Contactless payments worked perfectly in the one review that specifically evaluated Google Pay on the watch.
Pros: contactless payments, battery life
Cons: voice assistant quality, LTE connectivity
Best 2023 Wearable Tech for contactless payments
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Wallet and NFC use were treated positively as convenient smartwatch features for wrist-based payments and day-to-day utility.
Pros: voice assistant quality, music controls
Cons: blood oxygen tracking, cross-platform compatibility
Contactless payments worked and were valued, but reviewers noted the security passcode requirement as an annoyance.
Pros: pairing reliability, outdoor visibility
Cons: ECG functionality, running power support
Contactless payments are convenient when set up, but evidence is mixed because setup can feel unnecessary and bank support is patchier than Apple or Google Pay.
Pros: health tracking accuracy, software smoothness
Cons: LTE connectivity, mapping and navigation
Contactless payments are polarizing: Garmin Pay can be quick and widely useful, but bank support and intuitiveness vary by region.
Pros: GPS accuracy, charging speed
Cons: ECG functionality, voice assistant quality
Contactless payments were useful but mixed, with easy setup in one review and bank/support slickness criticized against Apple Pay in another.
Pros: activity auto-detection, build quality
Cons: blood oxygen tracking, Bluetooth connectivity
Garmin Pay worked, but reviewers repeatedly noted it was less slick or had narrower bank support than rival payment systems.
Pros: fitness tracking accuracy, wellness insights
Cons: software smoothness, ECG functionality
Garmin Pay was useful when supported, but bank compatibility could make contactless payments worthless for some users.
Pros: step counting accuracy, third-party app support
Cons: ECG functionality, LTE connectivity
Contactless payments are limited by bank support in the evidence, especially for the UK reviewer who could not test Garmin Pay with his bank.
Pros: recovery insights, GPS accuracy
Cons: software smoothness, fitness tracking accuracy
Garmin Pay was treated as useful in concept but limited by inconsistent bank support, especially outside the US.
Pros: water resistance, workout tracking variety
Cons: LTE connectivity, ECG functionality
Contactless payments were criticized mainly for limited bank support, especially in the UK.
Pros: GPS accuracy, app ecosystem
Cons: ECG functionality, calorie tracking usefulness
Contactless payments are a weakness; reviewers describe the feature as missing rather than merely limited.
Pros: comfort, touchscreen responsiveness
Cons: calorie tracking usefulness, onboard music storage
Contactless payments were a weakness because reviewers explicitly noted the lack of NFC payments.
Pros: battery life, durability
Cons: resume later function, ECG functionality
Contactless payment support was a recurring absence, and reviewers who expected full smartwatch features treated the lack of payments as a clear limitation.
Pros: Bluetooth connectivity, pairing reliability
Cons: third-party app support, contactless payments
Contactless payments are a major miss, with reviewers noting unavailable or effectively useless NFC payment support outside limited regions.
Pros: battery life, software smoothness
Cons: contactless payments, recovery insights
Contactless payment support is a clear limitation, with reviewers advising buyers who want payments to look elsewhere.
Pros: comfort, build quality
Cons: call handling, contactless payments
Contactless payments were a clear miss, with one reviewer explicitly disappointed by the lack of NFC.
Pros: pairing reliability, workout tracking variety
Cons: contactless payments, onboard music storage
Contactless payment support is absent and was listed as part of the watch’s minimal smartwatch feature set.
Pros: brightness, charging convenience
Cons: ECG functionality, stress tracking