Hobby Lobby has begun quietly rolling out support for Apple Pay at its physical stores in the United States, ending years of customers being unable to use Apple’s contactless payment service at the retailer’s checkouts.
The arts and crafts chain has historically accepted Apple Pay for online purchases but not at its physical locations. That is now beginning to change, with compatible contactless payment terminals appearing at stores as part of a gradual rollout.
As reported by AppleInsider, customers have started spotting Apple Pay support at Hobby Lobby checkouts, although availability currently varies between locations as the retailer upgrades its payment hardware.
The change means customers at participating stores can pay using an iPhone or Apple Watch rather than inserting or swiping a physical payment card.
Hobby Lobby operates more than 1,000 stores across the United States, making the rollout another significant expansion in the number of major U.S. retail locations where Apple Pay can be used.
Apple Pay launched in the United States in 2014, but a small number of prominent retailers have continued to hold out on supporting contactless payments at their physical checkouts.
That resistance has started to disappear. Walmart also began rolling out support for contactless payment methods including Apple Pay in August, marking another major shift among U.S. retailers that had previously relied on their own payment systems or traditional card transactions.
Hobby Lobby’s own customer support information still states that Apple Pay is accepted online only, suggesting the in-store rollout has not yet reached every location and the company’s published payment guidance has yet to catch up with the change.
Customers should therefore not assume Apple Pay will work at every Hobby Lobby store immediately, with the rollout expected to expand as additional locations receive compatible checkout terminals.
Apple Pay allows customers to make contactless payments without sharing their actual card number with a merchant. Payment cards can be added to the Wallet app on iPhone and used from compatible Apple devices at supported contactless terminals.