Biometric credit card design is compatible with all existing readers

A challenge for any retail outlet is supporting secure transactions. As credit card and card reader technology advances, some reader designs can be rendered obsolete.

A biometric fingerprint-activated credit card and debit card design incorporates technology to authenticate the card before being inserted into a reader. This change allows the card to be used by all card readers. including those that “swallow” the card.

SmartMetric Inc.’s GEN4 credit and debit card incorporates a miniature, functional fingerprint scanner. When presented for payment, the card scans the user’s finger and checks the scan against a pre-stored fingerprint encoded in the card’s memory. The self-powered card can complete the biometric match before being inserted into the card reader.

SmartMetric says the card increases security beyond a four-digit PIN code via on-card biometric matching and live person detection. The technology is designed to enhance the security and convenience of credit card transactions, especially for contactless payments, according to the company.