Walmart said on August 21, 2026 that it will start adding Tap to Pay at select Walmart stores and Sam's Club locations beginning August 24. The company plans to have contactless checkout at all U.S. stores and clubs by the end of 2026, and at fuel stations by mid-2027.
The rollout covers eligible contactless cards, phones and smartwatches at the register. TechCrunch reported that both Apple Pay and Google Pay will work once a store is switched on. Walmart also said customers and members can add eligible Walmart, Sam's Club and OnePay cards to their digital wallets. Walmart Pay stays available, and Sam's Club members can keep using Scan and Go.
Walmart has been the biggest contactless holdout in U.S. retail. It backed CurrentC, a retailer-run mobile payment venture that shut down in 2016, and steered shoppers to its own Walmart Pay app rather than accepting tap-to-pay wallets. TechCrunch put Apple Pay acceptance at about 85 percent of U.S. retailers.
Why it matters for cardholders
Cards that pay a higher rate only when you tap have been earning their floor rate inside Walmart. The Apple Card pays 2% Daily Cash on purchases made with Apple Pay and 1% when you use the physical titanium card, so Walmart and Sam's Club spending has been landing at 1%. Once Tap to Pay reaches a given store, that gap closes.
Walmart has not published a list of which stores go first, and the announcement does not say when any specific location will be ready. Cardholders who want the tap rate should check at the register rather than assume their store is live.