There are thousands of Walmart stores throughout the United States, making it one of the most popular retail locations. Walmart offers a wide variety of merchandise at low prices, making it a go-to destination for many shoppers.
Money orders, prepaid cards, and gift cards can all be purchased at Walmart – but what about Apple Pay? Can customers use the contactless digital wallet to make purchases at Walmart stores?
In this article, we’ll answer the question: Does Walmart accept Apple Pay?
What is Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is a contactless digital wallet that can be used for online and in-store purchases. The wallet is linked to your credit or debit card and can be used to make purchases with your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.
In order to use Apple Pay, you must first add your credit or debit card to your wallet. This can be done by opening the Wallet app on your Apple device and selecting “Add Card.” You will then be prompted to either use your camera to capture your card information, or to manually enter the card number.
Once your card is added, you will be able to use Apple Pay for in-store purchases by holding your device near the contactless reader and authorizing the purchase with Face ID or Touch ID.
You can also use Apple Pay for online purchases by selecting the Apple Pay option at checkout and authorizing the purchase with Face ID or Touch ID.
Apple Pay is a convenient way to make purchases and is growing in popularity each year. As of 2021, there are over half a billion Apple Pay users worldwide.
Benefits of Apple Pay
When the boom of Apple products came in the early 21st century, it changed the way people thought about technology.
Suddenly, the sleek and user-friendly design was something that was not only possible but also highly desirable. Apple Pay is one of the most popular features of Apple devices, and for good reason – it’s incredibly convenient.
One of the great things about Apple Pay is that it’s a very secure way to pay. When you add your card to the Wallet app, your card number is not stored on your device, and every transaction is encrypted.
Additionally, you can use a Touch ID or a passcode to add an extra layer of security.
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The ability to send funds via messaging apps is also a great feature of Apple Pay. With just a few taps, you can send money to anyone in your contacts list – no matter what platform they use.
This is a great way to quickly and easily split the bill or send someone a gift without having to go through the hassle of setting up a new account or linking your bank account to a third-party service.
Where Can I Use It?
Apple Pay can be used at a wide variety of stores, both online and in-person. In person, you’ll be able to use it at any store that has a contactless reader. Online, you can use it on websites and in apps that support Apple Pay.
Some of the most popular stores that accept Apple Pay include:
- Target
- Best Buy
- Starbucks
- The Home Depot
- Costco
- CVS
- 7-Eleven
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Does Walmart Accept Apple Pay?
Walmart does not currently accept Apple Pay as a payment method. This means that you cannot use your Apple Pay wallet to make purchases at Walmart stores or on the Walmart website.
In fact, Walmart doesn’t accept any other contactless digital wallets like Google Pay or Samsung Pay either. The only way to pay for your purchase using a digital wallet is through Walmart Pay.
What is Walmart Pay?
Walmart Pay is a free service that allows customers to use their smartphones to pay for purchases in Walmart stores. Customers can link their credit and debit cards to their Walmart Pay account and then use the app to scan a QR code at the register to pay.
Some people confuse Walmart Pay with the Walmart Mobile App, which is a separate thing. The Walmart App lets customers do things like order online and pick up in-store, track their pharmacy prescriptions, and get personalized deals and recommendations.
Although Walmart Pay is part of the Walmart App experience, it can be used as a standalone feature.
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How to Set Up Walmart Pay?
Walmart Pay works on iOS and Android, and it is free to download from the App Store or Google Play.
Once you have installed Walmart Pay, open the app and sign in with your Walmart.com account credentials (the same ones you use when shopping online at Walmart.com).
If you don’t have a Walmart.com account, no problem – you can create one during the sign-up process.
Once you’re signed in, Walmart Pay will prompt you to add a credit or debit card.
You can use any major credit or debit card – Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express are all accepted. If you have a store-branded credit card from Walmart (such as the Walmart Credit Card or Sam’s Club Mastercard), you can use that as well.
Once you’ve added a card, you’re ready to start using Walmart Pay. To pay with Walmart Pay, open the app and sign in (if you’re not already signed in), then:
- Open the sale in the app
- Select Walmart Pay as your payment method
- Scan the QR code at the register
- Confirm the payment
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Is Walmart Pay Safe to use?
It is imperative to know if Walmart Pay is safe to use before diving in and using it as your go-to payment method. After all, you are trusting the company with your financial information.
According to the Walmart website, “Walmart Pay is a free, secure way to pay using your smartphone at Walmart stores. It’s easy to use and keeps your payment information safe in our app.
When you use Walmart Pay, your actual credit card number is never stored on your phone and only encrypted numbers are transmitted to merchant systems.”.
As for whether or not you should trust Walmart with your information, that is a personal decision. We know that like other payment wallets, the company has implemented various safety measures.
Walmart Pay uses encryption to help keep your payment information secure. When you add a credit or debit card to Walmart Pay, the app stores an encrypted version of your card number on your device.
Adding a credit card gives you an extra layer of protection against fraud. This is because it comes with a zero percent liability guarantee from the credit card issuer. In other words, if someone were to fraudulently use your credit card number, you would not be held responsible for the charges.
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Why Walmart Doesn’t Take Apple Pay
There are a few reasons why Walmart may not be on board with Apple Pay just yet.
The obvious reason is that Walmart has its own digital wallet called Walmart Pay, which it launched in December 2015. In order to use Walmart Pay, customers need to download the Walmart app and link a credit or debit card to their account.
Once they’re in a Walmart store, they can open the app and scan a QR code at the checkout lane in order to pay.
Another reason why Walmart may not be accepting Apple Pay is due to the fees that come with it. Every time a customer uses Apple Pay, retailers are charged a small fee by the credit card companies. For a large retailer like Walmart, these fees can add up quickly.
Consumer data is also a big factor. When customers use Apple Pay, their purchase information is stored on Apple’s servers. This means that Walmart would not have access to this valuable data.
With Walmart Pay, the company has full control over the customer data. This data can be used to target ads and promotions, which is a key part of Walmart’s business model.
For example, Walmart recommends products to customers based on their previous purchases.
The battle between QR codes and NFC technology is another reason. Walmart Pay uses QR code technology, which is less expensive for retailers to implement than NFC (near-field communication) technology, which is what Apple Pay uses.
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What Other Payment Methods Does Walmart Accept?
In the United States, Walmart accepts most major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.
Walmart also accepts the Walmart Credit Card, as well as gift cards from other retailers, such as Visa Gift Cards, Mastercard Gift Cards, and American Express Gift Cards.
Walmart Apple Pay ”Hack”
It’s worth noting that there are companies that function as middlemen between retailers who don’t want to accept Apple Pay and customers who do.
Although using these third-party services may not be as convenient as using Apple Pay directly, it’s an option for those who want to use Apple Pay at retailers that don’t accept it.
Some of these services include:
- Ibotta
- Square Point of Sale
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Using one of these services may require you to set up an account and link your credit or debit card.
Once you’ve done that, you can use the service to shop at any retailer that doesn’t accept Apple Pay.
So, while Walmart doesn’t accept Apple Pay directly, there are ways you can still use Apple Pay if you really want to.
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Conclusion
At this time, it doesn’t seem likely that Walmart will start accepting Apple Pay in the near future. However, that could always change down the line. In the meantime, Walmart Pay is a convenient way to pay at any Walmart store.
If it’s not a lot of trouble, then you can use one of the third-party services. Just be aware that you may have to pay a fee to use them.
