Apple Pay and Google Pay are expanding to another major grocery retailer.
Publix is rolling out support for contactless payments at its stores, which includes support for both Apple Pay and Google Pay. That's according to an internal memo posted to Reddit that shows that at least some Publix stores will begin accepting contactless payments today, March 31st.
This news is notable for a couple of reasons. First, it's a big deal that Publix is rolling out contactless payment support because it's a major grocery retailer throughout the southeastern part of the US. This rollout will give Apple Pay and Google Pay users more opportunities to pay using their phone.
Also of note is that Publix was part of the Merchant Customer Exchange, a group of retailers that tried to go against Apple Pay and Google Pay in 2015 with their own mobile payment service called CurrentC. However, the full launch of CurrentC was delayed in 2016 and we never really heard much about it again.
The timing of this contactless payment rollout at Publix is also welcome because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. By enabling customers to use contactless payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay, Publix customers can pay for their groceries without having to touch the credit card terminal.