Walmart has been one of the most stubborn holdouts when it comes to contactless payments in the United States. That is finally changing. Beginning August 24, the retailer will start rolling out Tap to Pay at select Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations.
Yes, folks, Walmart is finally embracing the tap… in friggin’ 2026.
The change means shoppers will be able to use eligible contactless credit and debit cards, smartphones, and smartwatches at checkout. For many people, the most important part will be the ability to use the mobile wallet already set up on their phone rather than relying on Walmart’s own payment system.
Walmart says the rollout will begin at select Walmart and Sam’s Club locations before expanding to all U.S. stores and clubs by the end of 2026. Fuel stations will have to wait a little longer, with Tap to Pay scheduled to arrive there by mid-2027.
Look, this has been a long time coming. While contactless payments have become commonplace at retailers across the country, Walmart continued pushing Walmart Pay, its QR code-based payment system inside the Walmart app. Instead of simply holding a phone or watch near a payment terminal, Walmart shoppers using a smartphone had to go through the company’s own app.
Walmart Pay isn’t going anywhere. Customers will still be able to use it to pay, view purchases and receipts, and access Walmart+ fuel savings. The difference is that it will no longer be the only mobile payment approach available at checkout.
Sam’s Club members will similarly retain Scan & Go, which lets shoppers scan merchandise and pay through the Sam’s Club app without going through a traditional checkout line.
Walmart also says eligible Walmart, Sam’s Club, and OnePay cards can be added to digital wallets, giving customers another way to use those cards.
The strange thing about this rollout is that it took this long. I mean, tapping a card, phone, or smartwatch at checkout has become so ordinary that it barely feels like a technology feature anymore. Walmart’s refusal to support the option increasingly felt like unnecessary friction, especially for shoppers who already had their preferred cards stored in a digital wallet.
Walmart frames the change as giving customers more choice, and that’s exactly what it does. People who like Walmart Pay can keep using it. Sam’s Club members who prefer Scan & Go can continue skipping the traditional checkout line. Everyone else can finally use the contactless payment method they already use at countless other stores.
Walmart may be late to the party, but shoppers probably won’t care once they can finally tap their phone or watch and get on with their day.
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