Last week, Mactrast reported that massive US retailer Walmart will soon finally begin accepting Apple Pay and other forms of tap-to-pay in their stores. Now, comes news of the schedule for the rollout in each US state.
- August 24–31, 2026: Arkansas (pilot launch)
- September 10, 2026: California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii
- September 14, 2026: Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma
- September 17, 2026: Texas
- September 21, 2026: Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming
- September 24, 2026: Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa
- September 28, 2026: Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky
- October 1, 2026: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi
- October 5, 2026: Florida
- October 8, 2026 & beyond: Remaining states (including North Carolina, Virginia, and others) rolling out through late fall.
- End of 2026: Complete nationwide availability across all Walmart and Sam’s Club stores.
- Mid-2027: Fuel stations are scheduled to receive contactless payment support
Walmart had been promoting its own QR code-based payment system at checkout, but it has apparently listened to its customers and decided to accept NFC-based tap-to-pay options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay at its U.S. stores. Tap-to-pay support extends to physical credit and debit cards.
Existing payment options like Walmart Pay will remain available.
Walmart has already begun accepting Apple Pay in its Canadian stores back in 2020. It is unclear if the retailer will also begin accepting tap-to-pay in its Mexico locations.
