PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Amazon Is Rolling Out Palm Payments to All 500+ Whole Foods Stores

Amazon wants customers to leave their wallets and phones at home.

 & Matthew Humphries Former Senior Editor

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

Amazon is set to roll out palm payments at every Whole Foods Market store in the US by the end of this year.

Today, Amazon confirmed that all 500+ Whole Foods stores will be fitted with the Amazon One palm payment terminals this year, allowing shoppers to leave wallets and phones in their pockets (or at home) when paying.

Currently, over 200 Whole Foods stores offer palm payments, which means Amazon has quite the task on its hands to get the technology installed at another 300+ stores within the next four months.

As the video above shows, customers who wish to pay with their palm need to insert their credit card into the Amazon One terminal, then hover their hand over the device, and follow the prompts to link the card with their biometric stamp (with the option to enroll one palm or both).

After setup is complete, hovering a palm over the reader will take payment each time you visit a store. Amazon Prime members will see any savings/benefits they are entitled to automatically applied when they pay.

Amazon is keen to have its palm payment system available as widely as possible and not just limited to its own services. It's already being used at concerts, and baseball fans can use the system to buy a beer, and even restaurants are installing the palm-reading devices.

About Our Expert

Matthew Humphries

Matthew Humphries

Former Senior Editor

My Experience

I started working at PCMag in November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

I hold two degrees: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Games Development. My first book, Make Your Own Pixel Art, is available from all good book shops.

My Areas of Expertise

  • PC components and system building
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Software development
  • Storage technology
  • Video games and gaming hardware

Read full bio