Best 2025 Garmin Smartwatches for contactless payments

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#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