Updated
Updated · The Keyword | Google Product and Technology News · Aug 21
Walmart Adopts Apple Pay, Google Pay at U.S. Stores Starting Aug. 24 after 10-Year Holdout
Updated
Updated · The Keyword | Google Product and Technology News · Aug 21

Walmart Adopts Apple Pay, Google Pay at U.S. Stores Starting Aug. 24 after 10-Year Holdout

3 articles · Updated · The Keyword | Google Product and Technology News · Aug 21

Summary

  • Aug. 24 marks Walmart’s first rollout of Apple Pay and Google Pay at select Walmart and Sam’s Club locations, with all U.S. stores due to get tap-to-pay by year-end.
  • Mid-2027 is the target for extending the feature to Walmart fuel stations, completing a phased shift the retailer says will give shoppers more checkout choice.
  • 85% of U.S. retailers already accept tap-to-pay, and years of customer pressure helped force Walmart to abandon a long-standing strategy of steering users to Walmart Pay and Scan-and-Go.
  • CurrentC — a retailer-backed Apple Pay rival Walmart once supported — shut down in 2016, underscoring how far the company has moved from its earlier resistance to contactless payments.

Insights

After a decade of resistance, what hidden financial strategy finally forced Walmart to surrender its checkout aisles to Apple Pay?
As Walmart embraces contactless payments, how will the retail giant track your shopping habits without its QR-code walled garden?
Will tapping your phone at Walmart secretly cost you access to the exclusive loyalty rewards hidden within their proprietary app?