5 Best Smartwatches With NFC for Contactless Payments

Smartwatches have become ubiquitous thanks to lots of affordable options. Along with fitness tracking and notifications, smartwatches offer several additional features. You can check your blood pressure, listen to music, and make calls. In fact, smartwatches with NFC even allow you to pay for your coffee!

Contactless payments via NFC have been around for a while now. Platforms like Apple Pay and Google Pay allow you to simply tap your phone on a compatible terminal to pay using your credit card. With time, the tech has trickled down to smartwatches making it even more convenient to pay for your purchases. So, if you often head out without your phone or you’re too lazy to pull it out of your pockets, consider getting an NFC-enabled smartwatch to tap and pay on the go. But before that –

• Monitor your heart health using smartwatches with ECG support.
• Leave your phone behind when heading for a run by getting a smartwatch with onboard music storage.
• Want to track your child’s activities? Consider getting a smartwatch for your kids.

1. Best Budget Smartwatch With NFC: Fitbit Versa 4

The Fitbit Versa 4 offers several sports modes for athletes. You can also rely on the watch’s automatic activity detection to track your workouts. Fitbit’s highlight has always been reliable data metrics, and that’s what you get with the Versa 4 as well. Thanks to the built-in GPS, you can leave your phone behind when going out for runs.

Apart from the usual set of health features, the Versa 4 also includes a SpO2 monitor. As mentioned earlier, Fitbit Pay — Fitbit’s own payment app allows you to make payments using the smartwatch. Given that Fitbit Pay isn’t as popular as Google Pay or Apple Pay, the acceptance of the payment method might not be as widespread.

Hence, we suggest taking a look at Fitbit’s official list of supported partners before pulling the trigger. If your bank is supported, the Fitbit Versa 4 is an excellent NFC smartwatch on a budget. It’s hard to find a cheap smartwatch with NFC that’s reliable. But Fitbit has pulled it off with the Versa 4.

2. Best Stylish Smartwatch: Fossil Gen 6 Smartwatch

One of the biggest issues plaguing Wear OS smartwatches for years now has been performance. The Fossil Gen 6 finally solves this, as per reviews. Not only is the smartwatch functional, but the design is also quite attractive. So if you want a smartwatch that looks appealing, the Fossil Gen 6 is a good option.

What’s more, the wearable is replete with all the standard health tracking features, including SpO2 monitoring. Since the watch runs on Wear OS, the Fossil smartwatch is almost like a mini Android phone on your wrist. The Play Store allows you to download hundreds if not thousands of apps and watch faces to the device seamlessly.

One of those apps is Google Pay which allows you to make contactless payments. If anything, Wear OS can drain the smartwatch’s battery like nobody’s business. If you’re okay with charging your watch every night, consider the Fossil Gen 6.

Fossil’s sister brand Michael Kors also sells a ladies’ version of the watch with a slightly smaller dial and a beautiful design. So, if you’re looking to get something for your spouse, you can consider opting for the same.

3. Best for Most People: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

The best part of picking up the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is that you can use it for contactless payments even in unsupported regions. Since Google Pay isn’t available on Wear OS in a lot of regions, you can sideload Samsung Pay to use NFC payments.

Just like the Fossil Gen 6, the Galaxy Watch 5 also runs Wear OS 3, so you can download a truckload of apps from the Google Play Store. Samsung’s health tracking is also reliable, and as such, the Galaxy Watch 5 checks most of the right boxes. The battery life is better than the Fossil Gen 6, but you’ll still have to charge your watch every other day.

Even with the Galaxy Watch 6 series right around the corner, the Watch 5 is a solid option. Thanks to the new release, the Watch 5 will now probably sell for a lower price — making it a better deal than it already is. If you want a better design, you could also consider the Google Pixel Watch, which touts similar features. Or, if you want to save a few more bucks, the older Galaxy Watch 4 is still a good buy in 2023.

4. Best Smartwatch With Long Battery Life: Ticwatch Pro 3 Ultra

Of course, the 45-day battery life claim isn’t applicable if you use all the features of the watch. It only kicks in when you enable the battery saver, which turns off the main display and switches to a seven-segment screen that displays the time and some vital information.

When used normally, the TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra is like any other Wear OS smartwatch. All important health features work as intended, including the unit’s fatigue assessment sensor. You can download apps from the Play Store or sideload any app of your choice. Google Pay does come pre-installed in supported regions and can be used to make contactless payments via the watch.

Considering you use all of these abovementioned features on a regular basis, you can expect about two days of battery life, as per the reviews.

5. Best Smartwatch for iPhone Users: Apple Watch Series 8

Apple’s watchOS makes the Apple Watch one of the best wearables on the market. Just like Wear OS, you can install apps from the App Store for various purposes. You can browse the web, play games, or even use the Apple Watch as a viewfinder for your iPhone’s camera. While there’s nothing unique about these features, the Apple Watch runs without any lags or stutters which can’t be said about some competing Wear OS watches.

Additionally, the wearable comes with a suite of fitness tracking and other health features like ECG. In addition, you can share activity stats with friends to compete against them. This can help keep you accountable and motivated while working towards your fitness goals.

As for payments, the Apple Watch is backed by Apple Pay which works via NFC on the watch. If you’re in the US, getting an Apple Watch makes a lot of sense since the compatibility of terminals with Apple Pay is quite common. You could also upgrade to the Apple Watch Ultra if you often participate in adventurous activities.

FAQs for Smartwatches With NFC

Leave Your Wallet Behind

Smartwatches with NFC make payments extremely simple and convenient – to the point where you don’t even have to carry your wallet the next time you step out. Simply tap your wrist for your next meal at a restaurant and enjoy the convenience of contactless payments.