Walmart has started accepting Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other tap-to-pay digital wallets at select U.S. stores, ending a years-long holdout against the technology. The retailer said Monday that customers can now use the payment methods at some Walmart and Sam’s Club locations, with a full rollout to all roughly 4,600 U.S. stores planned by the end of the year. Gas station payments will follow in 2027.
Walmart had previously blocked competitor mobile wallets to promote CurrentC, a payment app developed by a consortium of retailers led by the company. That effort was eventually abandoned. Afterward, the retailer developed its own Walmart Pay system, which lets customers scan their phones at checkout.
The new tap-to-pay options also include Samsung Pay, Garmin Pay, and other wearable devices, according to a frequently asked questions page on the retailer’s site. They are accepting cards stored in digital wallets too, not just those tied to its own app.
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This change didn’t happen overnight. For years, Walmart argued that its own payment system offered a better experience for customers and kept transaction costs down. The company has been open about the financial math behind its payment strategy: when a shopper uses a card that isn’t a Walmart or Sam’s Club card, the retailer pays higher interchange fees to banks and card networks.
Walmart has spent considerable effort finding ways to lower those costs. It backed a fintech startup that created the digital OnePay card, working with venture capital firm Ribbit Capital in 2021 to launch the venture. The company has also expanded buy now, pay later options for customers.
Last year, Klarna Group partnered with the Walmart-backed fintech to offer financing through a digital payments app. That move gave Klarna access to the retailer’s customers, which had previously been exclusive territory for Affirm Holdings as the provider of BNPL installment loans.
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It’s a notable reversal for a company that positioned itself as an innovator in payments but resisted the most common tap-to-pay methods. Most major U.S. retailers adopted Apple Pay and Google Pay years ago, and Walmart’s refusal had become something of an industry anomaly. The earlier bet on CurrentC, which was designed to route transactions away from card networks entirely, collapsed after major partners pulled out.
The rollout begins at select locations, though the company hasn’t specified which stores will get the option first. Walmart said the full expansion would be complete by the end of the year, which gives the retailer time to update payment terminals across its stores and Sam’s Club locations nationwide.
For customers who have grown accustomed to tapping their phones at checkout, the change removes a notable friction point. Walmart shoppers previously had to open the Walmart Pay app or dig out a physical card. Now they can use the same digital wallet they already carry for other purchases.
