No cash, no creditcard only a fingertip

A new system that scans customers' fingerprints and deducts the grocery bill from their bank accounts has taken supermarkets in southwestern Germany by storm. Almost two-thirds of the people who use the fingerprint system are 40 and older.

Edeka supermaket
chain, which became the first retail business in Germany to use the new system,
has installed the fingerprint payment system at 70 of its outlets and say some
200 others will soon follow because it has proven a hit with clients. Fingerprint
scanning machines costs  2,000 euros.
To sign up for the service, customers must have their
fingerprints taken and leave their addresses and banking details with the shop,
who can then charge purchases directly to the client's bank account. It is a
godsend for elderly clients because they do not have to remember their pin-code
to pay with their bank cards, or to scratch around for their glasses or cash.
The stores believe that it saves more than time in the
check-out line because it also cuts out the hidden costs of accepting
electronic cash card payments.
If an electronic payment "bounces" because there
is not enough money in the customer's account, the bank can charge the shop up
to 15 euros for supplying them with the customer's address.