Walmart finally starts supporting Apple Pay and Google Pay

After years of refusing to adopt Apple Pay and Google Pay, Walmart has finally announced it will start accepting payments via these popular mobile payment systems in its stores on August 24. The retail giant plans to roll out the feature to all of its stores, Sam's Club locations, and fuel stations by the end of the year, and then to all of its fuel stations by mid-2027.

This surprising move comes despite Walmart's long-standing promotion of its own in-house payment solutions like Walmart Pay and Scan-and-Go. In the past, Walmart even collaborated with other retailers to compete against Apple Pay with an alternative mobile payment system called CurrentC, which was shut down in 2016. Customers have long been urging Walmart to support Apple Pay and other tap-and-pay technologies, which are now accepted by 85% of retailers across the U.S. Walmart's decision to embrace these payment methods is seen as a concession, as the company believed its own solutions would lure customers despite the growing use of Apple Pay and similar systems.

The company is positioning the announcement as a way to provide customers with more payment options, stating that "Tap to Pay is a great addition to the other payment options already offered like cash, credit card or Walmart Pay." Walmart aims to make managing and using money easier for its customers through this new feature.