Visa enables Garmin Pay capabilities in the Philippines
06/03/2026
● Visa and Garmin have officially launched Garmin Pay in the Philippines, enabling secure, contactless payments from compatible Garmin smartwatches using Visa cards
● Visa’s tokenization technology provides seamless and secure payments, helping to reduce the risk of fraud
Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in digital payments, announced today that cardholders of eligible Visa debit and credit cards issued by participating banks in the Philippines can now add their cards to Garmin Pay on their compatible Garmin smartwatches. 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.
Garmin Pay expands contactless payment options in the Philippines, building on Visa and Google’s collaboration in 2025 to launch Google Wallet and Google Pay in the market. Garmin Pay transactions are enabled by Visa’s tokenization technology. Tokens are used to create seamless and secure payment experiences for consumers and businesses, helping to significantly reduce fraud by replacing actual card numbers with unique digital tokens and preventing cardholders’ real account information from being shared with merchants or stored in devices,
The Philippines is the fifth market in Southeast Asia where Garmin Pay is currently available, after Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia. This payment innovation further aligns the Philippines with regional and global standards in payments digitalization, expanding cashless payment options for everyday transactions. In the Asia Pacific region, more than 71% of consumers1 prefer using mobile or smart devices when making in-store or payment transactions,
“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,” noted Jeffrey Navarro, Country Manager for Visa Philippines.
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. Across the Asia Pacific region, 97% of travelers2 say that they want to use credit, debit, or prepaid cards on their trips, while only 17% intend to bring foreign currency. Visa’s research found that in the Philippines, 44% of tourists report encountering various payment problems, including non-acceptance by merchants.
1 Launched in 2020 as Green Shoots Radar, Visa Consumer 360 is an ongoing study that tracks consumer spending patterns, payment preferences, financial attitudes, and emerging trends across Asia Pacific. The latest online survey, conducted in January 2026, gathered insights from 16,250 consumers aged 18–65 across 17 markets, providing nationally representative views across the region, including 1,000 respondents from the Philippines. The study is a flagship research initiative led by Visa’s Asia Pacific Strategy, Insights and Analytics team.
2 Visa. (2023). Global Travel Intentions Study. https://usa.visa.com/partner-with-us/visa-consulting-analytics/economic-insights/chinas-reopening-sets-global-travel-on-path-to-full-recovery-in-2023.html
About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.