It’s raining. Again. You swap your glasses for goggles and head for a Saturday morning swim. Seven laps in, your Garmin watch marks a serious jump in your heart rate. You’ve forgotten your wallet. And your phone. And that means no post-swim smoothie. Your Garmin watch glints under the lights overhead – a stroke of luck. Disappointment is replaced by renewed determination to reach the end, knowing that you can have that oh so delicious smoothie after all. You can buy it with your Garmin watch.

This week, Starling Bank has added Garmin Pay to our range of digital wallets. Garmin Pay is a feature for some of Garmin’s smartwatches that allows users to make purchases at thousands of stores where contactless payments are already accepted. So far, Garmin Pay is a feature on three watches:

• Vívoactive 3
• Forerunner 645
• Forerunner 645 Music

How do I set up Garmin Pay for the first time?

1. Download and open the Garmin Connect app on your phone
2. Connect your watch to your phone via Bluetooth
3. Select Garmin Pay and set your 4-digit passcode

How do I add my Starling debit card to Garmin Pay?

1. Open your Garmin Connect app and tap add card
2. Take a photo of your Starling card or enter the details manually
3. Further verification may be required and once completed, your Starling card will be added to the Garmin Wallet on your watch

How do I make a purchase?

1. On your watch, press and hold the action button to bring up the Navigation Controls menu
2. Tap the Garmin Wallet icon
3. Enter your 4-digit passcode (no need to do this if you have already entered the passcode in the last 24 hours and haven’t taken your watch off in the meantime)
4. Hold your Garmin watch near the card reader to make the contactless payment

What about security?

All transactions are secure and protected by your 4-digit passcode. If you make a purchase after 24 hours of entering your 4-digit passcode, you will be asked to enter it again. If you take off your watch, your Garmin Pay wallet will lock and you will be asked to enter your passcode the next time you put it on. Card information is not stored or shared with Garmin, Starling or the merchant – it’s your Wallet.

What if my Garmin watch is lost or stolen?

Don’t panic. Your Garmin Wallet is protected by your personal passcode but for extra peace of mind you can temporarily suspend your Wallet from the Garmin Connect app. You can also contact us through the Starling app or website and we can permanently delete your Starling card from your Garmin Wallet.

Can I use other devices to pay with my Starling debit card?

Absolutely. We want to connect to all the latest technology so that more customers can use their smartphone and wearable devices as a fast and secure way to pay with Starling. We’re making money on the go easy. So far, Starling customers can connect to:

• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• Samsung Pay
• FitBit Pay

Starling is all about financial fitness – use the pulse to see your spending in real time, measure income and outgoings through Spending Insights and set Goals to help you ring fence money for that next plane ticket or buy that new bike (and easily transfer it back to your everyday spending if you need it).

Linking Garmin and Starling means your next swim, run, cycle could be smoother than ever – phone-free, card-free, cash-free…plus the smoothie for the finish line.