Walmart Pay 'Close to Surpassing' Apple Pay in U.S. Mobile Payments Usage

[TallManNY]

I would think that Walmart will make the process attractive enough that many Walmart shoppers will use it. While that is a big part of the U.S., it still limits the target audience. I don't have a Walmart near me enough to think of getting the app. But Apple Pay is accepted in more places every year. Now it is back in NYC cabs and that is where I'm using it all the time.

 

[Syk]

If only Apple would incentivize companies to switch to NFC faster. They're just hoping that companies adopt NFC because users want it, but clearly this isn't happening fast enough.

It would also be great if Apple used just a small portion of their profits to create an incentive for consumers, like getting iTunes credit for ever X amount of money spent or transactions made. Samsung Pay and Android Pay both have similar promotions. The problem is corporations aren't willingly switching to NFC just because a very small user base want it.

I like going to places that have NFC terminals. Having an Apple Watch I don't even have to bother with pulling my phone out either.

I agree it would be nice is Apple did some promos. My son has Samsung Pay on his S8+ and Gear S3 watch and he's always getting promo points. He got a $5 promo card just for adding his debit card.

The only promos seem to come from credit card companies. Discover gave me back $10 for every $100 I spent at BestBuy using Apple Pay. The money could be applied to the statement or used on Amazon.

 

[ddrulez]

First don’t trust studies you don’t have payed for and second don’t use apps that can track your shopping behavior. They will sell it to make profit.
And here in Germany we can’t even use Apple Pay. If there are Wal-Mart here the only choice of customers where to use there app. Second Android users don’t have a choice either and have to use it if I am not wrong here.

 

[iapplelove]

You don't go to Wholefoods? Giant? RiteAid? Some Sunoco stations now have an NFC reader at the pumps. Heck, the place I get my haircut takes it.

I shop at wholefoods but maybe a few times a year at most. I prefer CVS over RiteAid. And I never heard of Giant lol

 

[TimeSquareDesi]

Screw Walmart and everything they stand for.



I have the pipedream that Amazon will be a much better (for the people, their employees, and the environment) megastore than The Blue Devil ever could hope to be.

admirable hopes but i think the larger companies grow, rotting from the insides is a form of natural progression for them...... i am hopeful but cautiously optimistic.

 

[ineedamac]

One thing I could not find out is how Walmart Pay works. Does it use a token code or does it share the actual credit card number? I prefer the security of Apple Pay and not sharing my credit card number with the retailer.

I agree with other comments, I'd like to see more acceptance of all NFC payments.

 

[TallManNY]

I've gone back to using cash.

I just don't feel like I so desperately need every purchase I make to be tracked, compiled, and sold to advertisers that the twenty giant corporations between me and a cup of coffee aren't enough.

That is the great thing about Apple Pay is that it also makes tracking you a bit harder. But yeah, I carry cash and use it for many purchases.

 

[Labeno]

Well we know this "study" wasn't peer reviewed. Walmart Pay is accepted in Walmart and Walmart and Walmart... Apple Pay is accepted in many stores. This is a comparison of two very different things. If Walmart Pay branches out and is accepted at other stores then we can start to make the comparison.

Unfortunately Apple Pay, which is in many different types of stores, is being overrun single handedly by a single type of store. Apple is too restrictive, and is choking it’s own neck

 

[bandalay]

Would be interesting to see adoption reports for other countries. Here in Canada NFC is the norm - I see Apple Pay everywhere.

 

[benji888]

As is any company that stores credit card info. This includes Apple.

Wrong. You need to look up how Apple Pay works.

I've had Apple Pay set up ever since it was first released. How many times have I used it? Not even once. It's just not accepted at any places I regularly shop.

I really wanted to try it for the first time yesterday at the Apple Store when I bought the case for my iPhone X. But I thought it would be too embarrassing to even attempt it so I just paid with the CC.

Perhaps if they offered some incentives and it was available in more places I would be more apt to use it, but for now it is essentially useless (for me anyway.

Why would you be embarrassed to use Apple Pay at an Apple store??? This makes no sense.

I've gone back to using cash.

I just don't feel like I so desperately need every purchase I make to be tracked, compiled, and sold to advertisers that the twenty giant corporations between me and a cup of coffee aren't enough.

That is how Walmart Pay works, but, Apple Pay does not work that way, they are polar opposite payment systems. Apple Pay is private. Your card info is stored in the phone securely, when you use Apple Pay the payment is tokenized, the merchant does not get your info., just your payment.
https://www.engadget.com/2014/10/02/apple-pay-an-in-depth-look-at-whats-behind-the-secure-payment/

 

[brianvictor7]

Makes me wonder if Apple hasn't already gone to Walmart and said, "Join me and together we can rule the galaxy."

 

[izyreal]

I’m really annoyed that Walmart is doing their own payment system. I don’t want to use a payment system that can only be used in one place. Just let me use Apple Pay already!

 

[deanthedev]

Not a surprise since I never use apple pay unless it's online staring at me. I haven't used this crap at a store since discover ran their promotion. It's way too inconvenient. It's up to Apple to make it worthwhile to use. Open up that wallet and start offering rewards Apple..

