Revolut launches facial-recognition checkout for UK customers

TechRadar, in a report by Mike Moore, says Revolut is launching Revolut Pay with Smile, described as the UK’s first in-store facial-recognition checkout. Customers can pay with a glance or smile without using a wallet or phone.

The system was demonstrated at Kiss the Hippo Coffee in central London. Customers who paid in-store with a smile could order speciality coffees from a Revolut menu for £1. TechRadar said the process involved a facial scan and verified payment within seconds during its test.

Users must already be Revolut customers. The system checks their identity against the selfie verification completed when they signed up to Revolut. Payments use end-to-end encryption inside the Revolut app, and merchants do not store personal data.

Pay with Smile runs on Revolut Register, a modular, two-screen register that combines payments, banking, and floor operations. Revolut says merchants pay 0% processing fees. Revolut Register is available with a 50% discount on a merchant’s first terminal, priced at £349.50 + VAT instead of its £699 + VAT RRP, until 31 December 2026. The offer applies to new and existing customers.