Garmin Pay™ contactless payment feature is now available for Maestro cards issued by major European banks, including KBC Bank and Insurance (including CBC and KBC Brussels) in Belgium, Rabobank and ABN AMRO in Netherlands and BNL Gruppo BNP Paribas in Italy. There are 10 Garmin smartwatches that support contactless payment feature and digital, which people can use to make highly secure contactless payments at near-field communication-enabled (NFC) point-of-sale (POS) terminals.
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“By adding Maestro, our issuers will be able to expand this innovative solution to their entire consumer base, which will result in more connected and digitally native customers than ever,” said Paolo Battiston, EVP Digital Payments & Labs Europe, Mastercard.
The 10 Garmin smartwatches that have Garmin Pay are: D2 Delta S, D2 Delta, D2 Delta PX, fenix 5S Plus, Fenix 5 Plus, Fenix 5X Plus, Forerunner 645, Forerunner 645 Music, Vivoactive 3 and Vivoactive 3 Music.
Joe Schrick, Garmin vice president of fitness, said his company is committed to expanding Garmin Pay to customers across the globe, and they are excited to offer that service to Maestro cardholders. “Now, athletes and adventurers throughout Europe can leave their wallet at home when they go to the gym or for a run, making it easier than ever to just get up and go,” he said.
A February 2018 study by Mastercard, found that 24% of European residents expect to start using "tap and go" contactless payments with a smartwatch, bracelet, keyring or other wearable. Between 2018 and 2017, contactless spending on Mastercard and Maestro grew by 145%, says a press release.
“Adding Maestro is a major step forward in expanding the global footprint of Garmin Pay, which is now available in 26 countries and through more than 200 issuers,” said Michael Orlando, COO of NXT-ID and President of Fit Pay, Inc. “Mastercard and Garmin have been tremendous partners as we have begun providing consumers worldwide with more convenient, secure and seamless ways to pay.”
Garmin Pay is powered by FitPay's Token Requester Management Platform, which enables cardholders to securely add their payment credentials to devices that are integrated with FitPay's token management solution. The platform uses tokenization, a payment security technology that replaces cardholders' account information with a unique digital identifier (a "token"), to transact highly secure contactless payments.
For decades, Garmin has pioneered new GPS navigation and wireless devices and applications that are designed for people who live an active lifestyle. Garmin serves five primary markets: automotive, aviation, fitness, marine, and outdoor recreation. Garmin, Fenix, Forerunner and Vivoactive are registered trademarks and Garmin Pay, Garmin Connect and D2 are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
