Here's When Walmart Will Finally Start Allowing Tap to Pay
Good news: Walmart is finally getting Tap to Pay.
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Jake Peterson Senior Technology Editor
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Jake Peterson is Lifehacker’s Tech Editor, and has been covering tech news and how-tos for nearly a decade. His team covers all things technology, including AI, smartphones, computers, game consoles, and subscriptions.
August 21, 2026
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Key Takeaways
Walmart is finally getting Tap to Pay. The company announced the news on Friday, sharing that both Walmart and Sam's Club locations will start supporting the payment method. The rollout starts Monday, Aug. 24, at select locations, though all stores will support Tap to Pay by the end of 2026.Table of Contents
Any time I go to Walmart, I always forget that the store doesn't have Tap to Pay. That really shouldn't be that big of a deal, except almost every business I frequent these days does support the feature. As such, muscle memory has me pulling out my iPhone at self-checkout, only to look like a moron trying to tap to pay a NFC-free card reader. Without fail, each time I reluctantly take out my credit card and physically scan or insert it in the POS, I wonder to myself why Walmart doesn't have Tap to Pay. (I've even left my credit card stuck in the card reader, since I'm so used to not using it these days.)
As it happens, those days are (thankfully) numbered. On Friday, Walmart announced that Tap to Pay is coming to its stores, as well as Sam's Club. In addition to using your credit or debit card to pay with whatever contactless method you prefer, Walmart says you'll be able to add your Walmart, Sam's Club, or OnePay cards to your digital wallet. While you can, of course, continue to pay for your items with cash, credit cards, or Walmart Pay, anyone who wants to use Tap to Pay should be able to do so without issue. It's pretty big news, even if it means Walmart is simply catching up to virtually every other store—at least the ones I typically go to.
What do you think so far?
When is Tap to Pay coming to Walmart?
According to Walmart's press release, Tap to Pay is rolling out Aug. 24 to select Walmart stores and Sam's Club locations. Starting on Monday, your local store may let you pay with your smartphone, smartwatch, contactless credit card, or any other method that supports Tap to Pay. If not, Walmart says all U.S. stores will support it by the end of this year, while all gas stations will support it by mid-2027.
