Walmart may have waited too long! I think it’s too late now because they let their competitors get a head start. Offering Pay and similar payment methods helped many companies win over Walmart customers. When people decide where to go shopping they consider the payment methods available to them.
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.
Existing payment options like Walmart Pay will remain available.
Walmart has already accepted Apple Pay in its Canadian stores since 2020. It is unclear if the retailer will begin accepting tap-to-pay options in Mexico too.
Article Link: Walmart to Begin Accepting Apple Pay in U.S. Stores
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Walmart to Begin Accepting Apple Pay in U.S. Stores
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Rogifan
macrumors Penryn
He was a big spinner for the Vision Pro. Hasn’t talked about it in a while. My guess is it quietly goes away and he pretends like it never existed.
Even having to wait at self-checkout for a terminal and then scanning the code is more than it needs to be. Should be able to pay in app and go out the door.
QuarterSwede
macrumors G4
It’s not about dependency. It’s about one less reason the shareholders have to blame the c-suite for missing projections. They’ll be working on multiple fronts to get this turned around.
And yeah, that guy is cringe.
Well Walmart will keep it that way too. Your using their EV chargers and they want you to stay in their App ecosystem.
Apple 🍎 Pay will only be conveniently for inside the Walmart stores 🛒 🛒 🛒
joshwithachance
macrumors 68030
Finding the Walmart app, opening the app, tapping services, tapping Walmart pay and then scanning the barcode on display is SIGNIFICANTLY more cumbersome than double tapping the power button and placing my phone next to the terminal.
This was inevitable, and it’s stupid that they swam against the current for so long.
Tagbert
macrumors 604
Both Home Depot and Lowe’s finally enabled Apple Pay over the past two years. Have you tried your Home Depot recently?
I am still waiting for the gas stations to offer tap-to-pay on their pumps. It’s too easy for fraudsters to attach skimmers to the chip or stripe readers. One of our cars is a hybrid and does still need gasoline.
ArtOfWarfare
macrumors G3
Eh, the overlap of people who want modern payment methods but legacy powertrains is small.
Modern paying to power a car is just being automatically recognized/charged when you pull up, no explicit payment step involved.
HMI
macrumors 65816
I've been waiting for this moment my whole life!!!!
God has heard my prayers!!!
He has been generous and kind to me!
He has thrust open the floodgates and removed that which has hindered me since the dawn of time.
He has turned my mourning into gladness.
And I shall be filled with all the goodness of God.
God has heard my prayers!!!
He has been generous and kind to me!
He has thrust open the floodgates and removed that which has hindered me since the dawn of time.
He has turned my mourning into gladness.
And I shall be filled with all the goodness of God.
Not exactly sure what you're saying and what it has to do with car type, but when almost every other gas station has tap-to-pay or chip readers, a station that still has the old style "slide your card into a possible card skimmer" sticks out like a sore thumb. I discovered I can use their 7-11 app and save 11 cents per gallon and pay SECURELY through the app instead of sliding my card into the mystery stripe reader.
Walmart is the largest retailer in USA and in the world. It has small competition with other major retailers in USA that had tap to pay for 5 to 10 years if you exclude online major retailers like Amazon.
This is why Walmart stores in USA was able to resist customer demand for 10 to 15 years when tap to pay for credit cards and debit cards first came out in USA. This would be until its stock numbers decreased recently.
I understand why you say that. My wording was not properly contextualized. So I will add the context for you. I'm sure you will disagree, but just to be clear:
Force in this context was a poor choice of words. I meant it in neither a physical nor coercive way. I simply meant eliminating the customer's ability to choose a payment platform at Walmart. It may feel like coercion, but it isn't because the customer always has the choice to shop elsewhere. That may seem scummy, but it isn't when you consider that Walmart competes for business on price. Any business-model change that allows them to eliminate middleman payments gives them the ability to lower prices and delay increases.
Collecting data on customers may sound abusive, but you've decided to allow companies to do that any time you use a credit card or app. If you don't want that, you do have the option to pay cash. It is legally required that they let you do that. Collecting customer information and using it to market and advertise to you is not an evil thing. It isn't scummy. If you don't like it, read your TOS. Start using cash. Pass laws that restrict collection and usage. I support your right to do that and might sign your petition. But, I'm not going to label as scummy legal actions taken by a CEO in order to stay competitive. [Metapoint: US society has supplanted ethical with legal. If you want companies to act in particular ways, you must pass laws so that the playing field is level. You cannot expect companies to follow your sense of right and wrong, when your idea of something that's wrong is both legal and gives a competitor an advantage.]
Steering may sound like a scummy thing. It can be. But it isn't always. I've commented quite a lot about behavioral marketing on this forum, pointing out the techniques that marketers use. I've done that so people know some of the psychological techniques used to influence their purchases. You have choice. You don't have to be steered if you educate yourself.
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9to5mac released a schedule when Walmart stores and Sam’s Club stores will turn on tap to pay from their credit card machines in USA.
It looks like all USA stores will have it by October 12.
It looks good for the schedule and not push it to November when Christmas sales start especially before Black Friday.
9to5mac.com
It looks like all USA stores will have it by October 12.
It looks good for the schedule and not push it to November when Christmas sales start especially before Black Friday.
Walmart Apple Pay rollout: when it launches in your state - 9to5Mac
9to5Mac has obtained Walmart's internal Apple Pay rollout schedule. Here's the state-by-state launch plan, starting on August 24.
9to5mac.com
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Uhhh. No. They still get your name. That’s a required part of payment validation. All that’s replaced with a token is the PAN. And of course the CVV is replaced with a TAVV, the one-time use cryptogram. Everything else remains static. This is both in card-present transactions like a Walmart would be, and a required manual entry point in card-not-present if we go online… like Walmart.com.
Too much theft how? How does standing in line at self-checkout to scan a barcode ensure what you have in your cart is what you paid for in the app?
I use my phone to pay all the time at Walmart. I open the Walmart app and scan the QR code on the screen to pay. My credit card info is stored in my Walmart account.
No, they do not get your name when you use Apple Pay. Do your research.
VictoryHighway
macrumors regular
I haven't seen those in a long time either. I'm pretty sure that they're not used any more. In fact, a lot of cards issued nowadays are not embossed, so they won't work with imprinters.