There are already a few different mobile payment services on the market from Apple, Google, and Samsung, and it looks like there will be other OEMs getting in the fray soon. Despite all that, though, Walmart had decided to launch its own mobile payment offering instead.
Walmart Pay will launch in select Walmart stores starting today and will roll out nationwide by the first half of 2016. With Walmart Pay, you can pay at any checkout lane using an Android or iOS smartphone that has the Walmart app installed. Once you’ve got the app, you can use any major credit, debit, or prepaid card or a Walmart gift card to pay for your goods.
The way that Walmart Pay works is that you approach your checkout lane and launch the Walmart app, then select Walmart Pay. You’ll then use your phone’s camera to scan the QR code that’s displayed on the register and you’ll be good to go. Walmart will send you an e-receipt when you’re all done.
Walmart boasts that it’s the first retailer to have its own Android and iOS payment service. However, several other retailers have chosen to support payment methods like Apple Pay and Android Pay. Walmart says that its app allows for “integration of other mobile wallets in the future,” perhaps like CurrentC, the mobile payment solution that Walmart is currently testing. For now, it looks like folks hoping to use Android Pay and Apple Pay at Walmart will be out of luck.
