With their constant evolution, mobile payments are on the fast track to becoming a necessity akin to breathing. The instant gratification factor of finishing your payment by the touch of a button or fingertip is pretty hard for the consumer to resist, and businesses from all industry types have taken notice. Nothing, however, comes without risks, and security is still a factor even in cardless transactions. Biometrics security is quickly becoming a key player in how we secure credit cards as well as mobile payments, and their popularity is rising.
Biometrics as a security measure are making waves with protecting mobile payments, so much so that larger industries, such as hotels and hospitality, are slowly following in the footsteps of smaller businesses and employing them in their own protection. Hotels that are not enacting this practice in their own mobile apps yet may likely want to in the near future.
According to PaymentSource, several hotels were recently subject to a big security breach of customer credit card information. The risk of this happening could have been significantly reduced by more hotels offering mobile payments through their mobile booking apps, and using biometrics like Touch ID to secure them. According to Digital Trends, some hotel apps such as Marriott have gotten ahead of most of the hospitality industry by supporting and using Apple Pay in conjunction with their mobile booking and tracking apps since 2015, with great success.
FindBiometrics reported that the booking app Hotel Tonight has also embraced Apple Pay in the last couple of years and have recently announced the use of biometrics security in the form of Touch ID to take their app further. Entering information or having a login while booking and checking in still puts customer information at risk, but biometrics like Touch ID cut down that risk. This change will allow customers to not only be secure while using hotel apps for mobile payments and check-in, but also make the check-in process monumentally faster with Touch ID automatically entering customer information.
As mobile payment capabilities within hotel booking apps become more in-demand, other large hotel chains may consider the implementation of biometrics as a security measure. All customers want to feel like their personal information and mobile payments are protected, and biometrics can provide that with a more individualized verification process. For ensuring the security of payments and customer information for your business, check out Payline for your business’s payment processor.
This piece was written by Lauren Minning, Content Specialist at Payline.
