Mastercard Brings Payments To Garmin Wearables

Consumers who track their physical activity with Garmin’s Vívoactive 3 wearable device will be able to pay for items digitally, as a result of a new partnership between the brand and Mastercard. Fitness fans who use the smartwatch can tap the device at almost 6.6 million contactless terminals worldwide, according to a press release issues this morning from Mastercard.

To activate payments, users of the Garmin wearable must first add their Mastercard information to the Garmin Connect app and then sync the app with the fitness device. They can then open the digital wallet from Vívoactive 3’s control menu and tap it at a participating contactless terminal to check out.

“Technology is enabling fitness companies to provide athletes with the most comprehensive performance trackers we have seen in our time,” said Mastercard’s Kiki Del Valle in a news release. “Adding payment capability to these devices is a natural next step to make training and fitness experiences more relevant, personal and convenient.”

The news comes on the heels of an announcement earlier this week that Mastercard is partnering with Fitbit’s first fitness device, the Ionic, to provide a tokenized payment functionality. Using the Fitbit Ionic, consumers will be able to add their eligible cards to the NFC-enabled smartwatch and pay by tapping their device at contactless payment terminals.