Walmart Still Doesn't Accept Apple Pay in U.S. Despite Many Customer Requests

[MacRumors]

A quick search on Twitter reveals that Walmart faces numerous requests to accept Apple Pay on a daily basis, but the big-box retailer still does not accept the iPhone's tap-to-pay service at its over 4,700 stores across the United States.

Walmart has instead committed to its own payments service called Walmart Pay, available through the Walmart app on the iPhone. Instead of using NFC technology like Apple Pay and many other mobile wallets, Walmart Pay allows customers to scan a QR code displayed at checkout to pay for their purchase with a payment card stored in the app.

"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," a Walmart spokesperson told MacRumors this week. "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."

There are certainly some benefits for Walmart in pushing its own mobile payments service, including getting more customers to download the Walmart app, being able to track a customer's purchase history, and avoiding Apple Pay fees, but it's clear that Walmart is ignoring one of its customers' most frequent requests as a result.

Apple Pay launched just over eight years ago, on October 20, 2014. In a press release earlier this year, Apple said that Apple Pay is accepted at more than 90 percent of U.S. retailers, with some major holdouts including Walmart, The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Kroger. Walmart did start accepting Apple Pay in Canada in late 2020.

Article Link: Walmart Still Doesn't Accept Apple Pay in U.S. Despite Many Customer Requests

 

[Heat_Fan89]

And they NEVER will. Walmart is a behemoth and does what's best for Walmart. They make money off of Walmart Pay transactions with Capitol One. At one point Walmart was leaning on its suppliers not to do business with Amazon because they didn't want any of their inner dealings finding its way to Amazon.

 

[ian87w]

I guess just like Apple not willing to adopt RCS? 😆
Walmart does what it does because it can, and it's not stopping people from shopping at Walmart.

 

[ijordano]

So do they not accept contactless cards?

 

[Marswarrior462]

And they NEVER will. Walmart is a behemoth and does what's best for Walmart. They make money off of Walmart Pay transactions with Capitol One. At one point Walmart was leaning on its suppliers not to do business with Amazon because they didn't want any of their inner dealings finding its way to Amazon.

I guess we BOYCOTT Walmart until they do

 

[segfaultdotorg]

This is smart, waiting for the improved Apple iPay Pro.

 

[bradl]

So do they not accept contactless cards?

Right now, no. And seeing the card readers and POS systems they have, they never will. I worked at a company that provisioned those devices, and none of them support contactless payment.

That, and lack of Apple Pay, while cosmetic reasons, are among the many reasons to not ever shop at Walmart, with the exception on if you are in a small town, and the only store for the entire town's needs is Walmart.

BL.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

I guess we BOYCOTT Walmart until they do

You can and I won't. I don't see Tim Cook offering to pay for my groceries.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

They don't have to. Their customers are so devoted to them that they really don't care. Plus how many would have an Apple device that would support Apple Pay anyway? *shrug*

EDIT: Or understand it or even trust it. I didn't go to Apple Pay right away, but really like it for where it works. I *do* wish it was everywhere, but *shrug* I wouldn't necessarily boycott a business that didn't use it, but if such a business was say a mile the other side of a business that didn't, and the prices were close, I *might* choose that business over the closer one. Target supports Apple Pay, and I have seen some of their POS systems, and am GLAD I don't have to touch them.

 

[boombashi]

I guess we BOYCOTT Walmart until they do

How about boycott Walmart permanently. Such a terrible company.

 

[BenGoren]

“There are certainly some benefits for Walmart in pushing its own mobile payments service, including getting more customers to download the Walmart app, being able to track a customer's purchase history, and avoiding Apple Pay fees.”

Those are benefits for Walmart, yes. But they are costs for me — costs that I’m uninterested in paying, at any price.

It’s Walmart’s choice to not permit me to use the payment method of my choice. But then it’s also my choice to not do business with Walmart.

Seems to me that Walmart is making a poor business choice by being penny-wise and pound-foolish. They’d rather lose the entire sale than let go of a marginal profit.

Especially consider: I’m increasingly likely to be out-and-about with just my watch, no phone. So my payment options are often Apple Pay on the watch or a physical credit card, with Apple Pay far and away my preferred method. Never mind having Walmart track me; why on Earth should I want to carry a phone just for the “convenience” of digging it out of my pocket at Walmart, unlocking it, firing up an app, and waiting for it to download a barcode when I can even more easily dig out my card?

Whole Paycheck started doing that nonsense after they got bought by Amazon. I almost never shop there any more, either, and certainly don’t bother with their app.

b&

 

[redbeard331]

No reason to ever step foot inside that evil dump of a store anyways.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Right now, no. And seeing the card readers and POS systems they have, they never will. I worked at a company that provisioned those devices, and none of them support contactless payment.

