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Why Walmart still won't accept Apple Pay

Walmart would much rather you use Walmart Pay

Despite widespread adoption, Walmart has doubled down and gone on record saying it will not accept NFC-based payments like Apple Pay — in the U.S., at least.

Walmart has more than 4,500 stores in the United States, and exactly zero of them accept Apple Pay. Or Google Pay. Or even tap-to-pay with your credit or debit card.

This is because the big box retailer has decided to eschew NFC-based payments altogether. And it looks like it's going to stay that way, too.

A Walmart representative reached out to MacRumors and provided them with the following statement.

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.

The company has spent more than a decade working on its own self-purportedly convenient ways to pay. This includes Walmart Pay, which allows customers to scan a QR code to pay with a card saved to their Walmart account. Walmart Pay has been available since 2016.

Of course, this means a customer would need to have a Walmart account, save a credit or debit card to their account, and then have the Walmart app on their phone. It's hardly as set-it-and-forget-it as Apple Pay.

Walmart+ subscribers can utilize another feature, Scan & Go to scan barcodes of products while shopping. Then, they can skip the checkout line entirely.

So, Walmart seems dedicated to avoiding NFC payments for as long as possible in favor of pushing consumers to use its in-house solutions. At least in the U.S., that is. As MacRumors points out, Canadian Walmart stores have accepted Apple Pay since 2020.

Apple Pay launched on October 20, 2014, making the service just over a decade old. A recent study showed that customers love the ease of use, security, and privacy it provides.

Most major retailers now accept Apple Pay, as well as other forms of NFC-based payment. Even some notable holdouts like Midwest grocery retailer Kroger and home improvement chain The Home Depot have begun accepting Apple Pay in recent years.



27 Comments

braytonak 14 Years · 21 comments

I’m sure this comes down to cost and the value of analytics. Like a payment walled garden, I guess. Their weight in the game may have earned them no penalty transaction rate for chip and swipe transactions versus contactless. But no one is forcing me to buy from Walmart and I can’t recall the last time I was even in their store. 

5 Likes · 0 Dislikes
22july2013 12 Years · 3763 comments

(As the article says) we've been using Apple Pay to purchase Walmart goods for five years... here in Canada. And I don't think it's limited to in-store purchases... I believe both their online website and their app for iOS (maybe even for Android) also both accept Apple Pay.

Since 90% of Walmart's products appear to be made in China, I presume China is putting pressure on Walmart to track their users so the Chinese Communist Party can purchase Walmart's user data. ;-)

3 Likes · 7 Dislikes
mknelson 10 Years · 1152 comments

(As the article says) we've been using Apple Pay to purchase Walmart goods for five years... here in Canada. And I don't think it's limited to in-store purchases... I believe both their online website and their app for iOS (maybe even for Android) also both accept Apple Pay.

Since 90% of Walmart's products appear to be made in China, I presume China is putting pressure on Walmart to track their users so the Chinese Communist Party can purchase Walmart's user data. ;-)

That's because Chip and Pin and tap are pretty ubiquitous here in Canada. It's pretty difficult to get the processor to shut tap off (although you can set a limit).

Tap activated is all that's needed - ApplePay just works.

Walmart's main concern may be that they aren't covered if it's a stolen card which was tapped - no security (thanks banks) but the store will often still be liable.

2 Likes · 1 Dislike
jimh2 9 Years · 684 comments

It all comes down to saving money by processing credit card transactions in house. If I am not mistaken they have their own bank though it is not a traditional one. I believe they are the only customer which gives them a way to avoid the banks skim, but they still get hit with a swipe fee and 20 or so other charges for each swiped. It is amazing to look at the breakdown on my wife's business credit card processing statement. Nobody rides for free on the credit card networks. 

2 Likes · 0 Dislikes
hmurchison 24 Years · 11828 comments

Other than finicky gas pump stations I haven't had an issue with Walmart Pay and I don't think they can replicate Scan & Go as effectively with other non contact payment methods disclosure my wife works for Walmart Corporate so there's an incentive for us to use their technology. 

2 Likes · 4 Dislikes