Walmart to finally start accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay

After years of refusing to accept tap-to-pay technology, Walmart has announced that it will now allow customers to use Apple Pay and Google Pay in its stores. The rollout begins on August 24 at select Walmart and Sam's Club locations, with the goal of reaching all stores by the end of the year. According to TechCrunch, this decision is surprising as Walmart has traditionally promoted its own payment solution, Walmart Pay and Scan-and-Go, instead of adopting popular technologies like Apple Pay.

In the past, Walmart even partnered with other major retailers to create an alternative mobile payment system, CurrentC, but the project was abandoned in 2016. Despite customer demands for modern tap-and-pay technology, which is now accepted by 85% of retailers in the U.S., Walmart maintained that its own solutions were superior.

The company's decision to finally embrace Apple Pay and Google Pay can be seen as a concession, as it has acknowledged that these technologies are gaining traction and could be beneficial for customers.