Visa, Garmin enable contactless payments in the Philippines via Garmin Pay

VISA AND GARMIN have launched Garmin Pay in the Philippines, enabling contactless payments via compatible smartwatches.

Cardholders of Visa cards issued by participating Philippine and foreign banks can now add these to Garmin Pay on their smart devices to make cashless transactions in the country, the global payments technology company said on Wednesday.

This makes the Philippines the fourth market in Southeast Asia where Garmin Pay is available, following Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.

“Now enabled for Visa cards from GoTyme Bank, as well as other foreign-issued Visa cards supported by Garmin Pay, this new feature enables Garmin users to make secure, seamless payments from their smartwatch at any contactless-enabled terminal in the Philippines, advancing payments digitalization while giving cardholders peace of mind with every tap,” it said.

Transactions via Garmin Pay are enabled by Visa’s tokenization technology, where actual card numbers are replaced with unique digital tokens, helping reduce fraud as account information is not shared with merchants or stored in devices.

The launch expands contactless payments options now available in the Philippines and comes following Visa and Google’s collaboration in 2025 to launch Google Wallet and Google Pay here.

“Contactless payment platforms such as Garmin Pay amplify Visa’s benefit to Filipinos, enabling speed, convenience, and security with every contactless transaction. With Garmin Pay, Visa provides Filipinos with safer, more convenient ways to pay across shops, public transport, and tourist destinations, empowering local merchants to embrace digital payments and supporting the government’s push to become a cash-lite economy,” said Jeffrey Navarro, country manager for Visa Philippines.

A study by Visa showed that more than 71% of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region prefer using mobile or smart devices when making in-store or payment transactions.

“This payment innovation further aligns the Philippines with regional and global standards in payments digitalization, expanding cashless payment options for everyday transactions,” Visa said.

“The launch of Garmin Pay also boosts tourism, offering more seamless and secure payment experiences for both Filipinos traveling abroad and visitors traveling to the Philippines.”

It said that across Asia-Pacific, 97% of travelers say they want to go cashless on trips and use credit, debit, or prepaid cards. However, in the Philippines, 44% of tourists report encountering various payment problems, including non-acceptance by merchants, its research showed.

In 2024, the share of online payments in monthly retail transactions stood at 57.4% in terms of volume and 59% in value terms in 2024, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas data showed. These are up from 52.8% and 55.3%, respectively, in 2023.

The central bank wants digital payments to make up 60%-70% of the total volume of retail payments by 2028 in line with the Philippine Development Plan. — Bettina V. Roc