Are you shopping at Ralphs for groceries? Apple Pay is a convenient and safe way to pay for groceries at stores that accept it as a payment method. But, does Ralphs take Apple Pay?
What Is Ralphs?
Ralphs is a chain of supermarkets that operates in Southern California. They’re known for their general grocery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, general grocery, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, snacks, beer, wine, and liquor. Ralphs has 465 grocery stores in Southern California, with 24 of these locations being Los Angeles alone!
Is Ralphs Kroger?
Ralphs’ parent company is Kroger Stores, which operates 13 different grocery store brands.
They’re the largest subsidiary of Kroger, which is the biggest supermarket operator in the United States. The other 12 are Kroger, Fred Meyer, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Harris Teeter, Fry’s Food and Drug, Mariano’s, QFC, King Soopers, Roundy’s, Ruler Foods, and Smith’s Food and Drug.
Tips:
- The Ralphs weekly ad is full of deals, special offers, and new products. It’s updated weekly, so check it out before heading to the store and save money.
- Ralphs has a neat in-store app function called ‘Store Mode’ that helps you find where an item is. To use it, you’ll need to enable location services in your iPhone’s settings.
What Is Apple Pay?
Apple Pay is an easy-to-use, contactless payment method that works with your Apple iOS devices like your iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. You can think of Apple Pay as transforming your physical Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover, and other credit/debit cards into a contactless card. Your iPhone or Apple Watch then becomes a digital card that’s always available in your mobile wallet for use anywhere Apple Pay is accepted.
You can use Apple Pay in person at stores, through apps, or on the web. It’s a secure, safe way to make your payments. In an age where data is money, Apple stands out as one of the few companies that won’t sell your personal information. Other contactless payment solutions that rely on near-field communication (NFC payments) include Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
Gone are the days of waiting for change or having to use credit card terminals at a cash register, or typing in your credit card information for online orders. Apple Pay is a modern payment method for the modern world.
Is Apple Pay Accepted Everywhere?
Currently, Apple Pay works at more than 2.5 million brick-and-mortar retail locations in the US, covering 85% of all US merchants. Stores that accept Apple Pay include grocery stores, restaurants, big-box locations, pharmacies, and apps from some of America’s most popular brands. That said, 15% of stores, including Walmart, still don’t accept Apple Pay. Unfortunately, even though Apple Pay and contactless cards are the easiest way for shoppers to pay, there are still holdouts. How do you know if your favorite grocery store takes Apple Pay?
How do I know where Apple Pay is accepted?
Finding out if a grocery store accepts Apple Pay can be a challenge. You could ask the cashier or search online, but either way, it’s still a hassle. Luckily, Apple makes it easy to find grocery stores that accept Apple Pay.
To find out if a store takes Apple Pay, open the Apple Maps app on your iPhone. Next, search for the store location and scroll down to the “Useful to Know” section below the store’s website address. If you see the Apple Pay logo or a checkmark next to “Accepts Apple Pay,” then you know that the store accepts Apple Pay!
But does Ralphs accept Apple Pay?
Answered: Does Ralphs Take Apple Pay?
No, Ralphs does not take Apple Pay. However, you can use their Kroger Pay app to pay with your phone while stacking Ralphs rewards! With Ralphs Rewards, you’ll earn fuel points for every dollar you spend.
Here is an article confirming that while Ralphs does not take Apple Pay, they do accept Kroger Pay.
What Payment Methods Does Ralphs Accept?
Since you can’t use Apple Pay at Ralphs, what are their accepted payment methods?
Payment methods accepted at Ralphs
- Kroger Pay app
- Visa cards
- Discover cards
- American Express cards
- Debit cards
- Prepaid cards
- Ralphs gift cards
- EBT cards
- Personal checks
- Cash
Tip: When paying by credit or debit card, insert your chip card into the card reader rather than sliding the magnetic strip.
Why Does Ralphs Not Take Apple Pay?
Ralphs doesn’t take Apple Pay because they have their own mobile payment app called Kroger Pay, which is available in the App Store. This app lets Ralphs control their checkout experience while integrating their loyalty rewards system.
Ralphs doesn’t want you using a competitor’s mobile payment option, like Apple Pay or Google Pay, at their point of sale machines. Ralphs competitors might accept Apple Pay, but they can’t accept Kroger Pay. In their thinking, by using Kroger Pay, you’re less likely to shop at a different grocery store and more likely to install their app. Since mobile apps and contactless payment options are the wave of the future, Ralphs wants more control over their journey than Apple Pay would give them.
Ralphs & Kroger Pay
Now that you know that Ralphs doesn’t take Apple Pay, what are your contact-free payment options at Ralphs? Their alternative to Apple Pay is ‘Kroger Pay, ‘which is available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
What is Kroger Pay?
Kroger Pay app is a contactless payment solution. Using your mobile device, it lets you enter your preferred payment method, such as a credit/debit card, and combine it with your Ralphs Rewards card, which lets you stack your rewards! You can also use the app to clip digital coupons and then save them to your Kroger Pay wallet app to save you even more money.
How To Use Kroger Pay
Once you’ve picked out everything on your shopping list and are ready to check out at Ralphs, open the Kroger Pay App on your phone. Next, tap to generate a unique QR code that you scan to pay at checkout. Once you’ve scanned the QR code at the checkout terminal, you can take your groceries and go!
What Grocery Stores Take Apple Pay?
If you would prefer to shop at a grocery store that takes Apple Pay as a payment method, the following are a list of stores that accept Apple Pay:
- Acme Markets
- Albertsons
- ALDI
- Bashas’
- BI-LO
- BJ’s
- Carrs
- Cub Foods
- Costco
- Dan’s Fresh Market
- Davis Food & Drug
- Dick’s Fresh Market
- Farm Fresh Food & Pharmacy
- FoodMaxx
- Hannaford
- Harveys Supermarket
- Hornbacher’s
- Jewel-Osco
- Lin’s Fresh Market
- Lucky Stores
- Meijer
- Raley’s Supermarkets
- Randalls
- Safeway
- Save Mart Supermarkets
- Schnucks
- Shaw’s Supermarkets
- Shop’ n Save
- Shoppers Food & Pharmacy
- Sprouts Farmers Market
- Star Market
- Stater Bros.
- SuperValu
- Tom Thumb
- Trader Joe’s
- United Supermarkets
- Vons
- Wegmans
- Whole Foods Market
- Winn-Dixie
Final Thoughts
It’s disappointing that Ralphs doesn’t accept Apple Pay. However, you can still pay with your phone at Ralphs using Kroger Pay. While it’s not Apple Pay, it is a contactless payment option that also lets you stack money-saving Ralphs rewards!
Frequently Asked Ralphs Questions
People often have specific questions about Ralphs. Here are some of the most common questions people ask when considering using Apple Pay at a Ralphs grocery location.
Does Ralphs take Paypal?
No, Ralphs does not accept Paypal as a payment method in their stores. While that’s unfortunate, they do offer mobile payments through their own app called Kroger Pay.
Can I pay with a check at Ralphs?
Yes, you can pay with a personal check at Ralphs at checkout.
Ralphs also offers cash checking services for payroll, government, tax refund, insurance, and business checks. To cash a check, you will need a photo ID. Accepted identification documents are a driver’s license, state ID card, military ID, resident alien ID, matricula consular ID, or a US passport. If you’d like to cash a check, head to the money services counter.
Can I pay with my phone at Ralphs?
Yes, you can pay with your phone using their Kroger Pay app. It’s simple to use; download the app from the Apple App Store or the Android Play Store.