UPI (United Payments Interface) is the most widely adopted form of digital payment across India. It’s estimated to have around 491 million users and 65 million merchants. The quick and easy payments through UPI have made it a convenient tool across different sectors of the economy, from a fruit vendor to a shopping mall. Amazon has now made it easier to make UPI payments by enabling biometric authentication. This feature will let you make UPI payments by scanning your fingerprint or face, instead of entering a PIN.
Amazon announced this feature for its native payment service, Amazon Pay. It’s also the first payment service in India to introduce this feature. You can send money, pay merchants, check your balance, and more by using your fingerprint or facial recognition through Amazon Pay UPI. This feature is limited to transactions up to Rs 5,000, and a PIN would be required for payments that go beyond this limit. According to Amazon Pay, early adoption indicators for biometrics showed over 90 percent of customers choosing this feature.
Like Google Pay, Amazon Pay works separately from the Amazon app, as a payment service. You can link your UPI account to Amazon Pay and start making payments through the app.
The new biometrics feature is already live on the app, and you can start using it by going to Amazon Pay > Account > Manage Biometric On UPI > Enable. Here, you can enable biometrics for your UPI account and start making payments up to Rs 5,000 with simply your fingerprint or face scan. Amazon Pay has launched this feature only for Android at the moment. There’s no word on when it’s coming to iOS.
This feature can be helpful, as it does away with having to enter your UPI PIN every time. It’s also useful in situations where someone might take a peek while entering your UPI PIN. Also, your biometrics are stored on the device, so it’s less vulnerable than a PIN. The latest feature can also help Amazon garner more users in India against the top players like PhonePe, Paytm, and Google Pay.
