Starting August 24, Walmart is expanding its payment options with tap-to-pay, after years of not allowing payment services like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Walmart quietly announced the news in a press release on Friday, going out of its way not to name the services that the new tap-to-pay system will allow. We have confirmed that Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Wallet will all work with the new system.
In it, the company says that the initiative will be complete in Walmart and Sam's Club stores by the end of 2026. Gas stations will get the service in 2027.
For years, Apple Pay and other competing services weren't allowed at Walmart because the company had its own payment funnel it preferred. The company forced shoppers to scan Walmart Pay QR codes that it provided, so the company could better track consumer spending habits and schedules.
That system, which will still be functional after the tap-to-pay rollout, requires a customer to add a payment card to Walmart's app. Then, a QR code is presented to the consumer to scan at checkout.
Walmart has accepted Apple Pay in Canada stores for six years.
Apple Pay launched on October 20, 2014. Walmart very briefly allowed it, before cutting off access and shifting to Walmart Pay exclusively.
Most major retailers now accept Apple Pay, as well as other forms of NFC-based payment. Even some notable holdouts like Midwest grocery retailer Kroger and home improvement chain The Home Depot have begun accepting Apple Pay in recent years, both after years of resistance.
