Launching Post Office EasyID: a smarter way to prove who you are in store and online

profile picture Yoti 6 min read
Example of EasyID being used on a mobile phone. Screen shows the app's homepage.

We are delighted to announce the launch of the new Post Office EasyID app. As the name suggests, it’s your ID made easy and puts your valuable personal data on your phone and under your control. It’s free, smarter than your regular ID and lets you conveniently prove your identity in person and online, with just a tap or scan of a QR code. 

Following in the footsteps of digital money, we believe it’s time for Digital ID to shine and become your next phone essential. Particularly in the era where services continue to migrate online and contactless following the coronavirus pandemic. This digital transformation calls for a smarter, safer and easier way to prove who you are. That’s why Yoti and Post Office are working together to deliver EasyID.

 

What makes EasyID, easy?

Long gone are the days of needing your passport or driving license just to buy a lottery ticket or pick up a parcel. EasyID lets you prove who you are on your phone, so you can leave your important documents safe at home. What makes it easier than using your physical ID documents?

  • Fast: Your EasyID is a smarter ID that can be shown quickly and easily to staff in-store or with businesses online.
  • Convenient: You no longer have to search for ID documents to do tasks that should be simple, like collecting a parcel. All of your identity details are now all in one place on your phone.
  • Reusable: Once you have created your EasyID account and verified your identity, you can use it to prove who you are to all participating businesses.
  • Safe: All of the details added to your digital ID are encrypted to securely store your data on your phone. Only you have the key to unlock your encrypted details, protecting you against identity fraud.
  • Data-minimised: Share less data with businesses and only show what’s important. For example, show just your age to purchase age-restricted goods or just your full name to collect a parcel. 

 

EasyID is accepted at over 25,000 locations across the UK

Whether you’re one of the millions of people collecting a parcel from one of the 10,500 Post Office branches or buying lottery tickets from your local convenience store, you can use your EasyID. In fact, over 90% of the UK population live within a mile of a place where you can use your EasyID. Simply lookout for the EasyID or Yoti stickers in Post Offices, Payzone locations and many other convenience stores.

Wherever the Yoti ID app is already accepted, you’ll be able to use EasyID – with many digital-first businesses including dating sites, estate agencies and social networks on the growing list. For the full list of participating sites and locations, click here.

 

It’s simple: set up your EasyID in minutes

  1. Add your phone number and create a 5 digit PIN to secure your account
  2. Use your phone camera to take a selfie so we can verify you
  3. Scan a government-issued ID to add your personal details to your EasyID

 

Building the UKs trusted identity network

Yoti and Post Office partnered earlier this year to drive digital transformation in the UK. EasyID is the first of many products and services we’ll introduce that use the latest technology to help individuals, Postmasters and businesses unite against identity fraud – online and in person. EasyID is built on our shared principles of data minimisation and privacy to help businesses and individuals connect more securely, with added confidence that people are genuine. This builds trust and makes it more efficient to get things done. Everyone wins.

It takes just hours for businesses to integrate into our secure identity network, bringing instant access to the millions of people that share our belief in digital identities. Whether you’re a small local or national scale business, we have the right solutions for you. Yoti and Post Office gives you access to the only identity network that covers the whole UK, online and in person with 11,500 branches.

 

Nick Read, Chief Executive at the Post Office, said: 

“Our free-to-use Post Office EasyID app is all about making life a little bit easier for the millions of people who use our branches to collect their parcels and other mail. Having the app means you don’t need to show a physical copy of your driving licence or passport to prove your identity, meaning a quicker and safer experience in a branch.     

“The app allows customers to build their own secure digital identity on their smartphone, enabling them to easily control and prove who they are to whichever business they want to interact with. We see this as an exciting opportunity for customers and postmasters alike and expect the app to become a standard way of verifying ID for many businesses nationwide.

“For Postmasters, the app brings a range of particular advantages. As well as making the collection process faster, it will encourage people to choose delivery to Post Offices and help drive footfall. In addition, the app can be used for proof of age in Post Offices and shops, to buy age-restricted items including lottery tickets and medicines.”

 

Yoti CEO, Robin Tombs, said:

“We’re delighted to launch Post Office’s EasyID across the UK and make proving identities safer for consumers and businesses alike. The journey to a world where everyone can be universally recognised is underway – good timing too with rates of fraud on the increase and more of our lives spent connecting with digital services and online. 

“Far too many people find it hard – or even impossible – to prove who they are. The lack of correct documentation, fear of fraud, struggles with digital processes, and frustration with the time it might take has held people back from being recognised, running the risk of them being left behind. Technology, however, is an enabler, and the UK, with its culture of digital adoption, has the potential to lead the world on this. 

“There are already thousands of businesses accepting our digital identities, and together with the Post Office, we are a step closer to becoming the UK’s trusted identity network, building transparency and trust amongst consumers and making a positive difference to society.”

Make the most out of the Yoti digital identity network today. For more information about EasyID, read more here.