Facial Recognition Payments
Revolut begins piloting a new facial-recognition payment system at three London cafes.
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Key Points
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The three-day pilot runs from 24 to 26 September at Kiss the Hippo’s Bloomsbury, Chelsea and Soho cafés.
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During the trial, customers can order from a special Revolut menu, including speciality coffees priced at £1.
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Revolut’s research found that two-thirds of independent venues face verbal outbursts from customers multiple times a week over poor checkout experiences, while more than half of Britons report delays or failures when merchants lose their internet signal.
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Revolut’s Alex Codina said checkout friction was “driving customers out the door” and described the system as an effort to replace “outdated, fragmented tills” with a more efficient checkout experience.
Revolut is testing facial-recognition payments at three London cafés this week, letting customers skip cards and phones entirely. The fintech company's new Pay with Smile system matches your face to the selfie you took when opening your Revolut account—no checkout line needed National World. The three-day pilot runs September 24-26 at Kiss the Hippo locations in Bloomsbury, Chelsea, and Soho.
During the trial, opt-in customers earn triple rewards and can buy specialty coffees for just £1. Revolut says the system cuts checkout friction that drives customers away and replaces "outdated, fragmented tills" with seamless, faster transactions National World. Transactions over £200 require extra authentication to prevent fraud.
Why Revolut Built a Facial-Recognition Till
Checkout delays are costing independent cafés and restaurants real money. According to Revolut's research, two-thirds of independent venues report verbal outbursts from customers over poor checkout experiences multiple times per week National World. More than half of Britons say they face delays or payment failures when merchants lose internet signal.
"Checkout friction is driving customers out the door," said Revolut's Alex Codina National World. Pay with Smile runs through Revolut Register, a two-screen point-of-sale system with built-in connectivity. The goal is to make paying faster than ordering—no fumbling for wallets or phones.
How Privacy and Security Work With Face Payments
Your facial data never leaves Revolut's system. Payment information is encrypted and not stored by the cafés themselves National World. The company uses the same face-matching technology from your account verification—a selfie Revolut already took and encrypted when you signed up.
Transactions under £200 go through instantly. Larger purchases trigger an extra authentication step, adding a layer of fraud protection National World. Merchants using Revolut Register pay zero processing fees on these facial-recognition purchases.
What's Next for Facial Checkout in Britain
Revolut calls Pay with Smile the UK's first facial-recognition checkout system National World. If the three-day trial succeeds, the company plans to expand beyond kiss the Hippo to other independent venues facing the same checkout headaches. Opt-in participation means customers control whether to enable face payments.
Early interest from customers has been positive. The incentive of triple RevPoints rewards and £1 specialty coffees during the pilot may show whether London shoppers will trade convenience for the slight novelty—and privacy trade-offs—of paying with their face National World.
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