Does Walmart Accept Apple Pay? [2024 Guide]

Curious if you can pay with Apple Pay at Walmart? You have landed in the right place. In recent years, Apple Pay has gained momentum and has become a preferred payment option for many Apple users. You don’t need to carry your bulky physical wallet or credit cards with you. You can always use your iPhone or Apple Watch to make payments. Recently, more and more providers have started accepting Apple Pay. However, some major retail giants still don’t accept Apple Pay and it looks like they never will. In this article, we have answered the most frequently asked question: “Does Walmart accept Apple Pay?” We also tell you a trick on how to use Apple Pay at Walmart.

Contents

Can I use Apple Pay at Walmart?
Why doesn’t Walmart accept Apple Pay?
How to use Apple Pay at Walmart

How to Add an Apple Card to the Walmart App

What payment methods does Walmart accept?

Can I use Apple Pay at Walmart?

Unfortunately, Walmart does not accept Apple Pay. Therefore, you cannot pay with Apple Pay directly at any Walmart store. Despite the popularity of Apple Pay, especially in recent years, Walmart shows no interest in supporting this payment method.

When it launched in 2014, Apple Pay attracted many users. In fact, many regular Walmart shoppers have asked the merchant to add Apple Pay to its list of accepted payment methods. However, even after repeated requests, Walmart still does not accept Apple Pay at self-checkout.

So, no matter what iPhone model you have, there is no way to pay at Walmart using Apple Wallet. It’s worth knowing that it’s not just about Apple Pay, Walmart doesn’t accept other mobile payment methods like Samsung Pay and Google Pay. Instead, the retail giant encourages customers to use its personalized mobile wallet: Walmart Pay.

Why doesn’t Walmart accept Apple Pay?

Walmart Pay app — Image courtesy: Walmart

Walmart makes a combination of strategic and financial decisions by not accepting Apple Pay in any of its online or offline stores. First, Walmart wants users to use its proprietary mobile payment solution: the Walmart Pay app. In 2017, Walmart claimed that its Walmart app was much more popular than Apple Pay. He used the alleged popularity of the Walmart app to explain why it doesn’t accept Apple Pay or any other third-party payment apps like Google Pay. Well, this explanation made a lot of sense in 2017, but it doesn’t seem very relatable in 2024, when Apple Pay is extremely popular.

Second, it appears that Walmart doesn’t want to pay the transaction fees that would come along with Apple Pay. Considering the large number of daily transactions across Walmart’s online and offline stores, this small transaction fee would add up to a large sum over time. Since Walmart is known for offering items at low prices, the introduction of Apple Pay could affect the overall equation. Therefore, Walmart does not accept Apple Pay to reduce additional costs and keep its prices low.

So no matter how popular Apple Pay is, Walmart isn’t likely to reverse its decision, at least not anytime soon.

How to use Apple Pay at Walmart

While you can’t use Apple Pay at Walmart directly, there is a workaround so you can use your iPhone to pay at Walmart. To do this, you must add the Apple Card to the Walmart Pay wallet in the Walmart app. If you don’t have an Apple credit card, you can request one using the Wallet app on your iPhone/iPad or directly through the Apple website. The process is quite simple and fast. Once you have the Apple Card, add it to the Walmart app and then you can use Apple Pay at Walmart. Here’s how to do it:

How to Add an Apple Card to the Walmart App

Go to the App Store on your iPhone and download the Walmart App or download directly from here.
Open the app and Login or create an account.
Now, head to the Account tab at the bottom right and tap Wallet. This will allow you to add a new payment method to your Walmart account.

Does Walmart accept Apple Pay? [2024 Guide]

Tap on Add new payment method and choose the Credit/debit card option.
Now, add your Apple card. Follow the on-screen instructions to add your Apple Card to the Walmart app.

Once your Apple Card is connected to the Walmart app, you can use it to pay for your purchases at any self-checkout or checkout counter.

When you want to use self-checkout, scan all your items and select Pay at the checkout screen as you normally would. Once you are at the payment screen, open the Walmart app on your iPhone and choose the Walmart Pay card. The app will display a QR code, scan the QR code and a tab will appear showing your payment methods. Select your Apple Card as your payment method and your items will be charged.

If you want to pay with a cashier, let them know you want to use Walmart Pay as your payment method. After this, they will show you a QR code either on their screen or on the card reader. Scan the QR code with your iPhone and select your Apple card as mentioned above to complete your purchases.