Walmart is finally adding Apple Pay and Google Pay
Walmart has announced it will finally support Apple Pay and Google Pay, ending its position as one of the last major US retailers to hold out against tap-to-pay technology. The change matters because it removes a long-standing inconvenience for shoppers who have had to rely on cash, cards or Walmart's own QR-code-based Walmart Pay system, and marks a reversal of the company's previous stance defending NFC-free checkouts.
Tap-to-pay will roll out to "select" Walmart and Sam's Club stores from 24 August 2026, before expanding to all US stores by the end of 2026 and to petrol stations by mid-2027. Walmart had previously backed the now-defunct CurrentC mobile payment service and launched Walmart Pay in 2016 as alternatives, with a spokesperson telling MacRumors last year that these offered sufficient "convenient solutions." In its announcement, Walmart said it wants customers to have choice in how they pay, describing tap-to-pay as a complement to existing options like cash, credit cards and Walmart Pay.
- Walmart to accept Apple Pay and Google Pay from 24 August 2026
- Full US store rollout expected by end of 2026
- Petrol stations to gain support by mid-2027
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates of the move argue this is a straightforward win for shoppers: tap-to-pay is faster and more secure than swiping or fumbling with QR codes, and Walmart's long holdout increasingly looked like an inconvenience imposed on customers to protect a proprietary system that never gained the traction rivals like Apple Pay did. Bringing Walmart into line with the rest of the retail sector removes friction at checkout, offers genuine choice alongside cash, cards and Walmart Pay, and reflects a company listening to consumer demand rather than clinging to a failed alternative in CurrentC.
The case against
Those more sympathetic to Walmart's original position would note that retailers who resisted Apple Pay and Google Pay did so for serious reasons, chiefly the interchange fees these platforms charge merchants on every transaction, costs that are ultimately passed on to shoppers through higher prices. There is also a legitimate concern about ceding valuable transaction data and customer relationships to Apple and Google rather than keeping that information within Walmart's own payment ecosystem, a trade-off that a cautious, cost-conscious retailer could reasonably continue to weigh even as it now offers the option alongside its existing systems.