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See the full story · 3 sourcesWalmart is adding more contactless payment options to its checkout stations. Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Walmart said it is adding tap-to-pay to its checkout stations starting this week.
The tech enables customers to use contactless payment cards, as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay.
The company was a long holdout to the tech that has been widely adopted by its retail competitors.
Walmart shoppers can now worry less about forgetting their wallets in the car.
The company said Friday that it will begin adding tap-to-pay options to its checkout stations at US stores and Sam's Club warehouses, starting August 24 through the remainder of the year. Fuel stations will be upgraded by mid-2027.
This means that shoppers can now use their "eligible contactless card, phone, or smartwatch," and a spokesperson confirmed this includes options like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Walmart has long been a holdout to NFC-based payments, opting instead for its proprietary Walmart Pay app and Scan and Go app features for contactless payments.
The issue went viral last year when YouTuber MrBeast was flummoxed by the lack of a tap option.
"Younger consumers in particular are so used to using Apple Pay and tap-to-pay with their phones that they're coming to expect it," Emarketer principal retail analyst Sky Canaves told Business Insider at the time. (Emarketer is owned by Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company.)
Now it looks like Walmart has had a change of heart.
"It all comes back to giving customers and members more choice and making everyday shopping a little easier," the company said.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
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