Does Walmart Take Apple Pay in 2024? Everything You Need to Know

Apple Pay has taken the mobile payments world by storm since its launch in 2014. Recent surveys show that over 90 million iPhone users have set up Apple Pay on their devices, with adoption continuing to grow rapidly each year.

But there‘s one major holdout when it comes to accepting Apple Pay – Walmart. As the largest retailer in the world, Walmart‘s refusal to get on board is a significant barrier to Apple Pay‘s growth.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about whether Walmart takes Apple Pay, including:

• The reasons behind Walmart‘s resistance
• Detailed analysis of the Apple Pay vs Walmart Pay debate
• Alternative payment options for Walmart iPhone customers
• Which major retailers do accept Apple Pay
• The pros and cons of using mobile payments

Let‘s dive in.

Why Doesn‘t Walmart Take Apple Pay?

Walmart has resisted adding support for Apple Pay in any of its 11,000+ stores or online. There are three main factors behind this strategy:

Promoting Walmart Pay

Walmart developed its own proprietary mobile payment system called Walmart Pay in December 2016. They invested significant resources into building Walmart Pay and want to promote adoption of this platform rather than supporting rival options like Apple Pay.

Customer Data Collection

Apple Pay provides enhanced security and privacy. But one downside for retailers is that no customer data is collected during Apple Pay transactions.

Walmart relies heavily on gathering detailed customer data and shopping habit analytics. By only accepting Walmart Pay, they can tie each payment to a customer profile.

Avoiding Apple‘s Fees

Apple charges card processing fees estimated between 0.15% – 0.25% for every Apple Pay transaction. By refusing to accept Apple Pay, Walmart avoids paying these fees on what would be hundreds of millions of transactions annually.

So in summary, Walmart‘s strategy gives them full control over customer data, avoids fees, and promotes their Walmart Pay platform. But how does this impact iPhone owners?

Walmart Pay vs Apple Pay for iPhone Users

Many customers wonder why Walmart won‘t add Apple Pay when it would provide a better customer experience. Here‘s an in-depth look at how Walmart Pay compares:

Key Takeaways:

• Walmart Pay is only designed for use at Walmart, while Apple Pay works almost everywhere.
• Both offer easy and secure checkout, but Apple Pay is more seamless.
• Apple Pay provides greater user privacy.
• Apple Pay offers rewards and perks like Apple Card integration.

So while Walmart Pay serves its purpose well, many customers would prefer the ubiquity, privacy, rewards, and sleeker experience of Apple Pay. Walmart‘s stance certainly frustrates some iPhone owners who shop there regularly.

Will Walmart Ever Accept Apple Pay?

With consumer demand high, many analysts predicted Walmart would eventually cave to pressure and begin accepting Apple Pay. However, over 7 years since its launch, Walmart remains adamant about not supporting it.

In fact, Walmart renewed its exclusive mobile payments partnership with Walmart Pay provider MCX in May 2022 for another 5 years. This deal contractually prevents Walmart from accepting rival digital wallets like Apple Pay.

Barring any drastic strategic shifts, it seems unlikely Walmart will adopt Apple Pay anytime in the foreseeable future. The benefits of customer data, promotional reliance on Walmart Pay, and avoided fees seem to outweigh consumer demand for Apple Pay support.

Which Major Retailers Accept Apple Pay?

Though you‘re out of luck using Apple Pay at Walmart, it is widely accepted at most other major chains and small businesses.

Recent surveys estimate over 90% of US retailers now accept Apple Pay in some form, with thousands more added each month.

Some of the top retailers that accept Apple Pay include:

• Target
• CVS
• Best Buy
• Kohl‘s
• Whole Foods
• Costco
• Walgreens
• Trader Joe‘s
• Publix
• Winn-Dixie

In 2022, several holdouts like CVS, 7-Eleven, and Panera finally began accepting Apple Pay after years of declining support. This demonstrates the momentum behind mobile payments adoption.

Here are just some of the many places you can use Apple Pay in 2024:

So despite Walmart‘s absence, Apple Pay is widely supported for all your shopping needs.

The Many Benefits of Apple Pay

Given its overwhelming adoption, mobile payments like Apple Pay clearly have compelling benefits over physical cards:

• Convenience – Make purchases easily with just your iPhone or Apple Watch. No need to carry cards.
• Speed – Checkout is up to 4 times faster than using chips/swiping with Apple Pay.
• Security – Apple Pay utilizes tokenization, Face ID/Touch ID, and one-time codes for secure transactions.
• Privacy – Your actual credit or debit card number is never shared with the merchant.
• Rewards – Apple Card offers up to 3% daily cash back when using Apple Pay.
• Organization – All receipts are stored automatically in your Wallet app.

Mobile payments usage has skyrocketed in recent years for these reasons:

As consumers realize the ease and security of Apple Pay, adoption will continue its rapid rise.

The Takeaway: Walmart Remains a Holdout

Walmart‘s refusal to accept Apple Pay, despite its dominance among other major retailers, stems from its focus on promoting Walmart Pay and collecting customer data.

While inconvenient for some, Walmart customers can still utilize Walmart Pay for easy iPhone checkout. And Apple Pay is widely supported at thousands of other stores if you want its superior rewards and privacy.

This Walmart holdout does slow Apple Pay‘s growth. But withmobile payments showing no signs of declining in popularity, the pressure is on Walmart to reexamine their strategy.