Abstract: A method of in-store authorization of a payment transaction includes configuring a database to store a payment card emulator for a consumer including a reference facial image of the consumer bound with payment card information for a physical payment card of the consumer. A first request to authorize the payment transaction is received from a mobile device equipped with a camera, including a payment amount, an image captured by the camera, and a string of characters. The database and the payment card emulator stored therein are accessed, and automated face recognition with liveness detection is performed using the reference facial image to determine if the image is the consumer's authentic facial image. A second request to authorize the payment transaction is sent to a financial institution computer to authorize or decline the transaction, including the payment amount and the payment card information for the physical payment card.