The short answer to the question is no, Walmart does not accept Apple Pay. They have their own reasons for this and while it is inconvenient for many Apple Pay users, their reasons do make sense.
Walmart does still provide a way to pay electronically and technically there is a way that you can still pay with Apple Pay indirectly if you really want to.
My name is Eric and finding answers to tech questions is something that I enjoy doing. I have been a tech enthusiast since I was young which led me to pursue a degree in engineering. Answers to questions like this one may seem simple, but there is often more to the story.
Keep reading if you would like to hear why Walmart does not accept Apple Pay, how you can pay electronically, and a workaround that will allow you to use Apple Pay.
Contents
Why Doesn’t Walmart Accept Apple Pay?
This is a great question and to many, it may seem odd that a retailer as large a Walmart would not want to accept a form of payment that is so popular with so many people. At first look, it doesn’t make sense. Wouldn’t you make more money by accepting such a form of payment?
Well, it’s not really that simple. Not all stores accept all types of payments, even from all credit cards. If you have ever noticed some stores may accept Visa and Master Card, but not AMEX or Discover. Others may accept Discover but not the others.
Although this is much less common today, it does still happen and it is even more common with newer types of ePayments. This is because retailers have contracts with the companies that process the payments and this determines which ones are accepted by that store.
Having a contract with one processor may restrict the company from accepting payments from another processor which is the case with Walmart, it does not have a contract that allows them to accept Apple Pay directly.
Another reason is that Walmart has its own electronic payment system which is part of the Walmart app. The app is free but if you want to have some of the extra benefits there is a monthly or yearly membership fee that you must pay.
Walmart makes money from this so accepting Apple Pay would cut into their membership numbers and their profits. In the end, it’s all about business but these things can change if and when they lead to more profits.
How Can I Pay at Walmart Using My Phone
With Apple Pay not being an option, Walmart does have an option that you can use to pay with your phone. As we briefly touched on above, Walmart Pay is the way to do this. It is part of the Walmart app which can be downloaded from the App Store.
Once you have the app downloaded, you can set up Walmart Pay and have multiple sources of payment such as credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, and even EBT cards. Once your payment methods are set up, it is quite easy to use.
You simply go to the register and scan all your items. Once you are done scanning, you use the app to scan the QR code on the self-checkout monitor or the credit card reader if you are not checking out at a self-checkout line.
Once the QR code is scanned the app will make the payment for you using one of your selected funding sources. Walmart lets you use one of the following.
- Visa
- Master Card
- Discover
- American Express
- Capital One Walmart Card
- Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card
- Walmart Gift Card
- Walmart Program Benefit Card
You are able to set up and do this for free with the app. If you join the Walmart+ program you can enjoy even more benefits such as Scan and Go, free shipping, free delivery, discounts on prescriptions and fuel.
Walmart Scan and Go
In my opinion, Walmart Scan and Go combined with Walmart Pay is the best feature offered by Walmart+. Just like the name says, it allows you to scan all of your items as you go through the store shopping.
Once you are done shopping, you simply visit a self-checkout register. At the register, you scan your QR code and finalize payment with Walmart Pay. Get your receipt and you are on your way out the door. It’s quick, easy, and no hassle of scanning each item at the register.
The other nice thing about this is that you get to see your total bill as you scan things in. This helps you to keep track of your spending as you go through the store selecting items to purchase.
Apple Pay Workaround
If you’re not interested in using Walmart Pay and still wanting to use Apple Pay, there is a roundabout way that you can still do this. This method involves using a third-party discount app to pay for in-store purchases.
These are apps or programs that you sign up for and you get discounts and/or cash back for purchasing certain items at certain stores. Ibotta is one such app that I know of that allows you to do this, but there are others.
These apps make you set up a funding source. The great thing about Ibotta is that it lets you use Apple Pay as one of your payment methods. There are other options such as credit cards, but since it allows Apple Pay, we can then use this to in turn pay for things at Walmart.
Another great benefit to this is that you get cash back from using both Ibotta and Apple Pay if you have it set up to your Apple Card. This can be a great money saver and well worth the time it takes to set it all up.
Keep in mind that with Ibotta, you don’t get cashback on every item, it is only specific items but it is still worth it.
As I mentioned there are other programs that do similar things but I don’t know if they can use Apple Pay. Be sure to fully research any that you are thinking about using to ensure that they are legit and will really be a benefit to you.
Final Words
So, you can’t use Apple Pay directly to pay for things at Walmart, but if you need an easy ePayment method, Walmart Pay is available on the Walmart app. It’s easy to use and with a membership can provide many other useful features.
If you need to use Apple Pay, you can still do so by using a third-party money-back app like Ibotta, and using an Apple Card can help you to get even more cashback.
Do you know of any other legitimate third-party apps that can allow you to use Apple Pay? Let us know if you have other solutions, I would love to hear from you!
