The Co-operative Group is rolling out contactless payment to its food stores.

Contactless payment allows customers to make purchases of £15 or less without the need to enter a PIN or insert their card into a terminal. The Oyster-style card has been hailed as one of the most significant advances in technology for retail by experts.

The society plans to pilot the system in 100 food stores next year. If successful, it will roll it out to most of its food stores by the 2012 Olympics, which is "a contactless event".

"This is a great opportunity for The Co-op to work in partnership with Barclaycard to become the first major food retailer in the UK to roll out this unique payment method," said Co-op commercial director Sean Toal. "It has received an excellent reception from both customers and retailers where it has been launched overseas."