That, and lack of Apple Pay, while cosmetic reasons, are among the many reasons to not ever shop at Walmart, with the exception on if you are in a small town, and the only store for the entire town's needs is Walmart.

BL.

And Krogers hates Apple Pay too. I can't remember how many people I have stunned when I use Apple Pay at a Meijers or other stores that support it. Some have freaked out, (almost) seriously.

 

[alexmack]

ApplePay works great at Walmart… in Canada.

 

[SnappleRumors]

A quick search on Twitter reveals that Walmart faces numerous requests to accept Apple Pay on a daily basis, but the big-box retailer still does not accept the iPhone's tap-to-pay service at its over 4,700 stores across the United States.

Walmart has instead committed to its own payments service called Walmart Pay, available through the Walmart app on the iPhone. Instead of using NFC technology like Apple Pay and many other mobile wallets, Walmart Pay allows customers to scan a QR code displayed at checkout to pay for their purchase with a payment card stored in the app.

"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," a Walmart spokesperson told MacRumors this week. "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."

There are certainly some benefits for Walmart in pushing its own mobile payments service, including getting more customers to download the Walmart app, being able to track a customer's purchase history, and avoiding Apple Pay fees.

Apple Pay launched just over eight years ago, on October 20, 2014. In a press release earlier this year, Apple said that Apple Pay is accepted at more than 90 percent of U.S. retailers, with some major holdouts including Walmart, The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Kroger. Walmart did start accepting Apple Pay in Canada in late 2020.

Article Link: Walmart Still Doesn't Accept Apple Pay in U.S. Despite Many Customer Requests

They “still” don’t? As if there’s some expectation they should and since they’re not there’s something wrong with them? Lol, good grief.

I guess we BOYCOTT Walmart until they do

🙄

I haven’t stepped into Walmart for a decade or more but it’s not due to some pointless personal boycott.

 

[fwmireault]

I guess from a Canadian point of view, I don’t understand how a company could control the access to NFC terminal. From my experience, any terminal that supports NFC will work with Apple Pay. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a Walmart, but I am pretty sure it works there as well in Canada

Edit: people explained to me that all the NFC capabilities are disabled, not solely Apple Pay. Still find that very weird and I don’t see the gain companies have by doing so

 

[RalfTheDog]

Right now, no. And seeing the card readers and POS systems they have, they never will. I worked at a company that provisioned those devices, and none of them support contactless payment.

That, and lack of Apple Pay, while cosmetic reasons, are among the many reasons to not ever shop at Walmart, with the exception on if you are in a small town, and the only store for the entire town's needs is Walmart.

BL.

You should probably go to a Walmart once a year. Do so to remind yourself just how bad they are.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

how many would have an Apple device that would support Apple Pay anyway? *shrug*

Are you trying to imply only poor people shop at Walmart?

 

[IamTimCook]

Still find places making you enter your pin after using Apple Pay; kind of defeats the purpose. And I don't like touching keypads that other people used their booger pickers on. Looking at you Best Buy, of all places.

 

[RalfTheDog]

I guess from a Canadian point of view, I don’t understand how a company could control the access to NFC terminal. From my experience, any terminal that supports NFC will work with Apple Pay. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a Walmart, but I am pretty sure it works there as well in Canada

In the US. the Walmart terminals don't support NFC. They went out of their way to get card readers that did not.

 

[yeah]

Strange considering other major retailers (like Target stores) support Apple Pay or any other contactless payments, while at the same time having their own payment methods and memberships.

 

[thatguywill]

I don’t like how these articles state companies don’t accept ‘Apple pay’. It’s contactless/NFC/touch to pay. Apple pay is a form of this. - take note Article author

 

[RalfTheDog]

Are you trying to imply only poor people shop at Walmart?

Mostly. It's for people who only care about price, not quality or their own time.

 

[thatguywill]

I don’t like how these articles state companies don’t accept ‘Apple pay’. It’s contactless/touch to pay/NFC. Apple pay is a form of this. - take note Article author

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I guess from a Canadian point of view, I don’t understand how a company could control the access to NFC terminal. From my experience, any terminal that supports NFC will work with Apple Pay. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a Walmart, but I am pretty sure it works there as well in Canada

True. HomeDespot DID support Apple Pay for about a week, depending on location I've been told. Their equipment CAN support it. They just refuse to re-enable it. It may not make sense to us, but apparently someone at HomeDespot thinks they are 'owning' Apple by refusing to support it (again).

It's less about honoring your customers and doing what's good for them over squeezing them for all you can get out of them, and inconveniencing them. I swore of HomeDespot for two whole months. You can do it, but I changed to Milwaukee power tools and had to get a new battery. *sigh*