SAN ANTONIO \u2013 Walmart is adding tap-to-pay to its checkout registers, giving shoppers the option to pay with their phone, smartwatch or a contactless card \u2014 no wallet required.<\/p>\n
The retail giant announced the change Aug. 21, with the rollout beginning Monday at select Walmart and Sam\u2019s Club locations. The company says it plans to expand the feature to all U.S. stores and clubs by the end of 2026, with fuel stations to follow by mid-2027.<\/p>\n
The move makes Walmart one of the last major retailers to adopt contactless payment technology. Costco and CVS added tap-to-pay in 2018. Target followed in 2019, while H-E-B added it in October 2024.<\/p>\n
Not every shopper is excited about the change.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care for tapping for my purchases,\u201d said Lucy Trevino, a shopper at a San Antonio Walmart. \u201cI\u2019m old school. I barely like to just use the debit card, but I\u2019ve gotten used to that. And I\u2019m afraid someone could easily grab your card and go on their merry way and charge up a lot of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Security experts, however, say tap-to-pay is actually more secure than swiping or inserting a physical card. The technology generates a one-time encrypted code for each transaction, meaning a shopper\u2019s actual card number is never transmitted through the reader. Once the transaction is complete, that code is gone.<\/p>\n
Other shoppers said the convenience factor is what sold them.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes I forget my wallet, and I\u2019m like, \u2018oh dude, I could just tap pay, right?\u2019\u201d said Diego Moreno, another San Antonio Walmart shopper. \u201cSo if I just have my phone, boop, you know, it\u2019s an easy fix.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gary Goebel said the announcement caught him off guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s been around for a while,\u201d Goebel said, \u201cso I would have expected them to have it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Isaiah Overstreet echoed that sentiment, saying Walmart has some catching up to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody uses it everywhere else,\u201d Overstreet said. \u201cSo I think they\u2019re kind of behind with not having it, so maybe there\u2019s time for them to catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n
In its announcement, Walmart framed the addition as a convenience play, not a competitive one. <\/p>\n
The company said it wants customers to \u201chave choice in how they pay, so they can check out in the way that works best for them.\u201d Tap-to-pay joins existing options including cash, credit card and Walmart Pay, the retailer\u2019s in-app payment system.<\/p>\n
Shoppers can also add their Walmart, Sam\u2019s Club and OnePay cards to their digital wallets to use at checkout.<\/p>\n
To see whether your local store has tap-to-pay yet, look for the contactless symbol \u2014 a sideways Wi-Fi-style icon \u2014 at the register. Not all locations will have it immediately, as the rollout is being phased in through the end of the year.<\/p>\n
Read also: <\/p>\n
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