New facial recognition store checkout system piloted in London cafes

Revolut has unveiled an in-store facial recognition checkout system which enables its customers to make everyday purchases with a “simple glance”.

The Pay with Smile option, available for in-store payments using a Revolut Register terminal, will be on trial at Kiss the Hippo cafes in London’s Bloomsbury, Chelsea and Soho from September 24 to 26.

When paying at a Revolut Register, customers will tap Pay with Smile on a screen to complete a face identity check, in a similar way to unlocking a smartphone or accessing a banking app.

Facial technology will be used to verify the identity of the user against identity checks that the customer has completed when signing up to Revolut to authenticate and process a payment.

To use the feature, customers will need to actively opt in by enabling Revolut Pay with Smile in their Revolut app settings.

The bank said that customers will not be opted in by default, and consent can be revoked at any time.

Revolut said it encrypts facial recognition data end-to-end, and personal data will not be stored by merchants.

If checks pass and a successful match is found, an account-to-account payment is authorised.

The feature is being piloted in London from Thursday. Revolut said the rollout of sales of the Revolut Register terminal will take place in due course.

Revolut said it is offering 0 per cent processing fees on Revolut Pay with Smile transactions, which it said will help ease burdens on independent venues.

Alex Codina, general manager of merchant payments at Revolut Business, said: “By combining high-performance processing with facial recognition technology, we’re replacing outdated, fragmented tills with a hyper-efficient checkout experience designed to solve consumer and merchant pain points.”

Alex Damgaci, managing director at Kiss the Hippo Coffee, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming guests to try Pay with Smile at our Bloomsbury, Soho and Chelsea cafes before we roll out across all 12 of our cafes later this year.”