Best 2025 Garmin Wearable Tech for contactless payments

Narrow by product type

Showing Wearable Tech only. Switch back to all Smartwatches anytime.

Narrow by brand

Showing Garmin only. Switch back to all brands anytime.

#1 Garmin Tactix 8
4.4

Contactless payment support was viewed as easy and premium, though the evidence was brief.

Pros: wellness insights, build quality

Cons: LTE connectivity, band quality

#2 Garmin Forerunner 970
4.3

Contactless payments were valued, especially by reviewers who rely on Garmin Pay, though bank support was described as solid in the US and mixed elsewhere.

Pros: stress tracking, customization options

Cons: menu navigation, companion app quality

#3 Garmin Instinct 3
4.0

Contactless payments are treated as a useful everyday feature that survived Garmin’s feature cuts.

Pros: customization options, charging speed

Cons: onboard music storage, voice assistant quality

#4 Garmin Vivoactive 6
3.9

Contactless payments are useful, but reviewer sentiment is tempered by Garmin Pay bank compatibility and smoothness limitations.

Pros: software smoothness, comfort

Cons: LTE connectivity, voice assistant quality

#5 Garmin Venu X1
3.2

Garmin Pay worked as a useful convenience in one review, but other reviewers criticized it as less slick or limited by bank support.

Pros: pairing reliability, watch face quality

Cons: ECG functionality, LTE connectivity

#6 Garmin Venu 4
2.8

Garmin Pay was useful in theory but limited by passwords and uneven bank support, making contactless payments a mixed attribute.

Pros: activity auto-detection, style and design

Cons: LTE connectivity, charging convenience

#7 Garmin Approach S50
2.5

Contactless payments were criticized for limited bank support in the UK, making Garmin Pay much less useful for some users.

Pros: touchscreen responsiveness, health tracking accuracy

Cons: call handling, voice assistant quality