Skip to main content

Walmart hopes to boost mobile payment profile by increasing Walmart Pay options

walmart pay credit card
Image used with permission by copyright holder
It looks like Walmart wants to take on the big guns in the mobile payment industry: Apple Pay and Android Pay. The company is reportedly in talks to bring a number of other mobile payment services to the Walmart app in a bid to beef up the number of ways customers can pay for items.

Last week, Walmart announced that it would be adding JPMorgan Chase’s Chase Pay to the app, so adding more payment options would simply expand on what the app already offers. The company also currently lets users pay using PayPal on the Walmart website.

According to a report from Reuters, U.S. mobile payments accounted for a hefty $67 billion in 2015, a figure that’s sure to increase as mobile payments become more popular. They’re expected to grow to $83 billion this year, which represents a cool 24 percent of all purchases made using smartphones.

Still, there’s a long way to go before mobile payment services are truly popular. That largely has to do with the fact that there’s a lot of technology that has to be implemented before users can pay for things all over the nation — until then, having to juggle multiple ways to pay for things can be a little frustrating.

Walmart Pay was launched in 2015, and works a little differently than other payment services. Instead of using NFC, or near field communications, the Walmart app uses the device’s camera to scan a barcode. An electronic receipt is then sent to the app. It’s not known exactly how many people use Walmart Pay, but it’s unlikely the service even comes close to the likes of Apple Pay and Android Pay. Still, if the company’s talks with other payment services are successful, more people could sign up since they’ll have more options in using the service.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Old phones will stop working with AT&T and T-Mobile. Here’s what to do about it
wait for iphone x iphone 6

While carriers are blowing their horns about the various 5G networks being rolled out across the country, there’s a bit of sleight of hand going on that will affect some long-time customers. The 3G network we used to use for voice calls is going away.

Some carriers, like AT&T and T-Mobile, are still using 3G for voice calls on older phones. Newer phones use 4G networking for Voice over LTE (VoLTE) service. AT&T and T-Mobile intend to finally abandon 3G and switch entirely to newer network technology, and that will make some older phones obsolete.

Read more
Best mobile accessories of CES 2020: Cases, wireless chargers, and robots
Sima Robot

This story is part of our continuing coverage of CES 2020, including tech and gadgets from the showroom floor.

As we pounded the halls of CES 2020 in Las Vegas we uncovered a stunning array of new phone cases, wireless chargers, portable battery packs, and other tempting mobile accessories. Here are our picks of the most innovative or interesting mobile accessories on show in Vegas this year.

Read more
Contactless payments will roll out to more public transportation systems in 2020
new york subway tap to pay turnstile

Earlier this year, New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or MTA, launched a new fare payment system called OMNY, which essentially allows customers to use services like Google Pay and Apple Pay at turnstiles to pay for rides. It seems like that program has been a success, despite only being available at a few stations -- and Cubic, the company behind OMNY's tech, is now expanding it across the country.

The first new city to get the tech will be San Francisco, after which it'll make its way to Boston, and get a wider launch in New York City. Additional cities will be added too, but they have yet to be announced. In San Francisco, Cubic says that riders will be able to use Google Pay from the Cubic traveler app too -- which is presumably where they'll be able to choose the fares that they want to pay for.

Read more