Walmart is looking to launch its own payment feature called ‘Walmart Pay’, an app that will let customers pay for shopping at Walmart using their phones, reports Reuters. The company will launch the app starting with Android and iOS and will allow payments using any credit, debit, prepaid or Walmart gift cards. To use the feature, customers will need to install the Walmart Pay app, and select to pay with it at the checkout counter. Post this, the phone camera is used to scan the code displayed at the register, and an e-receipt of the amount is sent to the app. Customers can then make the payment via their preferred method over the phone. The feature will be introduced in select stores in the US, with additional stores to be added after the holidays season. The service will be made available countrywide in the first half of 2016. Walmart also mentions that it will add other payment options like mobile wallets in the future. Note that the app will only work at Walmart stores, although the company could open up the platform for other merchants as well. Interestingly, Walmart is a part of MCX (Merchant Customer Exchange), which backs another payments app called CurrentC, although this app only allows to pay via gift cards, a store’s private label card or through the checking account. However the app, which was being developed for over three years, seems to have failed to take off. It currently has an average 1 star rating out…
