If, like me, you’ve ever woken up from a night of excess only to discover you made some poorly considered purchases during your drunken state, then this could be the perfect app for you. DrnkPay, developed by financial consultants iBe TSE, is designed to stop you overspending after having several drinks too many.
The app works by linking your credit and debit cards to a breathalyzer or biosensor. Once you reach the point of inebriation where nothing ever seems like a terrible idea, your payment methods will be blocked.
Before a planned night out, users enter the number of drinks they intend to consume into the app, which is converted into units of alcohol. Once they hit the town, revelers have to blow into a Bluetooth-connected breathalyzer before each drink purchase. The app shows how close they are to reaching their set limit, and once they reach it, the credit/debit cards are locked.
"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 4 am,” said Francesco Scarnera, CEO of iBe TSE.
For those who think blowing into a device in the middle of a bar isn’t a good look, or simply get so tipsy they forget to use the system, there’s a Quantac Tally biosensor wristband that can measure alcohol diffusion through the skin.
A degree of self-control is still needed with DrnkPay. It won’t be much use if your self-imposed limit is the equivalent of three bottles of vodka, and some users may decide just to stop using the breathalyzer, or remove the wristband, once they start to feel slightly hammered and want more booze. Still, it’s potentially a great product for anyone who’s ever bought a racehorse while blackout drunk.
iBe TSE is speaking to various banks about the app, which will be available in the next few days, to see if it's something they would offer their customers for free.
https://www.techspot.com/news/69291-new-app-stops-you-making-purchases-while-drunk.html
