Summary
Walmart announced it will finally accept payments via both Apple Pay and Google Pay at its stores, including Walmart and Sam's Club. Beginning August 24, it will add Tap to Pay at select locations, with plans to reach all stores and clubs by the end of the year, and all fuel stations by mid-2027. The move ends Walmart's long refusal to adopt the ubiquitous mobile payments, which it had repeatedly declined in favor of promoting its own in-house solutions (Walmart Pay and Scan-and-Go) and once mounted an attempt to counter Apple Pay with its own CurrentC system, which was shut down in 2016.
Key Facts
- Walmart will accept Apple Pay and Google Pay at Walmart and Sam's Club stores
- Beginning Aug 24, Tap to Pay added at select stores; all stores/clubs by end of year; fuel stations by mid-2027
- Ends Walmart's long-standing refusal to adopt tap-to-pay tech in favor of in-house Walmart Pay and Scan-and-Go
- Walmart previously launched CurrentC in 2016 (partnership with other big retailers) in an attempt to counter Apple Pay; it failed and was shut down
- Apple Pay is now accepted at 85% of US retailers, including most larger stores
- Walmart frames the move as "giving customers and members more choice at checkout"
- Note that Walmart's longtime rival Amazon already supports Apple Pay/Google Pay widely
- Decision described by TechCrunch as a "defeat" for Walmart's push to steer customers to its own solutions
Why It Matters
Walmart's adoption of Apple Pay and Google Pay marks a significant capitulation in the retail mobile-payments landscape, signaling that tap-to-pay has become effectively universal across U.S. retail and that even the largest retailer can no longer afford to disadvantage its own customers. It removes a major remaining holdout and is a win for the digital wallet ecosystems and the open tap-to-pay standard, while raising pressure on any remaining retailers still pushing proprietary wallets.