Revolut has launched "Pay with Smile," a facial recognition payment system it describes as the UK's first in-store checkout system using biometric authentication. The trial is available exclusively at selected Kiss the Hippo coffee shops in London and aims to reduce payment friction, though the company acknowledges that facial recognition technology remains controversial amongst consumers.

The pilot operates through Revolut Register, the company's new point-of-sale platform, and is currently available at locations in Bloomsbury, Chelsea and Soho until 26 September for enrolled Revolut customers. According to Revolut, facial data used to verify transactions is immediately deleted after purchase and not stored on merchant devices; all personal data is processed within Revolut's proprietary systems and not shared with third parties. Similar facial recognition payment systems have been trialled in China previously, including Alipay's "Smile to Pay" in 2017 and Tencent's "Frog Pro" in 2019.