Walmart’s decision to allow Apple Pay and Google Pay at its stores, which began rolling out Monday, could be the death knell for Walmart Pay, its proprietary payment service. That system requires a customer to add a payment card to Walmart’s app, with a QR code presented to the consumer to scan at checkout. By scanning those QR codes, Walmart was able to track members’ spending habits and schedules—something it will not have available with the other payment services.
The upgraded point-of-sale terminals will process Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and support contactless EBT cards.
The website 9to5 Mac reported that Walmart would begin its state-by-state schedule with Arkansas this week. Tap to pay would then expand to West Coast markets in early September and the remainder of the country in phases through the end of the year. It is expected to be available at fuel pumps by the middle of 2027. Walmart has already accepted Apple Pay at its stores in Canada for six years.
Walmart Pay Will Continue
According to figures compiled by Apple, its tap to pay is accepted at roughly 85% of all U.S. retailers. Walmart insists the adoption of Apple Pay and Google Pay does not mean it is abandoning Walmart Pay.
Rather than becoming a handy alternative for the retail giant’s shoppers, Walmart Pay instead became a friction point, a payment app usable only at a single merchant. The system will still be available to Walmart shoppers, but it is likely to be overtaken by more popular forms of tap to pay.
A Long Period of Resistance Is Over
Walmart has long been the biggest retailer to not accept Apple Pay, which rolled out in 2014. Walmart Pay was unveiled in December 2015 and required shoppers to download its app and scan a QR code. Reports at the time noted that Walmart held discussions with Apple about incorporating Apple Pay into the app, although nothing came of it. In 2016, Walmart’s merchant consortium, CurrentC, conceived as a network to rival Apple Pay, collapsed as well.
Walmart Pay has remained useful to the retailer because it keeps payment activity inside its ecosystem, which Apple Pay does not do. The service also connects shoppers with features such as electronic receipts and Walmart fuel savings. In addition, the Walmart subsidiary Sam’s Club offers Scan & Go, which allows members to scan and pay while shopping. Sam’s Club has also begun accepting the tap-to-pay rivals at select stores.
