Help is finally at hand for bank customers who struggle to remember their pin: Mastercard has launched the first biometric bank card that allows users to make payments in stores using their thumbprint.

Following successful trials in Norway, Mastercard said it is now ready to start offering the biometric cards to UK banks – and says the first could be in use as soon as this time next year.

Currently bank customers can pay for goods up to £20 with contactless payment by “waving” their cards, but are required to input their pin number for items costing more.

The new cards, which have been developed in conjunction with a Norwegian firm called Zwipe, will allow users to place their thumb on special reader contained within the card, and wave it over the contactless terminal.

The thumbprint reader establishes that the card holder is making the purchase – doing away with the need to input the pin. It will allow shoppers to wave and pay for items of any value.

The cards are expected to appeal to tech enthusiasts, but could be a boon for older customers who struggle to remember the security pin. Too many still write down pin numbers, contrary to all the advice from the banks, and are thereby at risk of theft.

Ajay Bhalla, president of security solutions at Mastercard said: “Our belief is that we should be able to identify ourselves without having to use passwords or pins. Biometric authentication can help us achieve this – our challenge is to ensure the technology offers robust security, simplicity of use and convenience for the customer.”

Take up of the new cards in the UK will still depend on whether the banks think customers will want it, whether they consider it secure, and deem the cards sufficiently durable.

The extra cost of the cards, which do not contain a battery, will be borne by the bank issuing them. Reduced fraud levels will likely help offset their cost.

One stumbling block to take up might be the requirement for customers to go into the branch and register their thumb when they first get the card.

Mastercard’s launch is the latest in a move towards technology that until now was limited to James Bond movies. Earlier in the year Poland became the first country in Europe to introduce a network of “finger vein ID” cash machines. Two thousand of the new ATMs opening will open in bank branches and supermarkets across the country this year, backed by a marketing campaign that promises “cash within your finger”.