It’s not inconvenient at all. Usually it’s easuer since I often have my phone in my hand anyway.

Plus you’re forgetting the security. Apple Pay (and by extension Samsung and Android) are actually more secure than just using your physical card. As someone who’s had their card skimmed (by organized criminals who modded payment terminals to capture cards and PINs) and had to go through the hassle of canceling my cards and waiting for new ones, I like the idea of giving a big middle finger to crooks by keeping my cards in my wallet.

 

[seb101]

This must be a distinctly USA based problem, in the UK (and most of Europe) 99% of retailers had NFC terminals before Apple Pay was launched in order to accept NFC 'contactless' cards (PayWave etc). Once Apple pay was launched, all of those terminals automatically accepted Apple Pay once your card provider was on-boarded. Which oddly, a lot of retailers didn't realise, so we had the odd reverse situation where you would pull out your phone to pay for something and the shop assistant would be like "Oh no, sorry sir we don't accept Apple Pay" and you'd be like "erm, yes you do" PING! "see?". So a closed system like Walmart Pay wouldn't stand a chance.

 

[polbit]

Really wish that Apple Pay worked the way Samsung Pay works - near field communication (NFC) and magnetic secure transmission (MST), not just NFC. I never really used Apple Pay, since not many places accepted it. Since I got my Note 8, I can literally use it anywhere where you swipe a credit card. Only issue are gas stations that use a slide-in/out readers, as they are activated by a switch inside.

Oh, and screw Walmart.

 

[deanthedev]

BTW, anyone remember MCX and CurrentC? The payment system Apple haters loved to flog as being the future?

 

[deg0ey]

This must be a distinctly USA based problem, in the UK (and most of Europe) 99% of retailers had NFC terminals before Apple Pay was launched in order to accept NFC 'contactless' cards (PayWave etc). Once Apple pay was launched, all of those terminals automatically accepted Apple Pay once your card provider was on-boarded. Which oddly, a lot of retailers didn't realise, so we had the odd reverse situation where you would pull out your phone to pay for something and the shop assistant would be like "Oh no, sorry sir we don't accept Apple Pay" and you'd be like "erm, yes you do" PING! "see?". So a closed system like Walmart Pay wouldn't stand a chance.

Yeah, this was a huge shock to me when I moved to the US - Why does nowhere have NFC payments? Why don't chip readers require a pin when using a credit card? Why can't I go on my bank's website and transfer money to my friend's account for free? Why is there a fee to use an ATM that isn't owned by my specific bank?

The US is ahead of the curve in a lot of areas, but personal banking is definitely not one of them.

 

[cknibbs]

I’m from a Canada so tap to pay is pretty much everywhere... I use Apple Pay on my watch for pretty much everything. I try to avoid Walmart if at all possible. Once NFC payments are more prevalent in the US I can imagine there will be a heavy drop off of Walmart Pay... I do agree it would be nice to get some iTunes Store credit for purchases made with Apple Pay though... as long as it didn’t affect my cash back from the credit card companies! (Living in a dream world...)

 

[TheBearman]

One needs to shop at Walmart to use this so for me I don't see its value. What ApplePay needs is a deal with Amazon. I've used it for online retailers and if they somehow reached a deal with Amazon they'd easily outdistance Walmart.

 

[jst_testing]

We need more acceptance of NFC terminals here in the US. Granted, it has increased a lot more in the past few months and I see a lot more people recognizing it. Back in Australia where I grew up, even though a few banks advocate Apple Pay, NFC terminals are EVERYWHERE - you almost can't find a place, both small and big, that doesn't have a PayPass terminal that doesn't work.

Hopefully we'll get there in the US.

 

[78Bandit]

One thing I could not find out is how Walmart Pay works. Does it use a token code or does it share the actual credit card number? I prefer the security of Apple Pay and not sharing my credit card number with the retailer.

I agree with other comments, I'd like to see more acceptance of all NFC payments.

Walmart controls the system from top to bottom so they do have your credit card number. The credit card number apparently isn't transmitted as part of the transaction process in the store but they will match it to your account and CC number in the payment processing center. That isn't really what they want though. They want to track your buying habits. A CC number is just one way of doing it. If you use Walmart Pay then they have a tracking ID in the form of your user information and the CC number is needless.

One reason Walmart Pay is getting decent adoption rates is because of their Savings Catcher. Scan a QR code from your receipt and Walmart will do price matching against other local retailers. The catch is any refund is in the form of Walmart Pay credit.

 

[bbeagle]

Many don't even know what NFC or the symbol is or that it's related to Apple Pay.

Most Americans think of the NFC as a conference in which 16 of the 32 NFL football teams play in.

 

[cmaier]

This is stupid. What he actually said is:

1) he expects in THE NEAR FUTURE (not yet)
2) Walmart will be more popular than Apple Pay IN STORES WHERE IT IS ACCEPTED.

in other words, at Walmart.

 

[Phonephreak]

Wrong. You need to look up how Apple Pay works.

Not talking about Apple pay. Saying that Apple has your cc info. They could be hacked to.

 

[SashJ]

You day will come, Walmart. No one will stop the Amazon steamroller.

When Amazon store start opening up, Walmart will be the next Kmart lol.