Garmin Pay allows you to leave your wallet, purse, or smartphone at home and still make purchases – and it’s become a staple feature in the company’s premium watches in recent years.

Whether you need to pay for a bottle of water in the middle of a workout or tap for the public loo in the park, Garmin Pay is a great backup to typical contactless payment methods.

Even better is that it’s both simple to set up and easy to use.

Depending on your region, though, there are a few quirks to Garmin Pay that don’t exist on rival sports watches. Below, we’ll describe them and everything you need to know about the feature.

Garmin Pay: Compatible banks

While Garmin Pay works just like Apple Pay and Google Pay, the list of supported banks isn’t quite as wide-ranging.

Garmin lists all the banks that are compatible with Garmin Pay on its support page, though, as we say, this varies quite dramatically based on your region.

In the US, for example, well over 50 banks support the feature – including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Chase Bank.

However, in the UK, the number is much smaller, with the biggest banks being Santander and Starling Bank.

Given Garmin Pay has been available for many years, we also don’t expect any new banks to be added.

How to set up Garmin Pay

1. Get Garmin Connect downloaded

The first thing you’ll need is the Garmin Connect app downloaded to your phone.

Also, make sure your watch is paired with the app. Once that’s done, tap the icon that features your wearable (at the top of the screen) and then the ‘Garmin Pay’ option at the top of the list.

2. Create a passcode and select a card type

Next, you’ll be prompted to create a 4-digit passcode to secure the wallet on your wearable and then select whether your card is Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Maestro.

3. Add your card details

Enter your card number, expiration date, and security code details.

You’ll also be required to add your name and postal code information to complete the process.

Once you’ve completed all of that, you can read through the comprehensive terms and conditions and have your card verified by your bank.

This will either be through ringing up customer service or getting a text to verify that you are the cardholder. In the case of the text option, you should receive a code to complete the verification process.