24 Hour Fitness Easy Pay
Yesterday I walked into the 24 hour fitness in Newport Center. I proceeded to scan my finger, when I noticed an interesting new sign. It said something like: Sign up for “Easy Pay” and receive 10% off retail purchases – Just use a pin number and leave your credit card at home. In a previous article, we discussed the implications of the fingerprint identification system at 24 Hour Fitness. And one thing that was mentioned was the notion of Identification Escalation. People become used to the idea of not using their membership card anymore, because they scan their fingerprint instead. And this pin number, used in the place of the physical credit card does multiple things.
First of all, it mentally and emotionally separates the gym member from the retail items that are purchased with the pin number. People don’t think of how much the items cost at the gym as much. This is because no physical card was swiped. No cash was exchanged. So there is a detachment from the hand and the money. Even the mildly visceral experience of swiping a card is no longer necessary.
Secondly, the pin number is a transition point in Identification Escalation. It is one of the middle stones in the river that makes someone comfortable to eventually even consider the idea of having their credit card attached to the Fingerprint or Biometric scan itself. This may seem like a big stretch from the pin number, but is it?
What happens when you forget your pin number? Is the club representative going to ask you to bring your card back in? Or eventually will they simply ask you to “verify” your identity by asking you to scan your finger.
When I’ve thought about this and talked with other people about the whole pin number thing. We all agree that the pin number is a big convenience. People misplace their gym bags all the time. And it isn’t very smart to keep a credit card in one’s pocket when doing exercises that may make someone lie on his/her back. This could invariably make your credit card fall out. And this could be a serious security issue, especially with the hassle of canceling cards and the stress of identity theft.
So the question is not if it is convenient or worthwhile to entertain the PIN number system for keeping your credit card on file at the gym for easy access. The real question is, “Is this new convenience going to set precedent for further escalation in Identification Technology?”
-Tyler