Does Kroger Accept Apple Pay in 2024? (Do This Instead…)
Dear friend,
Mobile payments like Apple Pay are exploding in popularity for good reason – they make checking out fast, easy, and secure without having to carry around a physical wallet. According to eMarketer, over 34 million Americans will use Apple Pay in 2024, up 15.7% from 2022.
However, some major retailers like Kroger still do not accept Apple Pay. In this article, I‘ll explain why Kroger doesn‘t take Apple Pay, how to pay with your iPhone using Kroger Pay instead, and how Apple Pay acceptance compares at other top grocers.
The Growing Popularity of Apple Pay
Mobile payments like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay have seen rapid adoption in recent years.
In 2021 alone, $2.07 billion transactions took place via proximity mobile payments in U.S. stores – a 70.3% yearly increase according to eMarketer.
Consumers love the convenience of paying quickly with their smartphones. And the growth is expected to continue as more stores enable contactless checkout.
Why Doesn‘t Kroger Accept Apple Pay?
Back in 2020, Kroger ran pilots testing Apple Pay and other third-party mobile wallets in stores. However, these trials were discontinued after just 2 months.
Instead, Kroger launched its own branded mobile payment solution called Kroger Pay which replaces Apple Pay.
So why did Kroger decide to build its own offering instead of supporting Apple Pay directly?
While Kroger has not explicitly stated their reasoning, it likely comes down to:
- Maintaining tighter control over the payment process
- Capturing more customer data and shopping behavior insights
- Integrating payments with loyalty memberships for targeted offers
- Avoiding Apple Pay transaction fees
The downside for consumers is we can no longer tap to pay quite as seamlessly using Apple Pay‘s NFC technology when shopping at Kroger or its family of stores.
Checkout With iPhone Using Kroger Pay
Instead of Apple Pay, Kroger wants shoppers to use the Kroger Pay app to checkout using iPhones.
Here‘s how Kroger Pay allows contactless iPhone payments:
- Download Kroger app
- Sign up for Kroger Plus Rewards membership
- Save payment method to Kroger Pay
- Shop and scan items in-store
- At checkout, open Kroger Pay app and scan QR code to transmit payment
While not as frictionless as Apple Pay, Kroger Pay does enable shoppers to skip digging out their physical cards and loyalty tags.
Key Benefit: Tight integration with Kroger Plus Rewards accounts for personalized offers and fuel points.
Who Does Accept Apple Pay in 2024?
While Kroger does not take Apple Pay, many top grocery chains like Safeway, Ralph‘s, Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter, and Publix have all enabled contactless Apple Pay acceptance in stores.
Here‘s a breakdown of payment support across major grocery retailers:
| Retailer | Apple Pay | Kroger Pay | Google Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kroger | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Albertsons | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Safeway | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Publix | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Walmart | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Costco | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
The Bottom Line
Kroger decided to build its own mobile payment solution, Kroger Pay, instead of supporting Apple Pay directly in its stores.
While not as seamless as using Apple Pay, iPhone owners can still checkout quickly with stored cards using the Kroger Pay app.
My advice is to leverage Kroger Pay for the loyalty perks when shopping at Kroger. And enjoy Apple Pay contactless convenience when shopping at the many other major grocers that accept it!
I hope this guide gives helpful clarity around "does Kroger take Apple Pay" in 2024 and how you can still tap to pay with your iPhone. Let me know if any other questions come up!
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
