Revolut is piloting a checkout system that lets customers pay with a face scan at selected Kiss the Hippo coffee shops in London. Called Pay with Smile, the service is designed to make paying quicker by removing the need to take out a card or phone.
The trial runs on Revolut Register, the company’s point-of-sale system for hospitality businesses. Customers who choose to enroll have their identity checked against a selfie registered during sign-up. Revolut says the system is available at participating cafés in Bloomsbury, Chelsea and Soho, and that merchants pay no processing fees.
The company says customers’ personal data stays within Revolut’s application environment and is not shared. Facial data used to authorize a payment is deleted once the sale is confirmed, according to Revolut.
The convenience comes with a familiar concern: facial recognition involves sensitive biometric information, and some people may be uneasy about using it to make everyday purchases. Revolut’s privacy assurances may address questions about how the data is handled, but public trust will likely influence whether customers want to enroll.
Face-based payments have been tried elsewhere. Alipay introduced its Smile to Pay system in China in 2017, while Tencent later announced its own facial payment technology. Revolut’s UK pilot brings the idea to a small number of London cafés, rather than launching it widely.
For now, Pay with Smile is optional and limited to the trial locations. The test will give Revolut a chance to see whether customers value the speed enough to adopt a new way of paying—and whether the approach can overcome concerns about biometric privacy.
