Visa is piloting a new dual-interface biometric payment cardwith West Jordan, Utah-based Mountain America Credit Union and theBank of Cyprus, according the card network.

The chip card will test whether fingerprint recognition is aviable alternative to PIN or signatures for authenticatingcardholders during transactions. The card is enabled forcontactless transactions.

“The world is quickly moving toward a future that will be freeof passwords, as consumers realize how biometric technologies canmake their lives easier,” Visa head of Global Merchant SolutionsJack Forestell said. “As electronic payments expand dramaticallyaround the world, Visa is committed to developing and investing inemerging capabilities that deliver a better, more secure paymentexperience.”

To use the cards, members “enroll” their fingerprints, which arethen stored on the card. When they make a purchase, they placetheir finders on the card's sensor. The sensor compares the printon the sensor to the one stored on the card, and a green or redlight indicates whether the match is successful. The cards arecompatible with existing EMV or contactless payment terminals, andthe biometric sensor self-charges when the card is in the paymentterminal.

The announcement follows a similar one from Gemalto, which launchedfingerprint-based EMV cards earlier this month. Those cards alsouse fingerprints to authenticate at the point of sale.

Visa also announced in recent days that itwould join other card networks and stop requiring signatures atcheckout for credit or debit purchases in North America beginningin April 2018.

“Our focus is on continually evolving the market towards dynamicauthentication methods such as EMV chip, as well as investing inemerging capabilities that leverage advanced analytics andbiometrics,” Visa Vice President of Consumer Products Dan Sanfordsaid. “We believe making the signature requirement optional for EMVchip-enabled merchants is the responsible next step to enhancesecurity and convenience at the point of sale.”

The company said it has deployed more than 460 million EMV chip cards andchip-enabled readers in more than 2.5 million locations since2011.

“Less than two years since EMV chip launched in the U.S., frauddeclined 66% at EMV chip-enabled merchants,” Visa said.

Visa also recently launched a “wallet card” that looks like aregular card but is programmable and has the capacity to accessmultiple cards. There's also a cell phone chip and antenna thatallows data to transfer between the wallet card and a bank.

Consumers appear to be cautiously open to biometrics today.A recent survey published by AYTM MarketResearch and Visa found that most consumers think biometricauthentication is easier than using passwords, though many worryabout how safe their fingerprints, faces, voices and even eyepatterns are in today's digital world.

The survey of 1,000 consumers who use at least one credit card,debit card and/or mobile pay found that more than 65% of consumersknow what biometrics are, and 65% have tried or regularly usefingerprint recognition. However, only 8% said there are nodrawbacks to using biometric authentication for payments.

Mountain America Credit Union has $7 billion in assets and about704,000 members.