A survey by biometrics company Fingerprints has found there is a growing desire amongst French consumers for biometric payment cards.
The survey – conducted in collaboration with pollster Kantar – harvested opinion from 1,000 consumers across France regarding biometric payment cards, a technology currently being rolled out across France that provides consumers with enhanced security.
Up to 59% of survey respondents said they would say ‘yes’ to a biometric payment card, up from 51% last year. To get a biometric payment card, 52% said they would switch banks for it – a number rising to 64% in certain areas of France. Among 18-34 year olds, this number hit 67%. Up to 55% of consumers claim they pay an average of €3.20 per month to have one.
According to Fingerprints, a significant factor behind the growing eagerness for biometric payment cards among French consumers is the unique balance of security and convenience they bring to in-store payments.
The survey found that 71% of French consumers that are interested in the technology would feel safer when using a biometric card even if they lost it, as use is limited to the authorised user. Meanwhile, 42% of consumers were drawn to the simplicity of a biometric payment card as it does not require one for daily use.
The benefits of a biometric payment card for French consumers also stretches to its hygiene-related benefits – 40% of those surveyed said they want a card as it removes the need to touch a PIN terminal. In addition, with 37% of consumers thinking the €50 contactless payment limit should be removed – biometric payment cards remove this bottleneck as there is no contactless limit to in-store payments.
Fingerprints SVP for business line payments and access Michel Roig said, “It’s exciting to see the high interest among consumers, and in a country first to roll this out in a larger scale. It took time and considerable expertise to equip payment cards with fingerprint sensors. 2021 and beyond will see biometric cards deployed by banks and financial institutions around the world, for the benefit of their business, merchants and consumers. Banks need to understand the technology itself to make informed decisions, to offer customers a card that enhances the shopping experience, rather than hindering it.”
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