New MasterCard Combines a Fingerprint Sensor with NFC

For awhile now, there’s been a number of companies trying to simplify payments for everyone. Google did so with Wallet and, most recently, Apple announced it would be doing something similar with the soon-to-be-launched Apple Pay, among others. Not surprisingly, MasterCard’s, synonymous with paying for stuff, is working on a product of its own. In partnership with Zwipe, a company that focuses on biometric tech, MasterCard has built a charge plate with a built-in fingerprint sensor and NFC, albeit for trial purposes. The Zwipe MasterCard, as it is currently known, is said to be extremely secure — all data is stored directly on the card, rather than an outside database, for example.

It’ll be simple to use too; you put tour thumb on the sensor, point it toward the terminal, the card makes sure it’s really you and voila, kind of like how Apple Pay works usingTouch ID. Zwipe says it is already working on a standardized card, which is designed to support all payment terminal expected to be released next year. Theoretically, it could be adopted by more credit card brands, like Visa, American Express and Discover, but we shall see.

Author: Edgar Alvarez
Source: Engadget