Walmart finally starts supporting Apple Pay and Google Pay

Walmart will begin to support contactless payment methods at select Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations beginning Aug. 24, with plans to roll it out to all U.S. stores and clubs by the end of 2026 and to fuel stations by mid-2027, the company said Friday.

“We want customers and members to have choice in how they pay, so they can check out in the way that works best for them,” the company said.

This will support eligible contactless card, phone or smartwatch payment options, the company said. This also includes Apple Pay, a Walmart spokesperson confirmed to Modern Retail.

Google confirmed that this will support Google Pay in a separate post on its website. “This update builds on Google and Walmart’s ongoing partnership, bringing the convenience and security of Google Pay to one of your favorite stores,” Stavan Parikh, vp and gm of payments for Google, said in a statement. The companies have previously worked together on AI shopping, and Walmart has also worked with Google sister company Wing on drone deliveries.

Walmart has long been a holdout on accepting such payment options — Apple Pay launched more than a decade ago in 2014 — instead opting to push its own payment methods such as Walmart Pay and the OnePay Wallet in stores. Apple Pay is accepted at more than 85% of retailers in the U.S. Walmart had previously worked with other retailers to develop another mobile payment system called CurrentC, which shut down in 2016, according to TechCrunch.

The company said it will continue to support alternative payment options such as Walmart Pay, where shoppers can pay using the Walmart app, and Scan & Go at Sam’s Club, where consumers scan items and pay using their phone.