Revolut has launched an initial UK pilot of an in-store facial recognition payment system called Revolut Pay with Smile.
The company said the service is the country’s “first” facial recognition checkout for use in shops.
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The system is linked to Revolut Register, a new point-of-sale device aimed at hospitality businesses.
Customers who choose to join through the Revolut app can pay by looking at the terminal, without using a phone or wallet.
Revolut said the system matches the user’s face against the selfie ID checks completed when they first signed up to the app.
According to the company, this is used to verify identity and approve the payment.
It added that transactions are authenticated through end-to-end encryption within the Revolut app.
The company also said merchants do not store customers’ personal data.
Revolut said merchants using the system will pay 0% processing fees on transactions.
Alongside the pilot, the company outlined details of Revolut Register.
It described the device as a modular, two-screen register designed to bring together payments, banking and floor operations.
The hardware also includes a built-in eSIM backup, which the company said is intended to prevent terminals from going offline during connectivity failures.
Revolut Business general manager of merchant payments Alex Codinasaid: “With over half of Brits reporting delays or failures due to merchants dropping internet signals, checkout friction is driving customers out the door. To solve this, we’re deploying Revolut’s full technological ecosystem to reinvent the mechanics of the hospitality industry and give consumers the payments experience they deserve.
“By combining high-performance processing with facial recognition technology, we’ll replace outdated, fragmented tills with a hyper-efficient checkout experience designed to solve consumer and merchant pain points.”
Revolut said the pilot will extend its payments offering into facial recognition checkout and provide a “new revenue stream” for the business.
Customers who want to take part in the pilot can opt in through the Revolut app.
