Walmart to add Apple Pay and other tap-to-pay options in U.S. stores starting August 24

Walmart, America's retail giant, is finally giving in to Apple Pay. Customers will soon be able to easily pay with an iPhone or Apple Watch. (via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

After years of refusing to adopt tap-to-pay technology in its stores, retail giant Walmart announced today that it is finally accepting payments via both Apple Pay and Google Pay. The rollout begins August 24 at select Walmart and Sam's Club locations and is expected to reach all stores by year-end. It will then expand to fuel stations by mid-2027. TechCrunch reports: The news is a surprise, as Walmart has long refused to adopt the ubiquitous payment technology to instead promote its own in-house solutions, like Walmart Pay and Scan-and-Go. In years past, Walmart even teamed up with other big retailers in an attempt to take down Apple Pay entirely with an alternative mobile payment system of their own, called CurrentC. The effort failed and was shut down back in 2016. All the while, Walmart customers have begged the company to support modern tap-and-pay technology, like Apple Pay, which is now accepted at 85% of retailers across the U.S., including most larger stores. For Walmart, the decision reads as a defeat. As one of the world's largest retailers, it believed it could push customers to its own payment solutions despite the growing adoption of Apple Pay and others of its kind. Ultimately, it had to admit that it was disadvantaging its own customers in the process. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Walmart said it is adding tap-to-pay to its checkout stations starting this week, allowing contactless cards, as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

By the end of this year, shoppers will finally be able to use Apple Pay and Google Pay in Walmart stores, ending years of frustration that the retailer didn't support what is now a nearly ubiquitous payment option.

Starting August 24, WalMart is expanding its payment options with tap to pay, after years of not allowing payment services like Apple Pay and Google Pay.Walmart would much rather you use Walmart PayWalmart quietly announced the news in a press release on Friday, going out of its way to not name services that the new tap to pay system will allow. We have confirmed that Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Wallet will all work with the new system.In it, the company says that the initiative will be complete in Walmart and Sam's Club stores by the end of 2026. Gas stations will get the service in 2027. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

After years of holding out, Walmart today announced that it will finally begin accepting tap-to-pay options like Apple Pay in some of its Walmart and Sam's Club stores in the U.S. starting Monday, August 24. The retailer plans to roll out tap-to-pay support to all of its U.S. stores by the end of 2026 and to its gas stations by mid-2027. "We want customers and members to have choice in how they pay, so they can check out in the way that works best for them," said Walmart, in a press release. Other major U.S. retailers like The Home Depot, Lowe's, Kroger, and Texas-based grocery store chain H-E-B already reversed course and rolled out tap-to-pay support in recent years, leaving Walmart as one of the most notable remaining holdouts until now. Before this, Walmart prioritized its own Walmart Pay system that involves scanning a QR code at checkout, but it has finally listened to customer feedback and decided to accept NFC-based tap-to-pay options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay at its U.S. stores. Tap-to-pay support extends to physical credit and debit cards. With Apple Pay, launched in 2014, you can simply hold your iPhone or Apple Watch near the payment terminal to pay with a digital version of an eligible credit or debit card stored in the Apple Wallet app. Apple Pay has a lot of privacy protections, including hiding a customer's actual credit card number during the payment process. Walmart has already accepted Apple Pay in its Canadian stores since 2020.Related Roundup: Apple PayTag: WalmartRelated Forum: Apple Music, Apple Pay/Card, iCloud, Fitness+This article, "Walmart to Begin Accepting Apple Pay in U.S. Stores" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums