Google Pay payments by watch in Slovakia. You can pay now

We finally had it. More than 3 years ago, the Google Pay service was officially launched in our country, which has since allowed us to pay contactlessly via mobile phone. However, as part of this service, it is usually possible to pay with a watch in the world. Unfortunately, not in our country until now.

With the arrival of the new Samsung Galaxy Watch4 smart watch, which has moved from Tizen’s own operating system to the new Wear OS 3, we will also receive contactless watch payments via Google Pay.

To be objective, in Slovakia it is already possible to pay with a watch. On April 25, 2019, the Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay services were launched here, and on June 26, 2019, the Apple Pay service arrived, which also enables payments by watch.

Payment is possible now

Users who own a smart watch with the Wear OS operating system can pay contactlessly via Google Pay even now. This was confirmed to us by our reader Peter, who managed to pay with a Ticwatch Pro 3 watch.

We also asked Slovak banks about the topic. We found out if they were preparing in any way. However, they did not receive this information from Google. In the end, it seems that no preparation was necessary, because everything seems to be working smoothly. If your bank offers Google Pay, it should work automatically without the need for further testing on your watch. The functionality of Google Pay has already been confirmed to us by Tatra banka.

Payments by watch via Google Pay finally in Slovakia

The smart watch with the Wear OS system offers a number of advanced functions, including the possibility of contactless payments. Users who bought this watch in Slovakia have been unlucky so far, because it has been truncated by one of the most important functions.

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The question remains how it will be with compatibility. We know that the new watch from Samsung can be used for payment as soon as the service is available. There should be no problems with other models either.

Google statement

“All watch models with Wear OS 2.15 and later that include an NFC chip will support payment via Google Pay.”

What about security?

The watch is also prepared for this type of payment in terms of security. If you put them down from your hand, they will detect it immediately and will require an unlock code when re-deploying. This means that in the event of theft with them, the thief will not pay anyway.

Google’s official Wear OS watch payment instructions are as follows:

1. Open the Google Pay app on your watch
2. Hold the watch at the terminal
3. Some cards require a PIN

If you are planning to buy a smart watch, and you also want to use mobile payments, keep in mind that a specific payment service must also be supported by your bank. We pay attention to the article Google Pay, Apple Pay, Garmin Pay, Fitbit Pay: List of supported banks in Slovakia, in which you will find all the necessary information.

We asked Slovak banks how ready to pay by watch