Walmart continues to forgo Apple Pay acceptance at its U.S. stores in 2026, a limitation gaining social media traction as the retailer remains among few major holdouts.
Walmart does not accept any form of NFC payment in the United States, including Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or contactless physical cards. This policy excludes most Canadian Walmart locations, which do support Apple Pay.
Walmart launched its proprietary contactless payment platform, Walmart Pay, in 2016. Walmart Pay operates on a QR code system, not NFC technology. Users add a debit or credit card to the Walmart app on their iPhone, then scan a QR code at checkout to complete payment.
The retailer also offers Scan and Go for Walmart+ subscribers. This feature allows customers to use the Walmart or Sam’s Club app to scan items while shopping and finalize purchases at self-checkout without rescanning all items. Apple Pay is not supported with Scan and Go.
A primary reason for non-support is data collection. Walmart gathers customer data to build profiles on purchasing patterns for targeted advertising and marketing. Walmart Pay and Scan and Go link all purchase information to a user’s Walmart account, facilitating customer profile creation. Apple Pay’s privacy and security protocols, which do not share actual card information with retailers, complicate this data tracking.
The theory that Walmart avoids Apple Pay due to additional fees is unsubstantiated. Businesses incur no extra fees for accepting Apple Pay beyond standard card processing fees. Apple’s fee typically applies to issuing banks. Walmart has upgraded many payment terminals to support contactless transactions, but manually disables their NFC features.
Walmart stated last year that it considers Walmart Pay a more convenient solution for shoppers.
“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.”
According to 9to5Mac, these reasons are not valid, attributing Walmart’s stance to data collection and control at the expense of customer convenience. Social media indicates growing frustration among Walmart shoppers regarding the lack of Apple Pay support. Kroger, Home Depot, and H-E-B, once Apple Pay holdouts, have since adopted the payment method, but Walmart has not.
