The Dutch transaction processor Equens NV is testing a biometric fingerprint payment authorization system with a supermarket chain there — a model that has failed to catch on in this country.
Equens announced Tuesday that the Albert Heijn BV grocery chain has installed the Tip2Pay system for a six-month test.
"We regularly test new payment concepts," Jan de Heij, Albert Heijn's innovation manager, said in an Equens press release. "We only continue development if they are received with enthusiasm."
The system stores debit card, loyalty card, and identification information and lets people initiate payments at the point of sale by pressing a finger against a biometric reader.
A similar system was deployed in U.S. grocery stores and gas stations by Solidus Networks Inc. of San Francisco, which filed for bankruptcy protection last year. After shedding many unrelated business lines, Solidus shut down the payment system in March.
