'Walmart Pay' Expands Nationwide as Apple Pay Holdout Continues [Updated]

Walmart has announced that its mobile payments solution Walmart Pay is now available in 19 more U.S. states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

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Last month, Walmart Pay widely expanded to Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and the Washington D.C. capital area. The service initially launched in Arkansas and Texas in May.

Walmart Pay is built into the Walmart app [Direct Link] for iOS and Android and works at any checkout lane with any major credit, debit, pre-paid, or Walmart gift card.

The payments solution is based upon a QR code checkout process that involves opening the Walmart app, selecting Walmart Pay, activating the camera, scanning the code displayed at the register, and waiting for the cashier to finish bagging your items. An electronic receipt is automatically sent to the app.

Walmart Pay is now available at more than 4,600 stores in all 50 states.

Walmart is among a handful of retailers that have refused to support Apple Pay since its American launch in October 2014. The retailer was originally committed to the Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) consortium and its now indefinitely postponed payments service CurrentC before launching Walmart Pay.

In late 2015, Walmart senior vice president of services Daniel Eckert said that Walmart Pay allows "for integration of other mobile wallets in the future," providing at least some hope that the retailer may eventually accept rival payment services such as Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay at its stores.

Walmart Pay's resistance to Apple Pay continues despite some other large U.S. retailers including Best Buy and Rite Aid reversing course and accepting the iPhone-based payments service at their stores. Walmart rival Target, meanwhile, is developing a QR code-based mobile wallet solution of its own.

The Walmart app [Direct Link] is free on the App Store for iPhone and Apple Watch.

Update: Walmart announced on Wednesday that Walmart Pay is now available at all of its more than 4,600 U.S. stores nationwide.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Tags: Walmart Pay, Walmart

Top Rated Comments

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LukasValine

45 months ago

I look forward reading the article "Walmart Begins Accepting Apple Pay After Quietly Discontinuing Walmart Pay".

Rating: 38 Votes

Michael Scrip

45 months ago

Wal-Mart originally went with MCX to avoid paying credit card interchange fees.

But now the Wal-Mart Pay app will accept major credit, debit, pre-paid, or Walmart gift card.

So if they abandoned MCX and are finally willing to accept credit card fees... why not just offer Apple Pay?

Rating: 9 Votes

rosalindavenue

45 months ago

QR codes in stores with very poor cell service and no wifi? User experience will be terrible

Rating: 8 Votes

dsizomutt

45 months ago

I used Walmart Pay for the first time the other day. I was skeptical at first. I would still prefer Apple Pay to be accepted but with Walmart Pay it automatically submits your receipt to their savings catcher program. If a nearby store sells the same product for less, you get the difference on your gift card balance. Before Walmart Pay you had to scan your paper receipt with the app to submit it, so it's nice that this step is skipped.

Rating: 8 Votes

69Mustang

45 months ago

Walmart Pay is now live in every store in the US. This article is incorrect.

I was skeptical at first, but with Touch ID and 3D Touch integration, it really is seamless to do this. It is literally the most convenient alternative that could be made to ApplePay.

Unlock phone, 3D Touch the Walmart icon, unlock WalmartPay with TouchID, and scan the QR code. I've used it 10+ times and it takes 5 seconds or less to do it.

This comment screws with the prevailing narrative. Please delete and post something more appropriate. Something like "No Apple Pay, will not shop there" will be perfectly acceptable. :p:D

Rating: 7 Votes

aajeevlin

45 months ago

What's the point really? Nothing against Walmart, but I'm not a fan of this type of payment method. I need something like Apple Pay (or simply a credit card) to shop at every single store. Not one app per store.

Rating: 6 Votes

bigRedMachine76

45 months ago

Rating: 5 Votes

jarred125

45 months ago

The same people that use Apple Pay? There is no incentive that is different vs Apple Pay except one or two taps.

Wrong. So wrong. Tokenization and not worrying about corporations who worry less about security and more about selling you lunch meat and cheap clothing.

Rating: 5 Votes

bigRedMachine76

45 months ago

Wal-Mart already had to change out their card readers with the switch to Chip cards.

These new readers could have NFC capabilities built into them... just turned off. (I hope so anyway)

Even if Wal-Mart didn't plan on accepting NFC payments right away... it seems silly to install readers that didn't have NFC at all.

Because... yes... they'd have to switch them out... again.

That is true to a point, but Walmart doesn't make uniform hardware changes throughout the company. Different stores still do have different card readers. I frequent two locations and both card readers are different. One is significantly older than the other.

Yes, they've switched out a lot of stores card readers, but the vast majority of the readers that were in stores have read the new credit card chips for years.

It is very much so possible that a vast majority have NFC turned off. But the point is that Apple has provided little to no incentive for companies to use ApplePay aside from giving them free stickers on their windows. So companies like Walmart and Chick-Fil-A are making their own way. And that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sure, the native way is easier, but they are making good logistical decisions because the alternative is a poor.
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As opposed to just double-pressing the home button from the lock screen?

We're literally counting seconds here. 1-2 seconds vs 3-5. You have to press two buttons vs 1. But you can use scan the QR code and use WalmartPay at any time when the cashier is checking you out(you don't have to wait until they are done.) So really, it's a moot point. You can only pay as fast as your cashier rings up all of your items.

Rating: 4 Votes