Fitbit Pay UK availability

[SunsetRunner]

Why am I unable to add a card to my Fitbit Pay wallet?

Is Fitbit Pay not available in the UK yet?

Thanks.

[SunsetRunner]

fair enough. I just offered it as an option, I don't work for fitbit. Maybe check with your bank of choice to see what smartwatches they support and then purchase that watch. That's definitely the way round I'd do it if it was an important feature to me

[Marilynpeatfiel]

Please could I suggest banks for fitbit pay. Nationwide and Halifax. 

I’d love to use it. Are you planning on getting any UK Banks onboard other than the 2 on the list. 

[soccersnaps]

I waited since christmas for nationwide to be added, it never happened. So i bit the bullet and signed up for a starling mastercard.

All i can say to you is its real easy to sign up for, the card came within 36 hours and now my watch can use a great facility.

yes it would have been good to use an existing bank account, but starling works faultlessly, maybe give it a try

[SunsetRunner]

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@Marilynpeatfielwrote:

Please could I suggest banks for fitbit pay. Nationwide and Halifax. 

I’d love to use it. Are you planning on getting any UK Banks onboard other than the 2 on the list. 

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Your best bet is to actively petition your bank, as more than likely they’re the ones holding things up. But as @soccersnaps says, Starling is actually a good alternative. I signed up just to use Fitbit Pay and now do my main banking with them.

[dave75]

To be fair, I have set up with Starling Bank. Very easy to use/quick account opening set up (about 5 minutes in total). 

[cwcltd]

I switched from Samsung Gear s3 to ionic based on ads that said ionic could use nfc to pay.  I would have thought MasterCard would be the default card with minor banks coming later.  Misleading advertising? Not fit for purpose?  Come on Fitbit - get it sorted!

[SunsetRunner]

Some people may poo-poo Starling but it was interesting to read that it recently won the Best British Bank award, ahead of all the traditional banks and bringing to an end First Direct’s three year reign. From my experience with them, I can understand why.

So, if you’re wanting to use Fitbit pay and your bank isn’t currently supported, it might be worth giving them a try. They can’t have been voted Best for nothing.

[manhunt9]

Please add new banks, my bank for some reason isn't supported and I don't know why please add Santander for the UK please ! And fix the **ahem** sync issues... How many people does it take to complain about it for you to fix it 

[Rich_Laue]

As for banks I believe each one needs to be set up .

As for syncing, I'm not sure what problem or what device you use to sync the Fitbit. My sync has been flawless

[CaptainsChairwo]

Thanks for taking the time to write about your experience opening the account and making payment with the fitbit. I have just ordered the versa safe in the knowledge that I have neither of the 2 bank accounts and that the feature will remain redundant for some time. I may just open an account....thanks again 

[CaptainsChairwo]

Another poster from the UK has suggested opening a bank account with one of the two and just having a little money in here for emergencies (coffees cookies chocolate...)

[CaptainsChairwo]

Fingers crossed!!!

[Narcissus]

What a ridiculous idea. Extra pin and account with all the spam and security risks to buy cookies?

I've had my fingers burned; it's very unlikely I will ever go near another fitbit product again. Even if a competitor claimed less features I would go with them, as long as they lived up to them of course.

[CaptainsChairwo]

I am interested to know your experience. What happened? Which fitbit product or feature are you referring to (payment?)

[SunsetRunner]

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@dave75wrote:

To be fair, I have set up with Starling Bank. Very easy to use/quick account opening set up (about 5 minutes in total). 

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So have I. It works great, application was painless and I was up and running in less than a week. Stop moaning and just get an account with them, I suggest, Fitbit never promised support for YOUR bank, if it matter to you try lobbying them rather than complain here about nothing

[Narcissus]

 The promised fitbit pay was a dealbreaker for me, and I have owned this product for a long time now without it coming to fruition. 
I think fitbit should have attached a large disclaimer on all of it's marketing material and the packaging itself stating that most UK bank accounts WOULD NOT be supported or that we would have to have a Starling account in order to use fitbit pay. If it did I would have  dropped £300 on a different branded smartwatch. The primary issue for me is the fitbit pay carrot.

 Secondary to that is the dismal software reliability, the updates that fail repeatedly and the questionable accuracy.
Contrary to some "I'm all right Jack" attitudes, I expect quality money to get me a quality product. I'm no stranger to smart/fitness watches; I was an early adopter for Pebble, which fulfilled all it's claims without issue, and the Microsoft Band series which synced faster and was vastly more accurate with it's sleep analysis. Both of these products were dramatically lower priced than the Ionic.

One last time for those that didn't catch it; my main hang-up is the Ionic doesn't do what it's tin claims; that's enough to put me off fitbit.

[CaptainsChairwo]

Hey fitalex, Dave and narcissus.

I get the 'get on with it' attitude and the length of time (5mins you say) to set up the new bank account. I also appreciate narcissus' viewpoint though...i am die hard fitbit user started from the bottom (One) now I'm here waiting for my versa delivery (excuse the rip off of lyrics). 

If i was going to lose the bias I too would spend my money elsewhere on another gadget that did everything it claimed right out the box and not 'featured and to be Live at some point in the future'.  I can' buy Apple without switching back to its compatible phone.  I preferred the aesthetics of the fitbit versa to the Samsung. And yes there' Garmin and plenty others but for me the app, this community and the dashboard and logs and the fact that I enjoy all facets meant I stuck with the versa. However I get your viewpoint narcissus. I don' think it' a moan. I think you are removing bias and applying logic. I welcomed that.  I have plenty use of the new versa without the nfc but if I wanted it I could set up a new bank account and I would agree with other poster lobby for more banks by suggesting voting polls here in community. Group hug ☺

[soccersnaps]

the modern dilemma, youre favourite airline doesnt fly to where you want to go, do you spend 6 months writting and moaning about that or do you book with an airline that does fly to where you want to go to. 

@Narcissus  youve claimed so many times fitbit pay doesnt work.....it does!!!!!!......and its brilliant.

I decided to not wait for Nationwide to get onboard to be able to use fitbit pay and got a starling card

Starling are brilliant.......never heard of them before i got my ionic, but they give great service.

When nationwide do get on board, brilliant, until then..........you can make use of a very useable feature that fully works and is so simple to set up..........even if it means using a different service providor

[Narcissus]

Ok suppose you save your hard earned cash to fly with your favourite airline to a cool new destination; you get on board and you wait six months but the flight never arrives. You find it will never arrive unless you change the destination to somewhere you don't want to go. Time to rebook with an airline that arrives where it claims.

 I think the attitude I have stems from the work I do. In my field of work there is only pass or fail; there is no "maybe someday". Our products have to live up to their claims and adhere to stringent standards, I would never dream of passing off a Beta product as RTM and if we do find a glitch we move mountains to recall, reimburse and repair.

UK Ionic; mostly only works with starling, fail. 

[soccersnaps]

ionic fitbit pay works with starling, thats not a fail, its not a fitbit issue,  its an issue that our banks dont offer their services to fitbit

youve said it was a deal breaker to have fitbit pay.............YOU CAN HAVE IT........ its not the watch.