The long wait is over
Walmart is ending its long-standing refusal to accept standard contactless payments. The retailer confirmed that Apple Pay and Google Pay will be supported at checkout through Tap to Pay, with deployment beginning at Walmart and Sam’s Club locations nationwide on 24 August.
The move closes a years-long gap with the rest of US retail. Most competitors have offered tap-to-pay for years while Walmart pushed shoppers toward its own solutions. The company said the feature will be available at all US Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs by the end of 2026, and at its fuel stations by the middle of 2027.
Shoppers will be able to tap an eligible contactless card, phone or smartwatch at the payment terminal instead of handing over a physical card or opening an app. Android users can add an eligible card to Google Wallet and use it once the terminal is enabled, Google notes. Walmart also said customers will be able to add eligible Walmart, Sam’s Club and OnePay cards to compatible digital wallets.
How the rollout will work
The initial deployment starts 24 August and will expand store by store through the rest of the year. By the end of 2026 the capability is expected to be live across the entire US Walmart and Sam’s Club footprint, with fuel sites following by mid-2027.
The change is largely a terminal enablement. No new hardware is required for shoppers, and the experience mirrors what is already common elsewhere: hold the device near the reader, authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID or PIN, and complete the purchase. The retailer said existing checkout options are not being removed.
Why Walmart held out
Walmart has been a notable holdout on contactless payments. For years it promoted Walmart Pay, a QR-code based system that required opening the retailer’s app at the register. Sam’s Club offered Scan & Go, which let members scan items in aisle and skip the traditional lane.
The company also backed CurrentC, a rival mobile payment initiative that ultimately shut down a few years ago. The strategy kept transactions inside Walmart-controlled systems, but it created friction for customers who expected tap to work everywhere else.
With contactless now the norm across US retail, the holdout became more conspicuous. The company has now acknowledged that forcing shoppers into its own system put customers at a disadvantage compared with other stores.
What stays and what changes
Cash, physical chip cards, Walmart Pay and Sam’s Club Scan & Go will remain available alongside Tap to Pay. The addition is positioned as extra flexibility rather than a replacement.
There is also a practical privacy angle. When paying with a digital wallet, the retailer generally does not receive the physical card number stored on the account, which limits exposure of card details at point of sale.
For a retailer of Walmart’s scale, the shift is a basic checkout upgrade that many shoppers have requested for years. It brings Walmart in line with industry standard expectations while keeping its proprietary options in place for those who prefer them.
