Walmart is one of the most popular stores in the United States.
It offers low-cost items and tons of deals and specials that allow you to save even more money.
If you’re a frequent shopper at Walmart and recently received an iPhone, then you may wonder if you can use your Apple Pay account to make purchases there.
Since Apple Pay is contactless, the last thing you want to do is show up without a secondary form of payment if Walmart doesn’t accept Apple Pay.
As such, it’s worth knowing what payment methods Walmart accepts.
Does Walmart Take Apple Pay?
No, Walmart does not take Apple Pay.
Despite the superstore giant accepting several different payment methods, it does not list Apple Pay as one of the ways that customers can make payments.
As such, if you have an Apple Pay account, then you shouldn’t expect to be able to use it at Walmart or on Walmart.com.
Why Doesn’t Walmart Take Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is a contactless form of payment.
It uses signals generated by a terminal to prompt purchases.
You don’t have to swipe any cards or count cash.
You simply confirm the payment and you’re out of the store.
Since Apple Pay makes the buying experience faster and more convenient, you may wonder why Walmart hasn’t adopted the technology.
Here are some of the reasons why Walmart doesn’t accept Apple Pay.
1.Walmart Pay
The primary reason why Walmart doesn’t accept Apple Pay is that it has its own contactless form of payment.
Walmart has its own service called Walmart Pay.
It works exactly like Apple Pay.
You simply sign up for Walmart Pay through your Walmart account on the Walmart app or Walmart.com.
Then you enter the payment methods that you want to connect to your Walmart Pay account.
When it’s time to go shopping and checkout, you simply click on the Walmart Pay app and then wait for the confirmation to appear on your screen.
After confirming the purchase, you can take your items and leave the store.
You don’t have to touch or sign anything.
Because Walmart Pay acts just like Apple Pay, Walmart expects iPhone users to adopt Walmart Pay instead of using Apple Pay at its stores.
They don’t want to take Apple Pay as a form of payment because it’s a direct competitor of Walmart Pay.
iPhone users are more likely to use Apple Pay since it comes pre-loaded on their phones.
They’re likely already using Apple Pay to make purchases elsewhere, so they’re not going to use Walmart Pay at Walmart.
They’re already comfortable using Apple Pay.
Walmart would miss out on the chance to attract more people to its service if it allowed Apple Pay as a payment method.
As long as Walmart Pay exists, it’s unlikely that Walmart is going to start taking Apple Pay.
2. Avoid Fees
Another reason Walmart likely chose to develop its own contactless form of payment instead of using Apple Pay is to avoid the fees that Apple Pay charges.
The fees may differ based on the merchant, but there is always some type of fee that the merchant has to pay when the consumer uses Apple Pay to purchase their items.
If a lot of customers are using Apple Pay, then Walmart is paying a lot of fees.
That can increase their costs which makes their business model a bit more vulnerable.
Walmart keeps its costs as low as possible so it can offer its customers cheap prices on items.
If they suddenly have higher fees to pay, then they might need to increase prices.
Since their regular customers depend on their lower prices, if they start seeing high prices, then it might encourage them to leave Walmart behind and shop elsewhere.
As such, it’s cheaper for Walmart to make its own contactless form of payment and push that to its customers instead.
They’re able to avoid the fees and instead attract more people to their customized payment method.
3. Encourages Customers To Use More Walmart Services
Walmart wants to get you inside their stores.
They believe that once they have you in the store, there’s an increased chance that you’re going to buy something.
A way to attract more people to the stores is by introducing easier ways of paying for goods.
The COVID-19 pandemic made more people interested in alternative means of making payments.
They wanted to touch as little as possible.
Walmart saw an opportunity to attract people to its stores who were looking to use that sort of technology.
Walmart Pay made some people more comfortable with making in-store purchases.
They chose to shop at Walmart over other stores because it seemed more sanitary to them.
Along with attracting more people to its stores, Walmart also made its Walmart Pay program usable with the various services that it offers.
It further encourages its customers to take advantage of those services.
The more people participating in the services that Walmart offers, the more money it makes.
What Forms Of Payment Does Walmart Accept?
Although Walmart doesn’t take Apple Pay, there are several other payment methods that you can use.
You don’t need to have Walmart Pay to pay for your items at Walmart.
Walmart accepts some other forms of payment as well.
For example, the store accepts payment methods like cash, credit cards, and debit cards.
It also accepts government assistance payments like the EBT program.
If you have a Walmart gift card, then you can also use it at the store.
Keep in mind that they don’t allow you to buy a gift card with a gift card.
Walmart has also partnered with Capital One to make a Walmart Credit Card.
Since it’s backed by Capital One, you can also use this card to make your purchases.
If you’re buying something online, then you have a few more choices.
For example, you can pay using PayPal or Affirm.
You can also add all these methods, with the exception of PayPal and Affirm, to your Walmart wallet.
This allows you to easily switch between your payment methods when you’re making a purchase online or on the Walmart app.
How Do You Install Walmart Pay On Your Phone?
If you are interested in using Walmart Pay on your phone, then you may be curious as to how to get started with it.
Follow these steps to install Walmart Pay on your phone and use it at your local Walmart store.
1. Download The App
The first thing you need to do is find the Walmart app and download it.
You can usually find it on your phone’s specific app store.
The app might require you to submit some information during the initial setup.
2. Open App And Find Walmart Pay
Inside the app, you should see a section for Walmart Pay.
Click that, and the Walmart Pay account will appear.
The most important thing to do here is to include your preferred payment method.
You can submit several payment methods if you wish.
If you already have the Walmart app downloaded or have your payment methods linked to your Walmart wallet, then you might already see your payment methods listed on the Walmart Pay app.
At this point, you’ll need to choose the payment method that you want to primarily use for your purchases.
Finally, you’ll need to submit a PIN or set up a touch ID that you’ll use to secure your transaction.
3. Go Shopping
With your Walmart Pay app ready, you can go shopping.
When you’re ready to checkout, you’ll simply open the Walmart app and go to the Walmart Pay section.
You’ll see a QR code generated on the checkout screen.
Scan it with the app and wait until you hear a chime or see a notification.
Once you hear that chime or see the notification, you’ll know that your payment was successfully completed.
You can then leave the store with your items.
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