As noted by 9to5Mac over the weekend, Walmart still does not accept contactless payment options like Apple Pay at its more than 4,500 stores across the U.S., and there is no indication that will be changing any time soon.
It is not just Apple Pay that is affected. Walmart also does not allow customers to use Google Pay or Samsung Pay, and you cannot tap a credit or debit card either. In other words, the NFC functionality on the payment terminals is turned off.
It is far from the first time that we have reported on this topic, but Walmart has still not changed course, despite endless customer complaints.
Last year, a Walmart spokesperson told MacRumors that the retailer remained focused on its own payment technologies in the Walmart app, including Walmart Pay and Scan & Go, but these options are not as convenient as one-tap Apple Pay.
To use Walmart Pay, customers must add a payment card to the Walmart app, and then scan a QR code displayed at the checkout to complete payment. This system allows Walmart to track a customer's purchase history and learn their habits, which is likely the biggest underlying reason that the retailer does not accept Apple Pay.
Scan & Go allows Walmart+ members to save time by scanning barcodes on items while they shop, rather than having to scan all of the items at a self-checkout register later. This can save you time, but Apple Pay is still not accepted.
Apple Pay has a lot of privacy protections, including hiding actual credit card numbers, and this would make it harder for Walmart to track customers.
Apple Pay launched more than 10 years ago, and it was accepted at more than 90 percent of U.S. retailers as of 2022, according to Apple. Some other major Apple Pay holdouts in the U.S. have reversed course and started accepting it over the past few years, including The Home Depot, Lowe's, Kroger, and Texas grocery store chain H-E-B, leaving Walmart as one of the country's only major retailers that does not accept Apple Pay.
Interestingly enough, Walmart has accepted Apple Pay in Canada since 2020, but apparently it is not willing to offer that luxury in America for now.
