Apple Pay has been available for over a decade now, but one of the biggest opponents of this and other contactless payment options has been Walmart. But after years of shutting out the technology and even doubling down on its own payment solutions, the company just announced that near-field communication (NFC) (tap to pay) payments are coming to select stores starting next week, making it even easier for you to shop for affordable Walmart gadgets. The only downside, however, is that a full rollout will take several months, as full tap-to-pay integration is not expected until mid-2027. So don’t go running to your local Walmart or Sam’s Club without your physical card or, imagine, cash just yet.
According to a press release from Walmart, contactless payment will be added to its payment options in select stores and Sam’s Club stores starting August 24, 2026. All U.S. stores and clubs will offer this convenience to their customers by the end of 2026, and it will be added to gas stations by mid-2027. Walmart will continue to offer other payment options, such as cash, credit cards or Walmart Pay, which until present, were the most “convenient” way to pay with a phone. as customers could view their purchases, receipts and access Walmart+ fuel savings.
Walmart’s Tap To Pay Is a Huge Win for Customers
Walmart has been campaigning against Apple Pay and other contactless payment systems for years. It’s unclear exactly what changed with Walmart finally deciding to support Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other contactless payments, but it represents a huge win for customers who can now shop more conveniently and privately. In 2025, the company told 9to5Mac that it does not accept near-field communication (NFC) payments because it has instead implemented “convenient solutions, such as Walmart Pay, that offer our customers easy, contactless payments on any smartphone.” However, the real reason is that with a platform like Walmart Pay, it is easier for the company to create an online profile of the customer than with contactless payment.
With Apple Pay, every purchase is completely anonymous because the merchant doesn’t get your actual credit card data or information. This way, the company cannot target you with specific advertisements, nor sell this data to other companies. This practice has been quite common for years, and in 2012 the New York Times wrote an article about how Target was using profiles like this one, which could be as safe as knowing a woman was probably pregnant based on her purchases.
