HandGo by Autopay – Poland’s First Palm-authenticated Shopping

Autopay, a leading Polish fintech company, is launching HandGo, an innovative biometric palm-authenticated shopping system. This is the first service of its kind available in the Polish market, combining convenience and security, and rendering it unnecessary to carry any external devices. 

HandGo by Autopay is a very intuitive solution using a special scanner in lieu of a card payment terminal. The difference is that, with HandGo, the palm of the user’s hand, rather than a card or phone, serves as the authentication device. Once scanned, the merchant receives payment from the card selected in the Autopay app. No other action is required – completing a purchase becomes convenient, quick and possible in any situation.

Removing barriers

The new Autopay service aligns with the brand’s mission to remove barriers and make everyday activities, such as shopping, a very straightforward and comfortable experience.

“At Autopay, we are creating a modern ecosystem of fintech tools designed to meet the needs of businesses and retail customers. For years, we have marked our presence wherever the future is being shaped. Our mission is to provide secure, quick and convenient solutions for our customers. HandGo by Autopay is yet another step in this direction. The solution will revolutionize shopping, especially in the wellness and sports sectors. To make a purchase, no longer will a smartphone or smartwatch be necessary – the user is only going to need the palm of their hand, as it is unique and cannot be forged or left behind. I am delighted that we are the first in Poland to offer this form of biometric shopping,” says Andrzej Antoń, CEO and co-founder of Autopay.

Trend-setting biometrics

Across the globe, biometric shopping is becoming increasingly popular. According to Fortune Business Insights, the value of the biometric services market will reach nearly USD 35 billion over the next seven years. Palm-authenticated payments have already been rolled out by some market players, including Amazon and Ingenico, as a pilot project in a Carrefour store in Paris. Other forms of payment are also popular, including the solution proposed by Brazilian startup Payface, enabling shopping with customer face recognition.  

How does HandGo work?

The HandGo solution will be available at selected service points, including the Limitless by Autopay sauna center in Sopot. What does the user have to do to make use of the biometric shopping option?  Prior registration in the Autopay app is required with an active payment card. For the first purchase, the user only needs to scan the app’s QR code which launches Autopay. Then, the palm of the user’s hand needs to be scanned and linked to the profile associated with the selected payment method. And that is all. A convenient shopping experience may now begin.

Secure shopping

Palm authentication is used solely to authorize the purchase of a service, but does not serve as a biometric payment authorization. After confirming the purchase, the merchant charges the selected payment card. Importantly, only a digital token of the palm that enables purchases is stored in the system, rather than a photograph of the palm or hand. 

Ensuring data security is a matter of fundamental significance to Autopay. All sessions are protected by advanced TLS encryption – the same as that used by major banks and financial institutions. This ensures that every transaction is executed via a secure encrypted channel that is impervious to interception.

The company ensures adherence to the strictest industry standards, including PCI DSS and ISO/IEC 27001. This is done not only to ensure regulatory compliance, but provides a genuine guarantee that user data are protected with the utmost care. 

Each and every instance of an exchange of information in the Autopay system is secured by digital message signing. This technology confirms the authenticity of the sender and the integrity of the data, removing the risk of manipulation or impersonation.