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Apr 12, 2001
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Walmart still does not accept Apple Pay or other NFC payments at its more than 4,600 stores across the U.S., and it stood firm on its reasoning for that today.

Apple-Pay-Walmart-Feature.jpg

A spokesperson for Walmart today informed MacRumors that its position on contactless payments has not changed since we last reached out about the matter in 2022. The big-box retailer said it remains focused on its own convenient payment technologies available in the Walmart app, including Walmart Pay and Mobile Scan & Go.

Walmart Pay allows customers to scan a QR code displayed at checkout to pay for their purchase with a payment card stored in the Walmart app. Scan & Go allows Walmart+ members to save time by scanning barcodes on items while they shop, rather than having to scan all of the items at a self-checkout register later.

The spokesperson said the following statement still stands:
We do not accept NFC and instead have implemented convenient solutions, such as Walmart Pay, that provide our customers easy, touchless payments on any smartphone. We have also invested in innovative technologies that go beyond payments, such as Scan & Go, which allow Sam's Club and Walmart+ members to bypass the checkout altogether, providing a truly touchless shopping experience.

Apple Pay launched more than 10 years ago, and it was accepted at more than 90 percent of U.S. retailers as of 2022, according to Apple. Some other major Apple Pay holdouts in the U.S. have reversed course and started accepting it over the past few years, including The Home Depot, Lowe's, Kroger, and Texas grocery store chain H-E-B, leaving Walmart as one of the country's only major retailers not to accept Apple Pay.

Walmart has accepted Apple Pay in Canada since 2020.

Article Link: Walmart Stands Firm on Why It Doesn't Accept Apple Pay in the U.S.
 
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They don't want to pay credit card fees if they can help it. Their entire statement avoids that simple fact.

Their Scan & Go tech worked to pay by card at Sam's Club last time I used it. If they turned that off they did so on purpose. They could easily integrate it with Apple Pay but choose not to.
 
I tend to avoid Walmart already because it's always a circus. Parking is a circus. Getting into the store is a circus because it's so crowded. Checkout is a circus.

Nothing will ever convince me to install their dumb app. When I do end up at Walmart, I just insert my physical card to pay. Being troglodytes on purpose and refusing to accept tap to pay isn't going to work.
 
I have a technical question around it: In Europe it does not matter if a company specifically accepts Apple Pay or not. It will work as long as they accept contactless payment (i.e. holding your physical credit card close to the terminal instead of your phone). Is that not the case in the U.S. / at Wallmart?

I am reading the Wallmart statement like they ban all forms of contactless payment but am confused of why the article itself mainly speaks about Apple Pay rather than contactless payments in general.
 
I have a technical question around it: In Europe it does not matter if a company specifically accepts Apple Pay or not. It will work as long as they accept contactless payment (i.e. holding your physical credit card close to the terminal instead of your phone). Is that not the case in the U.S. / at Wallmart?
Walmart doesn't accept any contactless payments.
 
I don't see anything indicating Walmart is trying to push people to debit cards. In fact Amex Platinum has a free Walmart+ subscription as part of its coupon book. So I pay for everything at Walmart with an Amex and Scan and Go.

In Sams at least, the push to Scan and Go seems to be more about dropping staff. I think the cafe is starting to switch to Scan and Go only.
 
Ding ding ding! It’s all about being able to collect data on you and your purchases.

That's part of it but the main issue, for them, is swipe/chip fees. They have been at war on CC fees since the 90s, and at one point, their CFO said his goal was to reduce transaction fees to zero, at any cost.

I haven't shopped at Walmart for years, so no idea how it works exactly, but I do use Sam's scan-and-go. It bills to my credit card, not bank-transfer. I think it's an option, though.
 
I tend to avoid Walmart already because it's always a circus. Parking is a circus. Getting into the store is a circus because it's so crowded. Checkout is a circus.

Nothing will ever convince me to install their dumb app. When I do end up at Walmart, I just insert my physical card to pay. Being troglodytes on purpose and refusing to accept tap to pay isn't going to work.
Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded. -Yogi Berra (probably)
 
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