GoKawiilRevolut trials facial-recognition checkout payments at London coffee shops
Revolut has launched a UK pilot called Pay with Smile, letting customers pay by facial scan instead of a card or phone, starting at three Kiss the Hippo coffee shops in London. The system runs on Revolut's new Register point-of-sale hardware, matches shoppers against selfies taken at sign-up, and charges merchants no processing fees during the trial, which runs until September 26th.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Facial-payment systems have existed in China since 2017 but haven't gained traction elsewhere, so Revolut's move tests whether Western consumers will accept biometric checkout despite widespread distrust of facial recognition. Revolut says it deletes facial data immediately after each transaction and keeps everything within its own systems, a claim likely aimed at easing privacy concerns, though it remains unverified by outside auditors. Success or failure of this small pilot could shape whether Revolut expands biometric payments more broadly into UK retail and hospitality.
- Pay with Smile is being piloted at three London Kiss the Hippo cafes until September 26th.
- The system uses selfie-based facial embeddings that Revolut says are deleted right after each purchase.
- No merchant processing fees apply during the trial period.
Source: engadget.com — Steve Dent, 2026-09-24
Published there as: “Revolut is piloting facial recognition at store checkouts in the UK”
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