While Google Pay and Apple Pay should already be familiar to most customers who like to make cashless payments, only a few have heard of Garmin Pay: this payment method is linked to a smartwatch from the watch brand Garmin. With a corresponding watch model, payment in stores and even on public transport is possible without a wallet, cell phone or debit card.
What is Garmin Pay?
Garmin Pay is a payment service that is implemented with the help of a smartwatch, a bank account previously linked via an app and a virtual credit card. The watch brand Garmin is the first provider of wearables to enable this function. It has been available for some Garmin models in Germany since June 2018.
How does Garmin Pay work?
Payment works via NFC (Near Field Communication) and a Garmin smartwatch. A so-called virtual credit card is required, whose data is stored directly on the smartwatch via Garmin Connect. The credit card, in turn, is linked to the customer's bank provider. The best-known participating bank in Germany is Commerzbank. It therefore acts as a practical interface between the account and the watch. In order to be able to pay with the watch, however, the virtual account must be topped up in advance. It is therefore a secure prepaid model.
Once set up, payment can be made by smartwatch. This is done by entering a pre-defined PIN when using the watch for the first time and calling up the bank card stored in the watch. The watch must then be presented near the card reader - for example in a store - in a similar way to a debit card or an NFC-enabled smartphone. Particularly practical: if the balance previously transferred to the virtual account is insufficient, it can be topped up in real time.
Prerequisites for use
If you have a Garmin smartwatch that supports Garmin Pay, you have already fulfilled the basic requirements for the convenient payment system. The following requirements must also be met for payment via smartwatch to work:
- The Garmin Pay app must be available. This is used to store the digital credit card.
- The account/card must belong to one of these banks . The advantage: Garmin Pay works independently of banks in Germany and can therefore generally be linked without any problems.
- A virtual credit card must be purchased. Users in Germany also need a virtual credit card, which is provided free of charge by a multibanking app. It connects the customer's bank details with Garmin Pay.
Who is Garmin Pay suitable for?
Garmin Pay is suitable for fans of wearables, which are particularly popular for sports. The biggest advantage is the ability to pay without a wallet. Whether you're out jogging or on a hike, wherever contactless payment is possible, you can pay spontaneously with your watch. This allows maximum flexibility without any additional "luggage".
But even those who like to forget their wallet at home in everyday life or simply don't want to carry it around with them can benefit from the practical function. Whether it's a quick trip to the bakery for bread rolls or picking up the latest issue of your favorite magazine at the newsstand: thanks to Garmin Pay, you only need to have your watch with you, which real watch lovers never take off anyway.
Possible uses of Garmin Pay
Garmin Pay was already working at more than seven million acceptance points for MasterCard, Visa and contactless payment worldwide when it was launched in 2018. New providers are constantly being added that allow this fast payment option. In times of increasingly cashless payment, it can be assumed that it will soon be possible almost everywhere.
Not only the payment of goods at the supermarket checkout, but also the payment of tickets on public transport is becoming increasingly available. Certain major transport services around the world are already participating in contactless payment via Garmin Pay. For Garmin watch wearers, this means that a spontaneous bus or train ticket purchased on the go can simply be paid for with the watch.
Just show your watch and pay - is that really secure?
Garmin Pay attaches great importance to the security of customer data and uses security functions to prevent misuse. The personal PIN must be entered every day if Garmin Pay is to be used. The payment function can also be temporarily blocked with just one click; it is also automatically deactivated when the watch is removed. The security functions are rounded off by token technology. This enables the encrypted transfer of personal bank details to supermarkets and other retailers.
Curious?
Browse for your personal Garmin favorite now at Uhrzeit.org and pay with your wearable soon!