Amazon has announced it will roll out its palm payment technology at over 500 Whole Foods Market outlets across the US by the end of the year.

Amazon One, the retail giant’s palm recognition tech, is part of its Amazon Web Services (AWS) suite of tools, and recently reached three million users.

Amazon said the rollout will mean that Whole Foods Market customers using Amazon One will no longer need their wallet or even a phone to pay; instead, all they need to do is hover their palm over an Amazon One device.

Amazon added that members of its Prime service who link their Amazon One profile with their Amazon would have any savings automatically applied.

The biometric payment system works by having the customer hover their palm above a reader device. The device then identifies the individual’s unique palm signature which is then associated with the customer’s payment card on file in order to charge them for their purchases.

Around 200 Whole Foods Market locations in the US currently have Amazon One payment functionality, with Amazon stating that the decision to roll out the service to all Whole Foods stores was driven by a general rise in demand for the service by retailers and customers alike.

To illustrate its point, Amazon gave the example of Panera Bread, which recently launched Amazon One’s loyalty linking capability at select Panera restaurants in the US. Upon scanning the Amazon One device, servers in a restaurant can greet the guest by name and offer them a more personalised experience based on information available in their MyPanera loyalty account.

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