The Garmin Pay system allows you to pay contactlessly with your sports watch. Here’s how to activate it, which banks are compatible and which watches to find it on.
Since 2018, Garmin has expanded its functionality beyond the simple measurements usually found on sports watches. Like the main manufacturers of connected watches, the American firm has launched its own contactless payment service using NFC: Garmin Pay.
In this article, we will explain how Garmin Pay works, how to configure it, detail the compatible Garmin watches and indicate with which banks you can use Garmin Pay in France.
Garmin Pay, contactless payment by NFC on Garmin connected watches
Like Apple, Samsung and Google, Garmin has been offering its own contactless NFC payment service with Garmin Pay for several years. However, unlike other services – and Paylib offered by banks on Android – Garmin Pay is not compatible with the smartphone, but only with Garmin connected watches.
A competitor to Google Wallet, Apple Pay or Samsung Wallet
Like what you can get from Google, Samsung or Apple, Garmin Pay will allow you to pay directly using your connected watch, even if you don’t have your smartphone nearby. A function particularly suitable for athletes who would go for a run only with their watch and would like to buy a baguette or a soda just before going home, without having to take their bank card during their training.
How does Garmin Pay work?
Garmin Pay works on the same principle as the main competing contactless payment services. The Garmin watch is therefore equipped with an NFC chip which can be used with compatible merchant payment terminals. Here, the NFC chip will actually emulate that of a bank card to allow you to pay. No need to have your smartphone with you, it’s the terminal that will ensure that you have the necessary funds.
By bringing the Garmin watch close to the payment terminal, it is then possible to make a purchase, without having to enter your credit card. As we will see, the service is secured by a PIN code system to enter on your watch to validate the payment.
How to use Garmin Pay?
To set up Garmin Pay on your Garmin watch, you will need to use the Garmin Connect application, available on your smartphone.
How do I activate Garmin Pay on the Garmin Connect app?
Garmin Connect is available on both Android smartphones and iPhones. As such, Garmin Pay is also the only contactless payment service offered both for Apple smartphone users and for those using an Android smartphone.
To activate Garmin Pay within Garmin Connect, you must follow the following procedure:
- Push the button ” More ” at the bottom of the screen ;
- go to the menu “Garmin Pay» ;
- select the “getting started“.
The application will then ask you to fill out five fields corresponding to your name, your card number, the month of expiration, the year of expiration and the security code on the back of your bank card. Once this data has been validated, you will then need to enter your billing address as well as your telephone number. The application finally asks you to accept the general conditions of use of Garmin Pay before verifying your identity.
For identity verification, an SMS will be sent to the telephone number provided, with a code to validate.
Where to find Garmin Pay on your watch?
Once you have configured Garmin Pay on your smartphone, your watch screen will display a message: “Hold the button and select the wallet to make payments“.
Then simply press and hold the upper left button — “light» — to access the shortcuts wheel. Alongside the countdown, timer or device lock, you will find the bank card icon with the words “Wallet“. Validate this option to use payment from your Garmin watch.
The PIN code to enter to configure Garmin Pay
Once the card is added to your Garmin Pay account, you will need to configure a PIN code to use contactless payment from your watch. When you enter the shortcut “Wallet“, the Garmin connected watch prompts you to choose a four-digit code. This code can be selected using the “up” And “down» of the watch, or directly using the touch screen, if the watch is equipped with one.
Once this code is defined, you can then pay directly from your watch by holding it close to a payment terminal compatible with NFC.
The PIN code must be entered each time you remove your watch, one way to ensure that it has not been stolen. On the other hand, once you have entered it to pay for a baguette at the bakery for example, you can use Garmin Pay again at the grocer, provided that you have kept your watch with you in the meantime.
Does Garmin Pay cost money?
Garmin Pay is a completely free service that requires no subscription. Furthermore, the functionality will not incur additional costs for each payment for the benefit of Garmin: you only pay the amount of your purchase. Obviously, as the service is linked to your bank card, you will however have to pay any transaction fees, particularly if you use Garmin Pay abroad, depending on your bank card.
Since Garmin Pay simply emulates your bank card, the service is subject to the same contactless payment cap limit.
Which watches are compatible with Garmin Pay?
Since the appearance of Garmin Pay in 2018, the American manufacturer has integrated this contactless payment function into most of its watches using an NFC chip.
Garmin Pay is therefore offered on the following models:
The Garmin Pay functionality is therefore offered on all Garmin models.
It may as well be watcheslifestyleVenu, Vivoactive or Lily, Forerunner running models, Epix, Fenix or Enduro trail watches or more specialized watches like the Approach (golf), Descent (diving) or Quatix (marine navigation) ranges.
Which banks are compatible with Garmin Pay in France?
In France, many banks are compatible with Garmin Pay, including some banking establishments that do not offer competing services, such as Google Wallet or Samsung Wallet. This may be the case in particular of BNP Paribas, the BPCE group (Banque Populaire, Caisse d’Épargne, Crédit Coopératif, Banque Palatine), Crédit Mutuel or certain neobanks and online banks such as Revolut, Hello Bank, Boursorama or Fortuneo:
- Advanzia
- Adyen
- Arkéa Private Bank
- BNP Paribas
- BCP Bank
- Palatine Bank
- Popular Bank
- Bank of Savoy
- Boursorama Bank
- Savings Bank
- Cooperative Credit
- Crédit Mutuel Arkéa
- Credit Mutuel de Bretagne
- Crédit Mutuel du Massif Central
- Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest
- Curved
- Fortuneo
- Genome
- Hello Bank!
- PCS
- Prepaid Financial Services
- Revolut
- Wirecard Card Solutions
- Wise
- Zero
Among those absent, we note that Garmin Pay is however not compatible with certain major French banks. This is the case for Banque Postale, Crédit Agricole, LCL and Société Générale. Some neobanks like N26 or Nickel have also skipped Garmin Pay.
Garmin Pay compatible bank cards
Depending on the banks, the bank card you have available will be more or less supported by Garmin Pay. For example, in the case of Caisse d’Epargne or the BPCE group, only a Visa card can be integrated into Garmin Pay, just like with Crédit Coopératif or BNP Paribas. For Crédit Mutuel or Fortuneo banks, however, you will need a Mastercard.
Only Revolut offers Garmin Pay to both its Visa and Mastercard customers.
On a daily basis, however, this should not pose a problem, since the cards compatible with Garmin Pay are generally those offered by default to customers of the different banks:
- Visa card: BNP Paribas, Banque Palatine (BPCE group), Banque Populaire (BPCE group), Banque de Savoie, Boursorama Banque, Caisse d’Epargne (BPCE group), Crédit Coopératif (BPCE group), Genome, Hello Bank, Revolut
- Mastercard card: Advanzia, Adyen, Arkééa Banque Privée, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa, Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne, Crédit Mutuel du Massif Central, Crédit Mutuel du Sud-Ouest, Curve, Fortuneo, PCS, Prepaid Financial Services, Revolut, Wirecard Card Solutions, Wise , Zero.
