The Apple Pay contactless payments system first debuted in 2014. While most major retailers now accept Apple Pay and other NFC payments at checkout, Walmart refuses to offer support for the technology at its more than 4,600 U.S. stores. Last week, a Walmart spokesperson reiterated on why Walmart’s position on the matter hasn’t changed in 10 years.
A spokesperson for Walmart told MacRumors that its position on contactless payments has not changed, and the retailer remains focused on its own payment technologies, including Walmart Pay and Mobile Scan & Go.
Walmart Pay involves customers scanning a QR code displayed at checkout to pay for their purchase with a payment card stored in the Walmart app. Meanwhile, Scan & Go allows Walmart+ members to scan barcodes on items as they place them in their cart, rather than needing to stand in line and to scan all of the items at a self-checkout register later.
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.
While there were notable Apple Pay holdouts in addition to Walmart – Home Depot, Lowe’s, Kroger, and Texas grocery store chain H-E-B – all of those retailers eventually came around to Apple’s way of thinking.
Oh, by the way, Walmart has accepted Apple Pay in Canada since 2020.