The first biometric fingerprint credit card issued by a UK bank begins its three-month national trial today. NatWest is piloting the technology with 150 customers in partnership with Mastercard and Gemalto.

The bank has previously piloted biometric debit cards, but this will be the first-time credit cards have been issued. The biometric credit cards will offer contactless payments using fingerprint verification for transactions up to £100, an increase on the current £30 limit.

As well as retaining contactless functionality, the card can be used as normal in ATMs and for online shopping. Additionally, there are no hardware changes needed to accept biometric cards, so cardholders can use them at existing contactless and Chip and PIN terminals.

The card is powered through the card terminal and when a customer presents a card, a green light on the card indicates that the fingerprint has been matched successfully.

Enrolment takes as little as five minutes and can be done at home using a plastic sleeve. Once a digital fingerprint is locked onto a card, it cannot be changed. The user’s biometric data never leaves the card, is never shared with the merchant or bank, and no fingerprints are stored in a cloud.

Georgina Bulkeley, director of innovation at NatWest, said: “After the successful pilot of our biometric debit card we are looking to test the technology further with credit cards.”

Bob Reany, executive vice president for identity solutions at Mastercard, added: “We, along with our partners, are building biometric cards that recognize an individual rather than a password or PIN.

“Biometrics are more secure, more trusted and better suited to a world that requires more frequent authentication.”

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