WalMart Has To Get With It!

So I wanted to pick up one of those Star Frit Magic Can Openers since the electric one at the house won't open a can to save it's life. I saw that WalMart sells them so I set out this afernoon to get one and a few other things. I go in and grab some coffee, sweetner, garbage bags, chicken and the can opener. Since I didn't have much, I went to the Self Serve checkout. When I got up there, I notice on the debit machine it says "No Tap". So I thought, "Okay, it's just broken".

I proceed to their express check out, the one where you have to wait for a till to open and you wind your way around. It was pretty busy so I patiently waited in line. When I got up there, I just started putting my stuff up there, not thinking to ask if I could use my iPhone to pay, because hey, it's WalMart, of course they will right?

NO THEY DON"T! After she rung everything in, I look at the debit machine and it too says "No Tap". I was like WTH???? So I told her that I could not do the purchase at all since I don't carry my debit card for that reason!

So I went all the way there and walked out with absolutely nothing! Now if I want the can opener, I guess I have to make another trip, this time with my card.

Come on WalMart, get with the times!

won't happen for awhile- tap, apple, android pay etc cost them more money to process the payment - and since they are charged per terminal it adds up for all the stores in canada. if they accept that then prices will go up in the store. the processing company that offers tap, apple etc needs to lower there rates then walmart will. I have talked to a few managers before who explained this.

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Originally Posted by anastasia1009

won't happen for awhile- tap, apple, android pay etc cost them more money to process the payment - and since they are charged per terminal it adds up for all the stores in canada. if they accept that then prices will go up in the store. the processing company that offers tap, apple etc needs to lower there rates then walmart will. I have talked to a few managers before who explained this.

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The managers are then probably just feeding you the lines that corporate tells them to because I can assure you it's not at all true. (well it's about 98% false... and 2% true...) For one, Walmart doesnt pay anyone "per terminal" anymore... they havent for many years. It's all in-house now. Two, it doesnt cost any extra to accept "tap" payments, and (three) you dont have to be enrolled in a smart-pay system for them to work at your terminals.


In my past employment, I have setup payment terminals for small businesses and can speak from first-hand experience that any retailer (Walmart included) does NOT have to be explicitly enrolled in any of the smart-payment options (Apple, Android, Samsung, etc) to accept them. They only need to have TAP on their terminals.

If the retailer's terminal accepts TAP (which is just basic NFC technology), it doesnt cost the retailer a penny more to also accept Apple, Android, Samsung Pay, etc. if the customer chooses to use that function. -- To the NFC terminal the signal emitted from the phones is EXACTLY the same as ANY another credit card. The terminal doesn't know the difference between a physical NFC-enabled card, and your phone.

[NOTE: IF a retailer DOES enroll in Apple/Android/Samsung Pay systems, over and above having TAP/NFC terminals, then the transactions can be approved for much larger amounts than the basic standard TAP limits. It might be THIS service that costs the retailer extra, but just having TAP/NFC does not, short of the actual terminals. But there are VERY FEW retailers who bother because it isnt necessary.]


Most retailers have their terminals provided by their financial institution. They can opt for TAPO/NFC enabled terminals or not. Then the banks send someone like me to install them... (although I dont do that business any more).

Most retailers DO opt for TAP because a.) they don't usually pay any more/less for the terminals, it's all part of the service they enroll in with their banks. b.) the tap transactions are treated no differently than swipe or chip transactions... and c.) why WOULD you NOT want to accept any methods of payment your customer might prefer to use? You only wind up alienating those customers who prefer tap...


BUT, then there's Walmart...


Walmart does NOT get their terminals from a financial institution. They havent for several years now. They prefer to handle all of that in-house. Instead, they pay a one-time cost to buy the hardware, instead of a monthly service fee to a bank for each terminal.

A number of years ago, Walmart corporate *(US and Canada anyway), chose to go all-in on their payment terminals that they would put into use in all of their stores across North America. Those terminal simply tie into Walmart's in-house payment system (not a bank's)... and is totally transparent as to HOW the payment is received (Chip or Swipe) at the terminal. (If they were TAP/NFC enabled, it still wouldnt matter... it doesnt go to a bank)

At the time Walmart was opting for these terminals, TAP was not as big a deal in the US as it was starting to become in Canada. Since since about 75% of their business is in the US they felt no need for the tap option. They use the same terminals in both the US and Canada (and maybe elsewhere).

