There are quite a few different mobile payment options out there, with expectations that expansion is far from over. Ever since Apple joined in on the fun with Apple Pay, companies were coming out of the woodwork to reveal their own efforts. Samsung wasn't necessarily a surprise, considering it's Samsung, but even LG has its own option. Basically, you've got a few choices out there in the wild.
And let's not forget the retailers, too. One of the biggest, Walmart, announced its own effort with (*checks notes*) Walmart Pay back in 2015. And while it had a pretty tepid rollout --considering it owns the technology, the app, and the stores where it's supported -- it's now available across the United States. And Walmart executives were more than willing to point out this week that it is already surpassing the other options out there.
And that it will surpass Apple Pay soon, too. Based on user interaction.
Walmart says its adoption rate is higher than Samsung Pay and Android Pay combined, for what it's worth, so it's not like it's just throwing shade at Apple's mobile payment option. I can understand why Walmart is excited, because it means more people are using its official app, where Walmart Pay exists, and it means that it doesn't have to make deals with other companies.
It should also be noted that Walmart doesn't officially support any other mobile payment option, either. Yeah, you can use Samsung Pay there thanks to the technology in that mobile payment option, but you can't use Apple Pay. Or Android Pay. They don't use the QR code-based mobile payment method that Walmart utilizes.
(It should be noted here that using Samsung Pay at Walmart seems to be a hit-or-miss proposition. I've used it before without an issue, even recently, but I've heard and seen reports on forums suggesting Walmart blocks the option altogether. So maybe it doesn't work anymore. Have you tried it?)
So if you want to use a mobile payment option at Walmart, basically you've got one official choice, and, maybe, an additional unofficial option. So maybe it's not too surprising that adoption for the mobile payment is rising, because people want to use their phones to quickly check out and Walmart only supports one.
But all of this made me start wondering: Do you use Walmart Pay at all? If you're the type of customer that uses mobile payments when you can, have you opted to use Walmart's only official option? Do you think Walmart should support the other options out there, including Android Pay and Apple Pay? Let me know!