Fitbit Pay needs to support real banks

[ScottJM]

In the US it needs to support TD, Citizens, Keybank, Chase, Citi and BB&T

In the UK it needs to support HSBC, Lloyds, RBS, Barclay's and Standard Chartered

In Canada it needs to support TD and Bank of Montreal

In Singapore it needs to support HSBC and Citi

Most of the 200 supported banks have 1 or 2 branches and nobody ever heard of them.

[DavideFitbit]

It's certainly a good idea to have as many banks as possible to support Fitbit pay, thanks for taking the time to share this idea and specific names with us. Keen to hear what others think?

[Rich_Laue]

It may be easier to ask your bank to contact Fitbit. 

[NKendall]

I just left Santander and switched to HSBC and i'm gutted now I've realised only Santander is supported as I used to use Fitbit Pay all the time!

[Rich_Laue]

@ScottJM there is a phone number on the back of you credit card, please call this number and ask HSBC to get in touch with Fitbit. 

[Livzrawr]

I'm surprised that you're not able to connect to Google pay through your Fitbit?? I've just bought mine today and I'm really disappointed that I can't use it for contactless! 

[Rich_Laue]

I'm not surprised about Google pay, they basically are doing the same thing as Fitbit. All they do is connect your Google card to your bank. 

Besides Google is not a bank. 

[SunsetRunner]

In Australia it needs to support more banks, as currently there is only one bank supported by fit pay. I have contacted my own bank asking them to add fit pay to there services

[Magic010]

I've just bought the Versa SE and am as disappointed as everyone else seems to be in the UK in that i can't hook my card up to it to use Fitbit Pay as there are no major UK banks included.

Can we have an actual answer about when these will be added Fitbit rather than saying you are keen to hear everyones thoughts which you have been doing for a couple of years now reading back through the posts?

[Rich_Laue]

Your first choice is to contact the support number on your Credit Card. 

[Magic010]

No it's actually not. If I contact my bank I will be talking to a call centre who have nothing to do with sorting their business out with Fitbit. Fitbit need to come to an arrangement with the banks, it's called business.

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[Rich_Laue]

I really don't think Fitbit will be able to individually find and reach out to every bank in the world, it probably would be easier for the many banks to contact Fitbit. As for the help number on the card, they would need access to your account, something the bank would not be able to let a typical call center have access to. 

While they don't make decisions for the company they are able to pass comments on and is why both Apple and Garmin request users to reach out to the support number found on their card. 

[Magic010]

They can't reach out to every bank in the world but they should at least be making this available for the main banks in major countries. We don't have a huge amount of major banks in the UK and at the moment none of what are known as the "big four" here are part of this.

The call centre number on our cards absolutely will have access to our bank details. They do a security check when you call so they know they are speaking to you. If i then tell these i am calling to request that Fitbit work with them for Fitbit Pay i pretty much guarantee that they will do absolutely nothing, why would they and who would they tell of the thousands of people they work with? Their job is to help me with account queries.

Having the ability to use UK banks with Fitbit Pay is something Fitbit needs to sort out with the banks. They have managed to do so with many across the world and i'm guessing these were not set up after their customers called the banks themselves to request!

[Rich_Laue]

Fitbit pay is availible to most banks world wide, all they have to do is contact Fitbit. 

[Magic010]

Or Fitbit contact them seeing as it is their customers asking for it. Also, as it's a Fitbit feature, they would have contacted the banks in the first instance when setting this up so adding more banks is for them to do, it's product development. 

[ScottJM]

To me, none of Ruch Laue's comments make sense and all of Magic010's do.

FitBit knows who the 5 major banks are in the US, Canada, Australia, UK, Germany, Singapore, etc. FitBit needs to reach out to the major banks like TD, HSBC, Chase, RBS, Citi.

If I call the call center using the number on the back of my card there is a 0% chance the person will have any idea who is responsible for setting up contactless agreements between the bank and device vendors. 10,000 people could call the call center for RBS. They would never even know it.

The only way for these banks to get supported is for FitBit to initiate it on their side.

