical of scanning a body part, I can't deny it's convenient.
Over the summer, Amazon announced that it would be rolling out its palm-scanning payment technology to every one of its 500+ Whole Foods locations in the US by the end of the year.
Amazon had been testing the payment system, called Amazon One, at a few stores in Seattle since 2021, but I didn't think about it much until recently, when the palm readers appeared one day at the registers of the New York City Whole Foods where I buy most of my groceries.
As someone who writes about tech, I figured it was my duty to try it out in the name of journalism.
The palm-recognition system works by linking a user's payment information with their unique palm print. If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can also link it with your Prime account — no need to fumble in the Amazon app looking for your in-store code any longer. At Whole Foods, you just hover your palm over the reader once you're ready to pay and the system will find your Prime account, apply any discounts, and charge the credit card you enrolled with.
Amazon One also gives the option to link your government ID to your account so you can use your palm to pay for age-restricted purchases without being carded. So far this option is only available at one participating Amazon One location, Coors Field in Colorado, but the company's page says that more locations are coming soon.
The scanners are at every register.
The palm scanners are next to the card readers at the registers.
Kylie Kirschner
At my local Whole Foods, the palm scanners are available at both the regular registers and at the self-checkout registers.
I chose to enroll in person at my usual Whole Foods location.
The scanners next to the self-checkout registers prompt shoppers to enroll.
Kylie Kirschner
You can also enroll in Amazon One online using your Amazon account ahead of time, then complete your profile by scanning your palms the next time you're at a store that has the device.
After hitting "tap to get started," the device asks if you've pre-enrolled or not.
The device asks some basic questions to start.
Kylie Kirschner
After I tapped the screen, the device asked me if I pre-enrolled online or if I was not yet enrolled. I clicked on the latter — "Sign up now."
It then prompted me to insert a credit or debit card.
It prompted me to insert a credit card or debit card.
Kylie Kirschner
Easy enough! I then got out the credit card I wanted to enroll with, and inserted it into the bottom of the palm scanner. There didn't seem to be a wireless tap or Apple Pay option for this step.
I inserted my card, and we went straight to the scanning part.
The device immediately prompted me to scan my palm.
Kylie Kirschner
The device prompted me to hover my hand above the scanner.
It's palm-scanning time.
I scanned both palms.
Kylie Kirschner
I followed the instructions on the device, first scanning my right palm, then my left, which was optional.
The scanner then prompted me to enter my phone number. Amazon sent me a text with a link to a page asking me to verify my card details with the last four digits of my credit card number and the card's expiry date. And that was it — it took me to my Amazon One home page, where I can see my linked phone number, Amazon account, and payment method. There's also the option to un-enroll in the program and delete my profile at the bottom.
The palm scanner automatically finds my Prime account and applies discounts.
Kylie Kirschner
I've now used the payment method every time I've gone to Whole Foods since, including at an unfamiliar location in Albany that I stopped in at on a whim during a road trip. It works as advertised — I scan all my groceries at the self-checkout, scan my palm, and my Prime account and payment method are instantly applied.
My local Whole Foods had a sign posted notifying customers that biometric information was being collected there.
My neighborhood Whole Foods had what seemed like a warning sign posted.
Kylie Kirschner
I was initially skeptical of the tech — and I definitely still am. After all, there's something about giving up a scan of one of your body parts that feels inherently vulnerable.
Amazon, however, emphasizes that it "will never share palm data with third parties," "including in response to government demands, unless we're required to comply with a legally valid and binding order." The company also says on its website that the Amazon One palm signature can't be replicated like a credit card or password to impersonate users, because it doesn't use "raw palm images" for user identification, and that the scans are immediately encrypted and protected by the AWS Cloud.
An Amazon spokesperson directed Insider towards a blog post on the company's website, which points out that the palm scanning is an intentional gesture from the customer — so biometric info isn't captured passively. The tech is "gender and race agnostic," it said.
"Amazon One operates beyond the normal light spectrum and cannot accurately perceive sex or skin tone, and it does not detect your gender or race," the post said.
The more I keep using the tech, the more I have mixed feelings by how convenient it feels. Does anyone really need to have a biometric payment option at the grocery store? Definitely not. After all, we can already pay pretty easily with the tap of a card or phone.
But does it make breezing through self-checkout just a little bit more streamlined? Yes. And while I hate to admit it, I think it might be winning me over.
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