Looking for a smartwatch with NFC payments that lets you tap to pay without pulling out your wallet or phone? REXQU’s Meridian builds contactless payment support directly into an everyday-style watch, alongside Bluetooth calling and the health tracking this category is built around.
NFC on a smartwatch sounds like a small convenience until you’re juggling coffee, keys, and a gym bag with both hands full. Here’s how it actually works, and what else you get on the watch built around it.
How a Smartwatch With NFC Payments Works
The REXQU Meridian ($139.97) uses built-in NFC for both access control and offline payment, so a tap of the wrist can unlock a door, badge into a gym, or pay for a purchase the same way a contactless card or phone wallet does. Combined with Bluetooth 5.3 calling through a built-in speaker and mic, plus an AI voice assistant for hands-free questions, it’s a genuine smartwatch with NFC payments rather than a fitness band with a chip bolted on.
NFC Is the Same Tech Behind Contactless Cards
Near-field communication only works across a couple of centimetres, which is exactly what makes it practical — and reasonably secure — for payments. It’s the same short-range wireless standard used by contactless credit cards and phone-based wallets, covered in more detail in Wikipedia’s overview of contactless payment technology. Nobody’s reading your watch from across a room; you have to hold it right up to the reader.
Beyond Payments: What Else the Meridian Does
The tap-to-pay feature still needs to earn its place on an everyday watch, and the Meridian backs it up with a 1.75″ AMOLED display (466×466 resolution) and a signature fluted crown that spins through a 3D visual menu — a nod to traditional watch design most fitness bands skip entirely. Underneath sits REXQU’s usual health stack: continuous heart-rate tracking, on-demand cuff-free blood pressure readings, SpOâ‚‚ spot checks, guided breathing sessions, and automatic sleep tracking, all logged in the free Fitcloud Pro app. A 300mAh battery runs 5–7 days of normal use and over 30 days on standby.
Real Situations Where NFC Actually Gets Used
- Grabbing coffee with your hands full: tap to pay without digging for a wallet or unlocking a phone.
- Gym or office access: badge in with your wrist instead of carrying a separate keycard.
- Quick errands without a bag: leave the wallet at home for a short walk or run and still be able to pay.
- Commuting: one less thing to fish out of a pocket at a turnstile or checkout line.
Is a Smartwatch With NFC Payments Worth It?
If tap-to-pay and access control are features you’d actually use day to day, the Meridian earns its $139.97 price by combining them with genuine health tracking and Bluetooth calling rather than treating NFC as a gimmick. If payments aren’t a priority, REXQU’s other everyday-style models — like Verve or Flow — cover the same core health tracking at a similar price without the NFC hardware.
No REXQU everyday-style watch locks payments or health data behind a subscription — the price you see is the full cost of ownership, with everything syncing through the free companion app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to link a card or bank account to use NFC on the Meridian? Yes — like any contactless payment device, the watch needs to be set up with a payment method through the companion app before tap-to-pay will work.
Is tap-to-pay secure on a smartwatch? NFC’s very short range — just a couple of centimetres — is part of what makes it secure; a reader has to be held directly against the watch for a transaction to go through.
Does the NFC feature drain the battery quickly? No — NFC only draws power during an active tap, so it has minimal impact on the Meridian’s 5–7 day battery life compared to the always-on display and continuous heart-rate sensor.
Are there other REXQU watches with NFC? The Meridian is currently REXQU’s dedicated smartwatch with NFC payments and access control built in, distinct from the rest of the everyday-style lineup.
For anyone who wants to leave the wallet at home more often, a smartwatch with NFC payments like the Meridian closes the gap between a fitness tracker and a genuinely useful everyday accessory. Compare it against the rest of the lineup on REXQU’s everyday style collection page.