As a DIYer and home improvement enthusiast, I often find myself shopping at Home Depot. It’s a great place to find the hardware you need for both large and small projects. The only drawback to shopping there is that they do not accept Apple Pay as a form of payment.
Since I shop there frequently, this can be a little disappointing because Apple Pay makes payment quick, easy, secure, and contactless which is very convenient when you have a giant cart loaded with lumber or other bulky items that you need to navigate through a checkout line.
My name is Eric and I have been a techie for over 40 years. I love using new technology and Apple Pay makes our lives easier. I am trying to find out what stores currently take Apple Pay and today I am looking at Home Depot.
As I indicated above, Home Depot does not take it. If you would like to know why and find out some of the payment methods that they do take, then follow along and we will look into this matter.
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What is Apple Pay?
If you don’t already know what Apple Pay is, you may have at least heard of it. If not, no worries, I will go over this briefly here.
Apple Pay is an increasingly popular way to pay for things using an Apple device such as your iPhone or Apple Watch. It is quick, easy, secure and unlike many other forms of payments, it is contactless, which means you don’t have to touch the payment device at the store.
This is nice since it can help reduce the spread of germs. Payments are made from your phone to an NFC-capable payment device by bringing your phone close to the device and then authorizing the payment on your phone.
NFC stands for Near-field Communications and it is what allows your phone to communicate to the payment device when it is held near it. It securely transmits the information to pay your bill and you are then on your way.
Why Do I Want to Use Apple Pay?
Most people want to use it because it is easy and convenient. The contactless payment method is a great benefit if you want to reduce your exposure to germs. It also allows you to link multiple credit/debit cards to your account which makes it kind of like a digital wallet.
You no longer need to carry around a physical wallet full of credit cards, with Apple Pay you can simply select which card you want to pay with.
Apple Pay also provides numerous discounts, perks, and other benefits such as cashback on purchases from certain stores and certain items.
Why Doesn’t Home Depot Take Apple Pay?
You might be wondering why such a large retailer like Home Depot doesn’t accept Apple Pay. If you want to spend your money there why do they care what type of payment you use? It sounds simple but it’s really not. It’s similar to the reason that retailers don’t take every credit card.
It comes down to deals and contracts that the retailer has with specific payment service companies. For example, a retailer may accept VISA but has agreed not to accept other cards like American Express or the payment service they work with does not accept AMEX.
I have heard that at one time Home Depot did accept Apple Pay, but they then made a deal with PayPal and that deal keeps them from accepting Apple Pay. If they were to offer both, it might take away from the use of PayPal at their stores.
Since Apple Pay is so popular and the goal of the agreement is to get people to use PayPal, you can see why they would not want shoppers to choose Apple Pay over PayPal.
How Can I Pay at Home Depot?
So, with Apple Pay unavailable at Home Depot, what methods can you use to pay? As mentioned above they do accept PayPal. You can pay at the checkout using a PayPal credit/debit card or using your phone number and the PIN associated with your account.
You can do the same online or with the Home Depot app. They also accept other major credit/debit cards such as VISA, MasterCard, and AMEX. They of course will also accept cash.
This is great but what if I am still looking for a contactless way to pay?
Is there a Contactless Payment Method at Home Depot?
If you are still looking for a non-contact way to pay at Home Depot, there are some locations that do accept Samsung Pay. This requires that you have an Android phone or device, so Apple users may be out of luck.
As for Google Pay, Home Depot does not accept that either, but there is a kind of workaround way that you can use to pay without making contact and I find it a very convenient method, not just in paying but in shopping at Home Depot overall.
This method involves using the Home Depot application to preorder your supplies at your local store. You can then pay for them directly on the application. Not only will they be paid for when you get there, but they will have the order ready for you and loaded onto a cart.
All you need to do is check-in at the service desk, let them know the name on your order, and show some ID, and then they will then take you to your cart loaded with whatever you have purchased. You can then simply load the items into your car or truck. Fast and easy.
No contact for payment is needed and you don’t have to lug all your supplies through the store as you shop and figure out what you need. Although some of us rather enjoy walking around the hardware store, so if that is the case you may not prefer this method of shopping.
Will Home Depot Ever Take Apple Pay?
It is hard to say what direction they will take with payments in the future. Of course, anything is possible but at this point in time, it does not seem that they have any intentions of changing to this payment type. As long as their current agreement with PayPal is in place it is very unlikely.
With that being said, things do change and can sometimes change rather quickly, so you never know. With the popularity of Apple Pay, there is always a possibility that they may change their partnerships with their current payment services.
Final Words
Unfortunately, Home Depot does not take Apple Pay. They have some good reasons for doing so, which mostly have to do with their agreement with PayPal. They do accept PayPal and Samsung Pay and you can still pay without contact by preordering and paying through their app.
As usual, please let me know if you have any questions. I would love to hear from you!