[Katelovesyou2]

I agree. I have verve as a bank and I can't use this awesome option given to me..very disappointed and hope they can get on that very soon

[Rich_Laue]

Have you contacted your bank @Katelovesyou2 

I see 3 choices. Contact Fitbit, contact the bank, or contact both. 

Since this thread is not about a specific bank, I'm not sure how helpful it will be for most users. 

[Gpech]

+1 vote for TD Canada Trust

[Rich_Laue]

Please remember that Fitbit can not add a bank, but the bank needs to add Fitbit pay. It's still a good option to contact the bank. 

[Magic010]

Rich_Laue You can keep saying that but it is not going to make the blindest bit of difference if we contact our banks. It is a business deal that Fitbit needs to work out with the banks concerned. It is nothing that either you or I can do or a person sitting in a call centre at my bank who would be the person i would speak to if i called then=m.

[Rich_Laue]

Yes i keep saying that because the best Fitbit can do is reach out to a bank and say, "Can you add us". In what way would this be different that the user reaching out to the bank and ask, "Can you add Fitbit Pay"

My thought is very simple in that we as users, if we want something, we should be willing to attack the problem from every direction that we are able to. 

The Bank is able to add Fitbit pay as easy as the bank can add Google Pay, Garmin Pay, or Samsung Pay, and these other pay platforms encourage a user to reach out to the bank. (i did a search) I have the feeling it is not much different for Fitbit pay. 

With Apple Pay i was unable to find any info on how to request a bank to be added. 

To recap, adding a feature should be attacked from all possible angles, and why i suggest attacking it from both sides. 

[ScottJM]

@Rich_Laue I don't understand....

Question 1: Why can't fitbit contact the 5 biggest banks in US, UK, Canada, etc. and work out a deal? What's stopping them?

Question 2: How am I going to contact my bank? I call TD bank USA. I get someone at a call center in Bangalore. I tell him I need a new contactless device supported. He has no way to request that or pass it on, so he tells me "Don't worry sir, I'll own this!" Then he applies for a Canadian visa, gets it, flies from Bangalore to Toronto, finds the IT department, then finds the people in charge of contactless payments. Then he yells "I have one single customer that needs this implemented RIGHT NOW!!!  Get me a product owner!!"

They call the police and have him escorted back to Toronto Pearson Airport.

[Rich_Laue]

I don't understand what is meant by deal? 

The best fitbit can do is reach out to the bank and let them know that Fitbit pay is availible. It is up to the bank to add Fitbit pay. Fitbit does not have access to the banks computers. 

Also many users have asked Fitbit to add more banks without any mention of a particular bank. Or even asking for Fitbit to add the top 5 banks. What constitutes a top five bank and is one of them a bank that this particular user uses. 

[ScottJM]

I don't understand what is meant by deal?  The best fitbit can do is reach out to the bank and let them know that Fitbit pay is availible.

Fitbit is a business. The bank is a business. Fitbit's management contacts the bank and says "We want your bank to support our device. What do you need to make this happen? The bank says "We're concerned the cost of implementation could be greater than the fees we receive, where's our upside, all we see is risk?" Fitbit says "Oh look at our sales figures and market penetration. This is a big win. And if you agree to do it we'll throw your banks logo on the back of the box!" And the bank says "How 'bout you toss in $100k NRE fee and agree to minimums?" And Fitbit says "No way, full color logo, back of box, that's our offer, your competitors have signed up, their logos will be there, your call!" And the bank says "OK, done"  

What constitutes a top five bank and is one of them a bank that this particular user uses. 

What constitutes a top 5 bank is they are in the top 5 list of number of consumer accounts

United States

In the US if Fitbit adds Chase, PNC, TD, Citizens, BB&T, Keybank and Citi you will now cover the vast majority of owners

United Kingdom

In the UK it Fitbit adds HSBC, Lloyds, RBS, Barclay's and Standard Chartered you will now cover the vast majority of owners

Canada

In Canada if Fitbit adds TD, ScotiaBank and Bank of Montreal you will cover most of your owners. 

Singapore

You already added Citi for America and HSBC for the UK, you're done!!

[Rich_Laue]

Maybe these other banks should, like the banks that have already, add Fitbit pay. 

The OP never mentioned what bank they used.