Amazon wants to turn your palm into a wallet — the next frontier of frictionless payments

Hands-on is the new hands-off... Amazon is creating check-out terminals that put your payments (literally) at the palm of your hand, according to WSJ sources. Gives "palm reading" a whole new meaning. Here's how Amazon's handy payments go down:

• Palm: Amazon patented a "non-contact biometric identification system" that scans your hand.
• The idea: Link your credit card to your hand print so your hangry self can breeze past the Sunday morning bagel line.
• The real customer: Amazon's pitching these terminals to physical fast food spots and coffee shops that you visit repeatedly.
• Credit Collab: Amazon's already working with Visa (and is in talks with Mastercard). It's also in discussions with card issuers like JPMorgan Chase, who's wondering whether to collab with a potential competitor, or risk being cut out.

It's getting out of hand... How far is too far when it comes to convenience? This hand-scanning thing would just shave down the time it takes you to pull out your phone or plastic (honestly, cool if you're shopping while on a jog). Your palm-info would still have to be transmitted and processed. Is saving a few seconds worth giving up more personal info to Big Tech?