If you have ever wondered why, after all these years, Walmart still refuses to accept Apple Pay or other NFC payments at any of its 4,600+ stores in the U.S., a spokesperson has finally offered an explanation.
A spokesperson for Walmart on Thursday informed MacRumors that its position on contactless payments has not changed since we last reached out about the matter in 2022. The big-box retailer said it remains focused on its own convenient payment technologies available in the Walmart app, including Walmart Pay and Mobile Scan & Go.
The Walmart Pay app allows users to scan a QR code displayed at checkout to pay for their purchases via a payment card store in their Walmart app. Scan & Go allows Walmart+ members to scan barcodes on items while they shop, rather than having to sc
The spokesperson offered the following comment:
“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. 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, providing a truly touchless shopping experience.”
Apple Pay launched over 10 years ago and has been accepted at over 90 percent of U.S. retailers as of 2022, per Apple. 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 not to accept Apple Pay.
Walmart has accepted Apple Pay in Canada since 2020.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors