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Visa rolls out Garmin Pay in the Philippines

Article (news)

Arthur Fuentes

ABS-CBN News

MANILA – Users of Garmin&#x27;s fitness-focused smartwatches will soon be able to pay for purchases using their watch.Digital payments giant Visa on Wednesday launched Garmin Pay in the Philippines, allowing smartwatch users to make contactless payments.The feature enables EastWest Bank and GoTyme Bank Visa cardholders, alongside foreign visitors with supported cards, to make secure transactions by tapping their compatible Garmin wearables at any contactless terminal nationwide.Visa said the Philippines is the fifth Southeast Asian market to adopt Garmin Pay, following Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. The rollout utilizes Visa’s tokenization technology, which replaces actual card numbers with secure digital tokens to minimize fraud.&quot;Contactless payment platforms such as Garmin Pay amplify Visa’s benefit to Filipinos, enabling speed, convenience, and security with every contactless transaction,&quot; said Jeffrey Navarro, Country Manager for Visa Philippines.Navarro added that the technology supports &quot;the government’s push to become a cash-lite economy&quot; by empowering local merchants to embrace digital transactions.The launch aims to capture growing regional trends, with Visa data showing over 71 percent of Asia-Pacific consumers prefer using mobile or smart devices for in-store payments.The move is also expected to benefit tourism, according to Visa. While 97 percent of regional travelers prefer using cards over foreign currency, Visa said its research revealed that 44 percent of tourists in the Philippines still encounter payment issues, including merchant non-acceptance.The company said the initiative builds on Visa’s 2025 collaboration with Google that introduced Google Wallet and Google Pay to the Philippine market.

Visa said the Philippines is the fifth Southeast Asian market to adopt Garmin Pay, following Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Visa said the Philippines is the fifth Southeast Asian market to adopt Garmin Pay, following Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.