Visa announced its payment-enabled sunglasses earlier this week at South by Southwest (SXSW), a yearly event held in Austin, Texas that celebrates the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries through music festivals and conferences.
To pay using the glasses, simply remove the glasses and tap them on a Visa near field communication (NFC) enabled terminal. No phone, cards or watches necessary. It is meant to be casual, quick, and highlights the way payments may be made in the coming months and years.
These sunglasses are not available to the public yet, instead Visa is currently testing the concept to see if there is a demand in the general public.
In my opinion, I don’t think we need every portable item in our life to become a form of payment. Sunglasses, in particular, are an accessory that is very easy to lose, which is a little scary. I would be a little paranoid about misplacing these sunglasses. The hassle of having to cancel the card associated with the glasses in the case they go missing seems troublesome and altogether avoidable. In addition, sunglasses aren’t something you’d use in the dark, so this product isn’t actually that convenient. I think I would worry more about losing this product than feeling like it is making my life easier.
Source: https://www.slashgear.com/visa-sunglasses-prototype-uses-nfc-for-mobile-payments-14478709/