Amazon One launches age verification for beer, alcohol purchases

We launched Amazon One, our palm-based identity service, to remove friction from everyday activities and create a faster and more convenient way for people to pay or enter a location. Customers love the convenience of paying with their palm; however, when it comes to purchasing alcohol, friction is reintroduced as customers must produce a government-issued ID for age verification.

We’re solving that customer pain point and improving the guest experience with the launch of a new capability called "age verification," which enables adult customers ages 21 and over to purchase alcoholic beverages by simply hovering their palm over an Amazon One device, without digging into their wallets for a physical government-issued ID. Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball (MLB) team, will be the first location to offer Amazon One’s age verification capability.

"Hearing from Amazon One customers across the country, we understand that they love the convenience it delivers: shorter wait times, quick access to buildings and locations, being able to link their loyalty memberships, and now an easy way to grab their beer."

John McKay

Senior Director, Food Service Operations and Development, Colorado Rockies

How does the Amazon One age verification feature work?

Customers already enrolled in Amazon One can take advantage of the age verification feature by visiting one.amazon.com and uploading a photo of the front and back of their government-issued ID, such as their driver’s license, and a selfie. Amazon One does not store customers’ government-issued IDs, which are verified by an ISO 27001–certified identity verification provider (ISO 27001 is an international standard for information security). Once signed up for age verification, customers will no longer need to produce an ID when purchasing alcoholic beverages at participating outlets. Customers not yet enrolled in Amazon One can preenroll online or at the enrollment kiosks wherever Amazon One is available. In Coors Field, Amazon One kiosks are available at the SandLot Brewery, the first brewery inside a Major League Ballpark, and Silver Bullet Bar, a full-service bar specializing in local and national craft beers.

How does the bartender know a customer is of legal drinking age?

When an enrolled customer who is of age hovers their palm over an Amazon One device, the bartender will see a “21+” message along with the customer-uploaded selfie on the screen. The bartender will do a quick visual match of the photo on their screen with the customer in front of them, and then proceed with the sale. When the customer is ready to pay, they simply hover their palm over the Amazon One device again, and they will be charged for their purchase.

A photo of a customer paying for a beer at a bar using Amazon One.

Why is this significant?

Verifying a customer’s age for every alcohol purchase is a known friction point for retailers, bars, and breweries. It leads to longer transaction times and puts a strain on employee productivity. Amazon One’s age verification capability addresses these challenges and alleviates the burden—and time—of manual ID verification.

“We are excited to team up with Amazon One to launch their age verification feature at Coors Field,” said Alison Birdwell, president and CEO of Aramark Sports + Entertainment, a leading provider of food and beverage, retail, and facility service programs in premier sports venues across North America. “Consumer preferences are ever evolving and demand for faster service models continues to grow. Amazon One’s latest capability directly responds to those demands by delivering a new level of convenience to the age verification process, shortening the time it takes to make an alcohol purchase, and improving the overall guest experience at Coors Field.”

“At Coors Field, we have always prided ourselves in putting customer experience first. As the first sports stadium to enable cutting-edge palm recognition technology like Amazon One for age verification, we are enabling a friction-free experience for Colorado Rockies fans so they can grab a drink and get back to the game faster,” said John McKay, senior director of food service operations and development for the Colorado Rockies. “Hearing from Amazon One customers across the country, we understand that they love the convenience it delivers: shorter wait times, quick access to buildings and locations, being able to link their loyalty memberships, and now an easy way to grab their beer.”

Amazon One is available at more than 100 Whole Foods Market stores, select Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores, and multiple third-party locations, including at Panera Bread restaurants, sports stadiums, entertainment venues, convenience stores, travel retailers like Hudson and CREWS at several U.S. airports, and more. The age verification capability is currently available at Coors Field and will be rolled out to additional establishments in the coming months.

To learn more about Amazon One, visit one.amazon.com.