You can now buy lunch using just your face.
Whataburger is allowing pay-by-face at some restaurant locations. That means, no need to carry a purse, wallet or even your phone — you can leave those hands free for a burger and shake.
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The chain now accepts biometric payments using PopID’s face verification system at some restaurants and may soon expand that to even more, according to a press release from J.P. Morgan Payments, which is expanding its partnership with PopID.
“We are excited to continue to embrace biometric payments to help us revolutionize the way our customers purchase their favorite food reliably and securely,” said Jerry Phillips, VP of Technology, Whataburger. “At Whataburger, we believe in innovation, and this marks a significant step forward in enhancing our overall dining experience. This new offering allows us to provide a faster, safer and seamless checkout process for our valued guests, backed by the stability of an established financial institution.”
The press release from J.P. Morgan Payments stated that Whataburger “has already seen a positive impact with faster checkout times and increased loyalty engagement at the counter and on self-ordering kiosks” because of biometric payments.
To use the new technology, customers first must enroll by taking a photo of their face. That photo is converted into a template, encrypted and securely stored in the PopID cloud. Then, when the customer wants to make a purchase, their face is matched against that template. Once enrolled, they can pay by scanning their face at any merchant participating in the pilot program. Customers can also opt out at any time.
A PopID map shows that four Whataburger restaurants in the College Station area, and one near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, currently accept pay-by-face. KSAT reached out to Whataburger to find out which restaurants will be added to that list but has not heard back.