# Walmart finally embraces Apple Pay after years of resistance Retail giant ends long-standing opposition to Apple's payment system in major customer experience shift - **Source:** [Cult of Mac](https://brifing.si/source/7e2968d9-bc24-4286-8f9e-146807f06336) - **Published:** 2026-08-21 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/273d3021-5938-4d1e-a686-c849bbbb62c3 ## Historic decision Walmart announced it will accept Apple Pay across all U.S. stores, ending its resistance since the payment system's 2014 launch. This move is seen as part of the retailer's customer experience enhancement strategy. The company invested in new POS systems at over 5,000 locations to enable this transition. ## Competitive pressure Major competitors like Target and Costco accepting Apple Pay for years significantly influenced Walmart's decision. This standardization in payment systems improves customer convenience. Competing chains reporting 30-40% increases in digital payment usage pushed Walmart to act. ## Customer demand Walmart's customer feedback showed a 75% increase in Apple Pay requests over two years. Gen Z and millennial consumers particularly favor contactless solutions. Company surveys revealed 68% of customers preferred other stores specifically for Apple Pay's convenience. ## Technical infrastructure Walmart's insistence on maintaining its QR code-based Walmart Pay system delayed technical integration. However, new-generation POS terminals predominantly supporting NFC technology made this transition inevitable. The company invested $120 million in system upgrades. ## Financial implications Apple's 0.15% transaction fee was a primary reason for Walmart's resistance. But increasing digital payment popularity and need to reduce cash handling costs offset this loss. Experts predict this move will help Walmart capture part of the $8 billion annual contactless payment market. ## Security advantages Apple Pay's tokenization technology is considered 60% more secure than traditional payments due to encrypted card data. Given Walmart's data breach history, this security boost could significantly improve customer satisfaction while substantially reducing fraud risk. ## Retail domino effect Walmart's decision may pressure holdouts like Kroger to follow suit. Experts note this signals complete standardization of digital payments in retail. The development could accelerate technology investments, especially among regional chains. ## Apple's gain With 1.4 million employees and 240 million weekly customers, this deal could increase Apple Pay usage by 40% in the U.S. This marks a significant milestone in Apple's financial services strategy. The company now claims its payment system is accepted at 90% of U.S. retail locations. ## Changing consumer behavior Post-pandemic demand for contactless payments surged 300%, accelerating Walmart's decision. Consumers increasingly prefer phone payments over carrying wallets. This shift represents part of a larger digital transformation requiring retailers to redesign customer experiences. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.cultofmac.com/news/walmart-apple-pay-support — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._