As a fringe group of consumers gets microchips implanted in their hands to make payments without using any external devices, time will prove whether these shoppers are early adopters or simply eccentrics.
A TikTok video from last year with more than 10 million views, by a user who fittingly goes by @paybyhand on the platform, appears to show the user completing a payment at a fried chicken restaurant using a chip implanted in his hand, much to the confusion and amusement of the server working behind the counter.
Pay-by-hand capabilities are becoming available, as an extension of the contactless payment systems already prevalent with credit cards and smartphones, with provider Walletmor asserting the convenience and futuristic appeal of these implants.
The Guinness World Record holder for the greatest number of technological implants in the body is California-based magician Anastasia Synn, who as of November 2023 had 52 implants. Half of these implants are microchips, which Synn says are shallowly implanted for easier removal.