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An app which connects your credit and debit cards to a breathalyser has been released, in order to help stop people spending too much money while drunk.
DrnkPay users have to link their cards to the app, then select a self-imposed limit – say, three pints of beer. Any other payments can then be blocked by the app, and each payment they do try and make has to be authorised by a breathalyser, which is connected to DrnkPay by bluetooth.
If the user is under their pre-defined limit, their cards are activated and they can pay. And what happens if they’re over the limit they set? Well, the cards are blocked.
The app comes after research by iBe TSE, a financial services consultancy, revealed 50% of UK drinking-age millennials have spent money while under the influence and regretted it.
A survey conducted by OnePoll of 1,000 UK adults revealed some unusual purchases – a rowing club lifetime membership for someone who doesn’t row, 30 pairs of flip flops, and even a live chicken.
People also listed some pretty pricey drunken spends -a £1,500 DJ mixer, an expensive holiday which the respondent is still paying for, a caravan and flying lessons for a partner. And they didn’t release they had purchased the flying lessons until the morning…
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Francesco Scarnera, CEO of iBe TSE said: “This is a problem many of us have encountered, so we decided to create a simple solution which uses the latest technology.
“Once you’ve hit your self-imposed limit, the app will lock your card and prevent you making further payments.
“It’s up to you whether to block all payments, or just certain ‘weak points’, such as takeaways, clubs, or that flight that seems like such a great idea at 4am.”
The app also creates awareness as to how much the user is drinking – when they select how many drinks they plan to have, DrnkPay converts this into units of alcohol in the background.
If DrnkPay users don’t fancy carrying around a breathalyser, they can use a Quantac Tally, a wearable biosensor which constantly analyses the alcohol content in the user’s bloodstream, instead.
When it comes to getting home safely, emergency Ubers can be booked through the “Help me out” feature.
According to iBe TSE, they’re currently in discussions with a number of banks and card providers about rolling the technology out to their customers within the next 12 months.
