Walmart and Sam’s Club will begin accepting tap-to-pay at select stores Aug. 24, starting a rollout that will bring contactless payments to every U.S. location by year’s end.
Walmart has not identified which Tampa Bay locations are included in the first wave. The company plans to extend tap-to-pay to its fuel stations by mid-2027.
The terminals will accept eligible contactless credit and debit cards, phones and smartwatches. Customers can also use eligible Walmart, Sam’s Club and OnePay cards stored in digital wallets.
Tap-to-pay will join existing payment options, including Walmart Pay and Sam’s Club Scan & Go.
Walmart operates 4,615 stores and 602 Sam’s Clubs in the U.S., meaning the rollout will eventually bring tap-to-pay in more than 5,200 locations. The company employs about 1.6 million people in the U.S.
The new payment option arrives as Walmart’s online business continues to grow faster than its overall U.S. sales.
Walmart U.S. e-commerce sales increased 24% in the quarter ended July 31, driven largely by store-fulfilled delivery, while total Walmart U.S. net sales increased 3.5% to $125.2 billion.
Sam’s Club U.S. e-commerce sales rose 26% during the same quarter, with pickup and delivery accounting for most of the increase.