Some Trader Joe's Stores Accepting Contactless Payments, Including Apple Pay

Popular grocery store chain Trader Joe's has installed new NFC-compatible VeriFone touchscreen checkout terminals in some of its stores, allowing for contactless payments. First noticed by AppleInsider, some of these stores with the new payment terminals are accepting Apple Pay, which works at any location that allows for contactless payments.

traderjoesapplepay

Image via AppleInsider

MacRumors has verified that Apple Pay works in some Trader Joe's stores. In the Raleigh, North Carolina area, we were able to make a purchase at Trader Joe's with the Apple Watch using Apple Pay.

Not all Trader Joe's stores have the new payment terminals at this time, and not all stores with the new terminals are accepting Apple Pay via NFC. The Apple Pay logo is present on the checkout terminal, however, suggesting Trader Joe's is perhaps considering becoming an official Apple Pay partner.

Trader Joe's is known for its high-quality low-priced products, and it has more than 400 locations across the United States. If Trader Joe's becomes an official Apple Pay partner, it will join other grocery store chains like Whole Foods, Dick's Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo, Food Maxx, Lucky, Meijer, Sprouts, and more.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
imac video apple feature

Apple Makes Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever

Tuesday February 3, 2026 12:45 pm PST by
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...

Top Rated Comments

voyagerd Avatar
140 months ago
I should eat more like they do...
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Watabou Avatar
140 months ago
It's funny to me that people on Macrumors of all places are willing to pay for what is easily the best of the best when it comes to their tech but when it comes to food so many of you seem happy to shop at sub par places like Trader Joe's. This is your body, your energy, and your health that we are talking about.

Not to mention taste. Two buck chuck wines that you can pay for with your $600 iPhone or $350+ Apple Watch?! Are you kidding me?! The stuff is ****. Exactly what I expect from a wine that costs a few bucks.

You hold yourself to a higher standard when it comes to your tech but not the the food and drink you put in your bodies?

Mind blowing.
Sub-par? Seriously?

Plenty of people, including me, shop at trader joe's for healthy foods. Their bananas are fresh at 19c each, bread with very few ingredients, you can get the tastiest peanut butter I've found with peanut and oil as ingredients, none of that partially hydrogenated stuff, they also have some good coffee now and again like their limited edition peaberries which are pretty much guaranteed to be fresh since a lot of people buy them.

Trader Joe's is fantastic if you ignore the processed foods and the two buck chuck wines.

Way to generalize :rolleyes:
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Explorz Avatar
140 months ago
Honestly don't see why pulling out a $600 smartphone to pay is any easier than pulling out a plastic credit card. One thing's for sure - the credit card will suffer less potential damage if it's accidentally dropped in the process.

...adding, glad to see TJ's also accepts Google Wallet and isn't exclusively Apple Pay.
It's not about ease. It is about security.

----------

It's funny to me that people on Macrumors of all places are willing to pay for what is easily the best of the best when it comes to their tech but when it comes to food so many of you seem happy to shop at sub par places like Trader Joe's. This is your body, your energy, and your health that we are talking about.

Not to mention taste. Two buck chuck wines that you can pay for with your $600 iPhone or $350+ Apple Watch?! Are you kidding me?! The stuff is ****. Exactly what I expect from a wine that costs a few bucks.

You hold yourself to a higher standard when it comes to your tech but not the the food and drink you put in your bodies?

Mind blowing.
I eat remarkably healthfully and only eat high quality foods. And I shop at trader joes at least once a week. You do know that they sell a whole lot more than that one crap wine you reference, yes? Your ignorance and arrogance is mind blowing.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
killawat Avatar
140 months ago
It's funny to me that people on Macrumors of all places are willing to pay for what is easily the best of the best when it comes to their tech but when it comes to food so many of you seem happy to shop at sub par places like Trader Joe's. This is your body, your energy, and your health that we are talking about.

Not to mention taste. Two buck chuck wines that you can pay for with your $600 iPhone or $350+ Apple Watch?! Are you kidding me?! The stuff is ****. Exactly what I expect from a wine that costs a few bucks.

You hold yourself to a higher standard when it comes to your tech but not the the food and drink you put in your bodies?

Mind blowing.
So, tell us how you feel about McDonalds accepting Apple Pay.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrfr Avatar
140 months ago
Honestly don't see why pulling out a $600 smartphone to pay is any easier than pulling out a plastic credit card.

With Apple Pay, the vendor never gets my credit card number. Given how frequently credit card systems are breached, this is a huge benefit.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
meistervu Avatar
140 months ago
This is the first time I've ever heard anyone say this about Trader Joe's. Mediocre at decent prices has always been my experience. I have one 2 blocks from my apartment and shop there MAYBE once a month. Garbage produce and bland processed foods.
I strongly disagree with what you wrote. I am very critical when it comes to food, and I have been shopping at Trader Joe's for at least 20 years. I find their processed foods to be of very high quality. There is no account for taste, so you have to choose what you buy, just like in a restaurant. But by and large I find their foods tasty. Their meat is of really high quality, and while not all their produces are as good as places like Whole Foods and other high end grocery stores, their carrots (mixed colors) are great. Their lettuces are excellent. Compared to places like Safeway, their produces are much better.

Plus, if you try something and you don't like, bring back the receipt and tell them. They will refund you.

Also, they seem to have the happiest workers there, which make me think they treat their employees very well. I love shopping there.

I used to shop for groceries at many places, and I remembered I was always surprised by my Trader Joe's receipts: they always ended up being lower than I expected, by 15-20%.

Last week I was in the check out line when a Trader Joe's employee tapped me on my shoulder and asked me if he could trade my 4 year old worn out TJ insulated bag for a new one, a $19 value, at no cost to me. That I didn't expect. Mind your, this is not the cashier who asked, but an employee who walked around the store doing other things noticing that my bag was quite worn. Many other super market stores employees would be so tired and overworked that they don't have the time or energy to do that sort of thing, even if the store allows it.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)