Does Kroger Take Apple Pay In 2022

Since the pandemic, the need for digital wallets has increased as most people would now rather perform transactions online, leading to an increase in various online payment methods. This has led to most shoppers making payments using their digital wallets and if you’re one of these shoppers, I’m sure you’ve walked into a Kroger store to make payments using your digital wallet after carting all your desirables and heading to the checkout point. Although Kroger is a well-known store in the United States, not all payments methods are accepted in the store leading us to ask if Apple Pay is one of the payment methods one can use to make payments and checkout at Kroger stores nationwide. 

Kroger doesn’t accept Apple Pay as a payment method in their physical stores because of the company’s own digital wallet, Kroger Pay. Kroger pay is seen as a replacement for Apple Pay as it’s an NFC-based app that allows the company to track user data whenever users make payments with the app

Apart from Apple Pay, Kroger also accepts other payment methods like credit cards, debit cards, etc. In this article, I’ll discuss why Kroger doesn’t accept Apple Pay and other relevant payment methods you can use to complete your purchases at the store.

Does Kroger Take Apple Pay?

Unfortunately, Kroger doesn’t accept Apple Pay as a payment method whenever you make a purchase. Although Kroger experimented with using the NFC technology back in 2020, they intended to incorporate payment systems that use the technology (Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other digital wallets) as a part of their payment methods however, they ended up concluding to not accept Apple Pay. 

The main reason for this is the launch of the company’s own NFC-related payment portal called Kroger Pay. Kroger Pay possesses similar functions to Apple Pay except that it can use your Kroger membership and rewards card to make your checking out process easier. Kroger decided to drop other digital wallets and ensure that users of the store use its own payment system to avoid competition. 

Does Kroger Take Apple Pay In-store?

You can not use Apple Pay to complete your payments in any Kroger store nationwide as Kroger doesn’t accept Apple Pay as a payment method. Alternatively, if you’re a fan of NFC technology and would rather use it for your payments, you can use the company’s own payment wallet, Kroger Pay. Kroger Pay is an NFC-related payment system developed by Kroger to replace Apple Pay and other NFC-based digital wallets. 

Why Kroger Doesn’t Take Apple Pay

The major reason why Kroger replaced Apple Pay with its own payment system is because of usage fees, branding, and convenience. Prior to 2020, when Kroger was looking to incorporate other digital wallets with its payment systems, the pandemic was just beginning, and at the time, it didn’t seem like the pandemic would be a big deal. 

Major retail stores believed it’d wear off within one or two months and then things would get back to how it was before. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. Instead, the retailers had to create new ways to make shopping safer for shoppers who visit their stores.

Part of these ways was changing how fast and clean the checkout lines were. This caused a rise in the creation and use of digital wallets since digital wallets only required a few touchpoints on machinery which was needed during the pandemic. 

Retailers who were considering or using Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other digital wallets found themselves paying heavy fees to use these services. They were also missing out on profits made by these digital wallets. This led to Kroger developing its own form of digital wallet instead of using third-party digital wallets. 

This allowed Kroger to be in charge of every step of every user’s shopping experience as they now have a payment system that helps its branding, eliminates paying third party digital wallets heavy fees for their services, and also provides shoppers with a great, convenient shopping experience simultaneously. Kroger remains with you from the beginning of your shopping experience to the very end when you checkout.

Another reason why Kroger decided to cut off Apple Pay from its accepted payment methods is that there are costs incurred by Kroger to allow machines to be compatible with Apple Pay and other digital wallets. By creating its own contactless payment method via Kroger Pay, these expenses are easily eliminated. 

Lastly, Kroger aims to make shopping more convenient for its shoppers hence the need to create a more convenient digital payment system than the well-known digital wallets. Users of the payment system can attach their preferred method of payment to the app such as credit cards, debit cards, etc. All you have to do is to link the card or bank with the app.

Users no longer need to worry about carrying cash in their wallets or using their cards as every detail is stored on the app. The QR code generated by the app takes care of everything as it allows the users to complete their payment process faster. 

How To Use Apple Pay At Kroger

As discussed earlier, Kroger doesn’t allow the use of Apple Pay at its stores. But if you’re a fan of NFC technology and want to use the technology to complete your payment process, you can use Kroger Pay on your iPhone as an alternative to Apple Pay. 

How To Use Kroger Pay On Your iPhone 

Step 1: Create An Account On Kroger’s Website

If you want to use the Kroger Pay app, you need to create an account on Kroger’s website first. 

Step 2: Download The Kroger Pay App 

To get the app on your iPhone, head over to your AppStore and download the Kroger pay app.

Step 3: Set Up Your Kroger Pay Account 

To do this, all you have to do is to log in with your account details used on the Kroger website. After doing this, you’ll need to authenticate yourself via a pin or biometric security. 

Step 4: Set Up Your Shopping List

You need to set up your shopping list for the Kroger store you typically shop at. This is considered your home store.

Step 5: Save Your Preferred Payment Methods

You can save your card details, bank details, loyalty rewards cards, etc on the app for a smooth payment process.

Step 6: Choose Your Preferred Payment Method 

To set your default payment method, you need to choose your preferred payment method and save it as your default payment method.

Step 7: Head To The Kroger Store

Head to the Kroger store you set as your home store at the beginning of this process. You can also change the store to your preferred Kroger store.

Step 8: Scan The Generated QR Code

Once you’re done shopping and about to checkout, a QR code will be generated for you on the app. 

Step 9: Tap On “Mobile” 

When you’re done scanning your items and the QR Code, click Mobile to pay for the items you’ve purchased. The payment is then transferred and your payment is successfully completed. You can also meet a cashier to help you through this process.

Other Payment Methods Accepted At Kroger

Since Kroger is a very popular grocery store, it offers various kinds of payment methods. Kroger offers the use of Credit cards, debit cards, EBT cards, checks, and cash. 

You can also use other non-traditional payment methods. These payment methods include- Kroger Credit Card, Kroger gift card, Kroger EBT cards, Kroger checks, and other major credit cards except American Express.