Walmart is one of the largest retailers of grocery and home goods in the U.S., selling a wide array of products at cheap price points.
Recently, Walmart announced that customers could now use a service called Walmart Pay to conveniently make purchases in-store, so you may be wondering – what exactly is Walmart Pay? Here is everything I’ve found through my research!
What Is Walmart Pay?
Walmart Pay is a digital wallet that is part of the Walmart smartphone app and can be used to make contactless payments in-store. You can attach your debit, credit, or gift cards to Walmart Pay for safe and convenient shopping at all Walmart stores.
To learn more about setting up Walmart Pay on your smartphone, adding your debit and credit cards to Walmart Pay, and earning various cash rewards through the app, keep on reading!
How Does Walmart Pay Work?
Because Walmart Pay is a kind of mobile wallet, you can connect your debit cards, credit cards, and even gift cards for touch-free payments in Walmart stores.
Customers can download Walmart Pay to their smartphones as it is available for both iOS and Android, and use it upon checkout, receiving an electronic receipt in the app once the transaction is processed.
Side note: to see how Walmart Pay works in action, you can see the below video that walks you through setting up Walmart Pay and how to use it in-store.
Moreover, Walmart Pay uses multiple levels of SSL for security updates so you don’t have to worry about your payment information being unsafe.
How Do You Set Up Walmart Pay?
Walmart Pay is part of the Walmart app so if you don’t have it, you can head over to the Apple Store or Google Play Store to download the Walmart app for free.
After you have the Walmart app, setting up the Walmart mobile wallet is easy with the correct steps and an integrated payment method.
To get started with Walmart Pay, follow these steps:
- Download and open the Walmart app and select the “Services” menu.
- Select the “Walmart Pay” option.
- Follow the onscreen prompts to “Get Started”.
- Log into your Walmart.com account or create a new one if you are a new user.
- Add your payment method—options include debit cards, credit cards, or gift cards.
- Wait for the initial setup to be confirmed.
- Select “Got It” onscreen to continue.
- Your Walmart Pay is now ready to use!
Once your Walmart Pay is set up, you can use it at any Walmart store without having to bring your wallet along.
How Do You Add A Card To Walmart Pay?
You can quickly and easily add a new debit, credit, or gift card to your Walmart Pay mobile wallet. Simply follow these steps to add the card:
- Sign in to the Walmart Pay section of the Walmart app.
- Tap the “Credit or Debit Card” option.
- Use your smartphone’s camera to capture the card information or enter it manually by selecting “Type card info instead”.
- Add your name, address, security code, and other necessary information and press “Continue”.
- Create a four-digit PIN for security or use your biometric ID to access the payment methods.
If you would like to add even more cards, you can easily do so by tapping “Add Payment Methods” at the bottom of the app screen and repeating the same steps.
How Do You Use Walmart Pay?
Once your items are scanned at the checkout register, you can use Walmart Pay as a touchless payment method for both self-checkout and associate-assisted checkout.
Use the Walmart Pay QR code on the debit reader screen or kiosk display screen to sync your mobile wallet and process the payment.
Note that you will need to provide your unique phone security PIN or biometric identification that you use to unlock your phone.
When the transaction is completed, a notification sound will play and you will get an electronic receipt in your Walmart app.
Is Walmart Pay Safe?
Like other types of mobile wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay, Walmart Pay is completely secure and safe to use.
It has multiple layers of security in place to protect your payment information and personal details so that you can use it safely without any worries.
For example, accessing or making changes to any payment method inside Walmart Pay requires your personal Touch ID or security passcode.
Additionally, the entire Walmart app constantly updates security methods and improves data encryption over secure networks called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
What Kinds Of Payment Methods Work For Walmart Pay?
Walmart Pay can be linked to any major credit or debit card as well as to Walmart Gift Cards, eGift Cards, and prepaid cards. However, you cannot directly link your Walmart Pay to a checking account.
Major card providers that are accepted include:
- AMEX
- Discover
- MasterCard
- VISA
Where Can You Use Walmart Pay?
You can use Walmart Pay at any physical Walmart store or Supercenter at a self-checkout kiosk or with a sales associate. To find your local Walmart store, you can use their handy location finder.
Can You Use Walmart Pay Online?
You cannot use Walmart Pay to shop online, even at walmart.com because you need to scan Walmart Pay’s mobile wallet QR code to process payments.
Instead, you will need to use the linked credit, debit, or gift card directly instead of going through the Walmart Pay portal.
What Can’t You Use Walmart Pay For?
You cannot use Walmart Pay to purchase gas since the payment method is not compatible with gas station purchases.
Additionally, you also cannot use Walmart Pay to cover Sam’s Club purchases or EBT/SNAP/WIC purchases.
Can You Get Cash Back Using Walmart Pay?
Unfortunately, you cannot get cashback by using Walmart Pay at the checkout register.
However, you can earn cashback if the payment card that you have attached to your Walmart Pay account earns cash rewards for shopping—so any Walmart Pay purchases will still allow your rewards credit card to accumulate reward points or cash–back whenever you shop.
Can You Split Payment Methods With Walmart Pay?
You can split payments with Walmart Pay between your linked Walmart Pay card and another payment method right at the register. To do this, you have the option to use cash, EBT/SNAP/WIC, or Walmart Gift Card balances.
Can You Return Purchases Made Using Walmart Pay?
You can return purchases that were covered using Walmart Pay, either in-store or by starting a Mobile Express Return on the Walmart app.
Using the app, go to your Purchase History, select the purchase with the item to be returned and scroll to the bottom to see the transaction barcode required for the return.
Can Walmart Associates Use Walmart Pay?
Walmart associates and employees can indeed use Walmart Pay and link their associate discount card to their mobile wallet to continue getting their discount.
Walmart associates can open the barcode scanner within the Walmart app and scan the special associate discount QR code (available here at walmart.com), input their Walmart identification number, and start shopping!
Can You Use Coupons With Walmart Pay?
You can only use paper coupons along with Walmart Pay by scanning them separately at checkout since digital coupons will not work.
Is There A Designated Checkout Lane For Walmart Pay?
No, there is no special or designated checkout lane for Walmart Pay users. Instead, all customers must go to self-service checkout kiosks or sales associate registers to check out regardless of their payment method.
What Is The Difference Between Walmart Pay And The Walmart App?
The difference between the two can be confusing because Walmart Pay is a function available through the Walmart app and so is difficult to discern from the overall application.
However, the main difference between the two is that Walmart Pay is strictly a mobile wallet that stores your payment information, whereas the Walmart app is more of an online shopping experience.
You can shop for thousands of products online through the Walmart app from your smartphone, as well as arrange grocery pickup and delivery. On the other hand, Walmart Pay is only used for in-store, touchless payments.
How Do You Make The Most Out Of Walmart Pay?
To get the most out of Walmart Pay, try linking a credit card that earns extensive reward dividends or cash-back and activates it as the default payment method in Walmart Pay.
That way, when you are completing your Walmart shopping trip, you can earn plenty of rewards to redeem later on.
For instance, you can get cash back by linking Walmart’s new rewards cards—the Capital One Walmart Rewards MasterCard and the Walmart Rewards Card.
To learn more, you can see our other guides on whether or not Walmart accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay. Additionally, you can also see our mega post on Walmart Plus, where we uncover if it is worth the hype.
Conclusion
Walmart Pay is a handy mobile wallet that can be accessed through the Walmart app. It is a free feature and available for iOS and Android, allowing for secure and touchless payments.
You can only use Walmart Pay at Walmart stores, both at self-service checkouts and at an associate’s register, but not for purchases online at Walmart.com.
