China has introduced a revolutionary payment technology that’s creating a buzz across the internet. Citizens no longer need to use their smartphones or credit cards to make purchases — instead, they can now simply scan their palms to complete transactions. A new system called “WeChat Palm Pay” is behind this innovation, and a video demonstrating it has recently gone viral online.
In the widely circulated video, a man is seen purchasing a bottle of water at a 7-Eleven store in China. Without using a phone, card, or even touching anything, he simply waves his hand over a scanner to make the payment. The payment system has been developed by WeChat, one of China’s leading digital platforms.
WeChat Palm Pay was first introduced in May 2023, initially deployed at Beijing Airport Express Train Line and Shenzhen University. The technology has now expanded significantly and is currently available at over 1,500 7-Eleven stores in Guangdong province.
To use the service, users must first register through their WeChat account and store a scan of their palm in the system. After this one-time setup, they can make payments by simply hovering their hand over a dedicated scanner. A user shared the demonstration video on X (formerly Twitter), and it has already garnered over 700,000 views, sparking fascination and debate about the future of contactless and biometric payments.
This innovation marks a significant step toward frictionless and device-free transactions, showcasing how biometric technologies are shaping the next generation of digital payments.