Since it was all in-house expenses, Walmart cut corners (costs) on their terminals by NOT opting for NFC. That probably saved them a few hundred dollars per terminal... in both initial cost and support costs. In the grand scheme of things it was probably BIG money they were spending all at once. However, it was short-sighted given that most people are now wanting to pay digitally... case in point: the experience the OP just had.

The fact that Walmart doesnt accept smart-phone payments is not because of enrollment in any smart-pay system. It's purely shortsightedness when they purchased and installed their non-NFC terminals. But corporate would never admit to that, nor allow their managers to admit the same to any customer who asked them why they dont accept digital payments. They'd rather tell you "it costs more to accept Apple Pay, etc". Maybe that's what corporate tells them to say, but it's simply not true.

Also, don't expect Walmart to change it's tune until they are forced to do another corporate-wide upgrade. Whether it's due to customer demand for digital payments via TAP/NFC... or if it's because their current terminals start failing and breaking down en-masse. They wont be dishing out all that cash for new terminals until they start losing money because of it.


Regardless, as I mentioned earlier, the retailer does NOT have to explicitly be enrolled in Apple Pay, Android Pay, or Samsung Pay to accept them. Even IF they had NFC terminals, Walmart wouldnt have had to enroll in any of them. The payment would work JUST like any other TAP credit card at the terminal.


In fact, I can prove* to you that Samsung Pay DOES work at Walmart... I do it all the time -- even though Walmart isnt enrolled in Samsung Pay. (Unfortunately my "Proof" is you'll have to take my word for it below... )

Most Samsung devices that have Samsung Pay installed (such as my Galaxy S8 phone and my Gear S3 watch) also have the unique ability to use not only NFC for tap but also MST (Magnetic Secure Transaction). Where a TAP/NFC terminal is unavailable (such as Walmart), the MST transmits an electromagnetic signal to the mag-stripe reader on the terminal, emulating the swipe of an actual card... but from my phone or watch instead.

It never gets old for me when the Walmart clerks say "oh we dont take TAP" as I pull out my phone... only to watch their jaw drop when the phone still makes the transaction go through. :) -- however it's STILL Samsung Pay... it STILL works, yet "Walmart doesn't 'accept' Samsung Pay"?!?! Maybe not "officially" but it makes no difference... to the terminal it's the exact same thing as a credit card.



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Fascinating explanation about the Walmart pay terminals, @bhlombardy ! I know about other stores having their card terminals connected to banks (Food Basics switched from one provider to Desjardins terminals around the time that the Gov't of Canada declared pennies dead in retail) and the monthly fee each one requires plus a percentage of each card transaction too.

Coincidentally, I made a purchase at Walmart yesterday using Samsung Pay.
It occured to me to take a screen shot of my transaction history to share with this discussion:

Attachment 342689

I thought Apple pay charges the merchant less than other payment processors @anastasia1009 . What is the cost difference between them and say, one of the big banks or Moneris?

One of the Walmart stores near me has gone no tap because they had an issue with people using stolen cards so now they want PIN verification on purchases.
The others still have tap even though they are reasonably close to each other

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FallenPixels

One of the Walmart stores near me has gone no tap because they had an issue with people using stolen cards so now they want PIN verification on purchases.
The others still have tap even though they are reasonably close to each other

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Are you certain about that? As mentioned, Walmart terminals shouldn't have TAP/NFC abilities at ANY location in Canada or the US...
(There's more to the story than already mentioned above)

...and now, the REST of the story...


Walmart has been trying to launch their own payment app... but in the case that they do NOT having TAP/NFC terminals, they are going with a QR Code option instead.


First, you need to sign up for Walmart pay, and then link whatever credit card you want (and/or also use Walmart gift cards)

Upon checkout, you will open the Walmart app on your phone and scan a QR code that is being displayed on their terminal screen, and the app will process your payment with one of your linked payment options.


Bit bass-ackwards if you ask me... but it's their attempt at trying to reconcile customers who prefer mobile payments as opposed to actual cards.


Although, it's my opinion that people who are already signed up for Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay, etc... are going to prefer those.
They are useful options just about anywhere, not JUST exclusively at Walmart.

I use Walmart Pay in the U.S., as well as their Savings Catcher

I have U.S. currency in my Paypal account - so I use that to buy a Walmart gift card on their site, then I add the gift card to my account and use it with Walmart Pay at the checkout. I wish Walmart Pay and Savings Catcher were available here!