If you live in the US, there’s a very good chance that you have a Walmart within five miles of your home. Many consumers turn to Walmart for their food needs due to its incomparable rates and vast selection.
So you head to the checkout lines after filling your basket with enough food for the week. As you dig through your wallet or purse for cash or card, you wonder to yourself: “Can’t I just use Apple Pay? It’s 2023!”
Nothing more convenient then just pulling out your iPhone and paying instantly at checkout…heck, you don’t even need to bring your wallet to the vast majority of stores these days. But does Walmart take Apple Pay? Or are you stuck using the Walmart Pay app or a regular ol’ credit card? Let’s break it all down.
Does Walmart Take Apple Pay?
Regrettably, the response is no. You cannot use Apple Pay when using self-checkout or when meeting your daytime cashier friend.
In light of this, you’re in luck if you’re not wed to Apple Pay and are just seeking for a practical way to use your iPhone to make a purchase at Walmart.
Walmart does not accept Apple Pay primarily in order to promote Walmart Pay, which requires only the scanning of a QR code that can be found at any checkout lane. It is that simple.
There is no need for cash or a credit card; you will receive a receipt saved to your Walmart account.
Why Does Walmart Not Take Apple Pay?
The online payment service Apple Pay was developed. A user may link all of their debit and credit cards with this program to carry out simple digital transactions at physical stores and on shopping websites. Here are some of the main why Walmart does not accept Apple Pay, despite its conveniences.
Extra Charges
Any merchant that accepts Apple Pay must pay a processing charge since Apple Pay is an Apple product. This indicates that while using Apple Pay is free for you, it is not at Walmart. Walmart does not accept Apple Pay because enabling it would negatively impact their financial results.
Promoting Walmart Pay
Their own digital payment platform is called Walmart Pay. When paying at the register, a user may safely keep their debit, credit, and Walmart gift card information. Walmart owns Walmart Pay, thus it keeps all of the money generated by this form of payment.
Walmart Pay boosts brand recognition while making the corporation more profitable. Because of this, Walmart prefers to push its own payment system over adopting alternatives like Apple Pay.
Encourages Customers To Use More Walmart Services
Walmart wants to invite you inside its establishments. They feel there is a higher likelihood that you will make a purchase once you are inside the store. Introducing simpler methods of payment for items is one strategy for getting more customers into the businesses.
Many individuals are now interested in alternate forms of payment as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. They intended to make as little contact as they could. In order to draw customers seeking to employ that kind of technology to its stores, Walmart spotted an opportunity.
Several individuals reported feeling more at ease making in-store purchases thanks to Walmart Pay. They choose Walmart over other retailers because they thought it was cleaner.
In addition to drawing more customers into its stores, Walmart made its Walmart Pay program usable with the range of services it provides.
Moreover, it exhorts its clients to utilize such administrations. The more individuals who use the services Walmart provides, the more money it generates.
Benefits of Walmart Pay
When you shop at Walmart, Walmart Pay is a good choice. The advantages of utilizing Walmart Pay are listed below.
- The consumer is able to utilize contactless payments at all Walmart locations.
- You won’t have to stress about looking for a receipt when you are returning anything since Walmart Pay keeps all of your receipts.
- The environment will benefit more from Walmart Pay since paper receipts will no longer be issued.
- As it doesn’t make use of near-field communication (NFC) technology, Walmart Pay is quite safe. As you input your PIN on your smartphone rather than at a register in a store, nobody else can easily guess it.
Why Customers Want Walmart To Take Apple Pay
Several users of Apple Pay as a payment option claim to be really happy with it. Listed here are some main cause:
Convenience: Customers may use Apple Pay to quickly and simply make payments using their mobile device without having to carry cash or physical payment cards. Those who often make purchases on the fly may find this to be very useful.
Security: Advanced security mechanisms used by Apple Pay, including as tokenization and biometric verification (such as Touch ID or Face ID), can assist prevent fraud and illegal transactions. Customers may feel more at ease utilizing the service as a result.
Compatibility: Several businesses, including large shops like Walmart, accept Apple Pay, which may be used at millions of places globally. This makes it a flexible payment mechanism that may be applied in different circumstances.
Integration with other Apple products: Using Apple Pay may be simple and integrated into a user’s whole Apple ecosystem for consumers who also own other Apple goods, such as an iPhone or Apple Watch.
Therefore, a lot of customers like Apple Pay’s simplicity and security since it might make their purchasing experience better overall.
In The Future, Will Walmart Take Apple Pay?
We doubt it, a lot.
The justification is that allowing Apple Pay would have a negative financial impact on Walmart’s income statement.
Walmart has a contractual duty to Merchant Customer Exchange, which, according to Business Insider, prevents it from ever accepting Apple Pay (MCX).
Walmart avoids the 2% credit card fee that would apply if they started accepting Apple Pay by using MCX’s mobile payment system through Walmart Pay.
Hence, rather of focusing on attracting customers, Walmart is more concerned with the financial consequences. Not surprising at all.
Another major reason why Walmart does not accept Apple Pay is to promote Walmart Pay, which only requires you to scan a QR code that will show at any checkout line to complete your transaction. It is that simple.
No cash or credit card is necessary; you will receive a receipt linked to your Walmart account.
