The Garmin badge grind just became pay-to-win

Garmin’s latest tweak to its Connect app has annoyed a lot of long-time users – and with good reason. The company has started locking some high-point badges behind its new Connect+ subscription.

This might not sound like much if you’re not into Garmin’s gamified ecosystem. But for many users, the badge and level system has been a fun, motivating way to stay active. It’s never done anything practical—no discounts, no prizes—but it gave people a way to measure progress and stay accountable.

Now that paid badges are worth more than the free ones, people are questioning whether it’s still a fair system. It certainly doesn’t sound like it.

A currency of sorts

Garmin has made badge points a currency of sorts. Users collect them by completing fitness challenges, then level up based on how many they’ve earned. It used to be a simple reflection of consistency and effort. But with Connect+, that’s starting to feel skewed. Paying subscribers can now earn double points on some badges, and access new challenges that non-paying users can’t.

That’s rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Have a read through some of the Reddit threads that have popped up such as: Shame on you Garmin and Garmin Connect+ Subscription-Exclusive Badges Now Worth 4 Points… Nice Try, Garmin.

For starters, the badge system was already heavily weighted toward time and dedication. Some levels take months—or even years—to reach, and many users saw that as a feature, not a bug. It was supposed to reward long-term commitment. Now, someone who pays for Connect+ can earn 20 or more extra points a month without changing anything about their training. It’s no longer just about putting in the effort. It’s about putting in the credit card.

There’s also something psychological at play here. If you’ve been slowly grinding your way through Garmin’s challenge system, building up your level with repeatable activities and weekend races, it can feel demoralising to see others leapfrog past you simply because they’ve paid for a subscription. It doesn’t matter that they still have to complete the challenges. The edge is there, and it’s not earned equally.

Then there’s the price tag. Garmin users aren’t exactly paying peanuts to begin with. Some are dishing out upwards of $1000, only to now be told they need to pay more to unlock full access to features in the app. It’s a fair complaint. The watches are not cheap, and for many, the expectation was that they were buying into a complete package—not an ecosystem that would start charging for motivation.

Our takeaway

It’s worth noting that Garmin has been experimenting with paywalled challenges for a while now. But the shift with Connect+ feels more overt. This isn’t about product differentiation anymore. It’s about squeezing more money out of existing users. It kind of devalues the whole Challenge concept.

Plenty of people will shrug and say, who cares? Badges aren’t real. Points are just pixels. But for others, they were a genuine incentive. A little digital nudge to do the extra walk, hit the gym, sign up for that 10K. Garmin managed to create a feedback loop that, while ultimately meaningless, worked. By trying to monetise that loop, they’ve taken something simple and made it feel transactional.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

This doesn’t mean the badge system is ruined. It still exists, and you can still play without paying. But something has shifted. And it’s hard to shake the feeling that what used to be a fun extra is now a subtle pressure to subscribe.

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