Walmart Finally Set to Accept Apple Pay and Google Pay
Walmart will begin accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay tap-to-pay transactions at select stores starting August 24th, expanding to all US locations by the end of 2026. The move ends years of Walmart resisting NFC payments in favor of its own Walmart Pay system.
Walmart announced that starting August 24th, select Walmart and Sam's Club locations in the US will begin accepting tap-to-pay transactions via Apple Pay and Google Pay. The retailer plans to expand the feature to all US stores by the end of 2026, with gas stations following by mid-2027.
The move is notable because Walmart had long been one of the few major US retailers not supporting Apple Pay or Google Pay. The company previously backed the now-defunct CurrentC mobile payment service before launching its own QR-code-based Walmart Pay in 2016. As recently as last year, a Walmart spokesperson told MacRumors the company had no plans to support NFC-based payments, pointing instead to "convenient solutions" like Walmart Pay.
Why the change
In its announcement, Walmart said it wants to give customers and members choice in how they pay, so checkout works in whatever way suits them best. The company framed tap-to-pay as an addition to existing options such as cash, credit cards, and Walmart Pay, rather than a replacement.
The change means millions of Apple and Google device owners will soon be able to use their phones or smartwatches to pay at Walmart, closing a long-standing gap between the retail giant and most of its competitors.
