Pay with – Your Galaxy Watch doesn’t have to rely only on Samsung Pay. As long as Google Wallet’s tap-to-pay is available where you live, and your watch runs Wear OS 2.0 or newer, you can install Google Wallet, add a card, and tap to pay for purchases and transportation
The first time you want to pay with a watch, you expect the phone to dictate everything. Then your Galaxy Watch looks you in the face—ready to do the job anyway.
You can tap your Samsung Galaxy Watch to pay for purchases and transportation with cards saved on Google Wallet. But it’s not a “works everywhere” kind of feature. Google Wallet and its tap-to-pay capability must be available in your region. In the US. they’re already supported. and you can check Google Wallet’s help page to see whether it has rolled out to your location.
Device support is the next gate. Your Galaxy Watch needs to be running Wear OS version 2.0 or newer. That means the Samsung Galaxy Watch 1, Galaxy Watch 2, and Galaxy Watch 3—powered by Samsung’s Tizen—aren’t in the running. If you have a Galaxy Watch 4 or later model, you can move forward.
To verify, swipe down on your smartwatch, go to Settings, and tap “About watch.” Under “Software information,” you’ll find the Wear OS version.
First, install Google Wallet on the watch
On your Galaxy Watch, swipe up to access the apps drawer and open the Play Store. Search for Google Wallet and install it on your wearable.
If you don’t have a lock screen set yet. you’ll be prompted to set one on the watch. with options including Pattern or PIN. When you proceed. you’ll see a screen prompting you to check your phone as the Wallet apps between devices sync. If you choose PIN. tick “Unlock without tap after PIN entered” so you don’t have to tap an OK button—or a check mark—every time you enter your PIN.
Then do the same on the Android phone linked to your watch: download and install Google Wallet from the Play Store.
Add a payment method the watch can use
Once everything is installed and synced, add the payment card.
On your Galaxy Watch, tap the “+” tile and check the Wallet app on your phone to add a payment card. In the “Add to Watch” screen on the phone, you’ll see the option to add a card.
From there, you can choose one of the cards you’ve previously saved on Google Play for subscriptions or in-app purchases. The Wallet app will ask for confirmation details for that card—such as its CVV, expiration date, or the cardholder name.
You can also add a new credit or debit card. If you choose this option, you can either scan the card to extract its information automatically or type the details manually.
After choosing or adding a card. the Wallet app confirms with your bank whether you can use that particular card for Tap to Pay. Not all cards and banks support the capability. You can check Google’s website for all supported cards and banks in the United States. If you’re not in the US, you can pick your region in the drop-down menu.
When the card is linked successfully, the phone’s Wallet app shows a screen telling you the card is ready, along with links to instructions for using tap-to-pay. Back on the Galaxy Watch, you’ll see the card inside the Wallet app.
The first card you add becomes the default card for tap-to-pay purchases, but you can change it by tapping the card you want and choosing “Make default.”
Using Tap to Pay on a Galaxy Watch
How you pay depends on the device.
You can only pay without unlocking your smartwatch if you have a Pixel Watch 2 or a newer Pixel device. On a Galaxy Watch, you’ll have to unlock your device, open the Google Wallet app, turn your wrist, and then hold the face of the smartwatch close to the card reader.
Public transportation works the same way: unlock, open Wallet, and hold the watch close to the gate or entrance reader—provided that reader supports Tap to Pay.
When the payment goes through, your smartwatch will vibrate, make a sound, and show a blue checkmark on its screen.
And yes, you can pay with a non-default card. Just swipe up to the card you want to use in the watch’s Wallet app and wait for “Hold to reader” to appear.
If you’re in Japan: Suica and PASMO support
Japan is a different setup. In Japan, Google Wallet supports Suica and PASMO prepaid IC cards—but only with smartwatches purchased in Japan, since those devices support Sony’s FeliCa contactless technology.
For Samsung, the models that support FeliCa are the Galaxy Watch 6, Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch 8, Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, and Galaxy Watch Ultra.
To add a Suica or PASMO card, tap “Add” in the Wallet app on your watch and select one. You can also add money to the prepaid cards from within the application.
Google Wallet Samsung Galaxy Watch Tap to Pay Wear OS 2.0 Google Wallet setup payment cards Suica PASMO FeliCa Pixel Watch 2