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@Rich_Laue it's nothing NatWest can do anything about. FitBit decided to create their own payment gateway and so they have to support various banks. Just for clarity NatWest is a massive UK bank. I can use my NatWest card through Apple pay, Google pay, on a Samsung NFC watch etc etc. For the UK market this is a must.
@Nevd yes Fitbit, Apple, Samsung, Garmin are setup the same way for pay.
The user taps their watch., the bank gets the request, the bank asks Fitbit, Garmen, Apple, or Samsung if rid virtual card is valid. They get a yes or no request.
To add a bank to any one of these requires steps that both the bank and Fitbit need to do.
The first step is that Fitbit needs to reach out to the bank or the bank needs to reach out to Fitbit. Yes their is something the bank can do, they can reach out to Fitbit and ask that they be added to Fitbit Pay.
This is the same process for Garmin, Apple, Samsung, and the many other forms of virtual payments and the others ask their users to reach out to their individual banks. I'm not sure why everyone is so set that only Fitbit can make the first phone call.
@Rich_Laue very simply because I paid for and bought a product from Fitbit. Fitbit are selling the product and service they need to fix the problem and make the first phone call if required.
I have no idea what number to call. And I'm not asking for every bank in the world. However if a company is going to charge extra for a feature at the very least I expect them to support the top few banks in the country I am in.
A better thing would have been call FitBit pay beta in the UK, not charge for it and then build the integrations. It is the fact FitBit charge extra for something they don't provide that makes this wrong.
Hi @crackpot762000, thanks for sharing that you'd like to see the Natwest Bank as part of the supported banks for Fitbit Pay. I've moved it into a similar suggestion which has been updated as "Under Consideration". You can check this other idea here. Keep adding your suggestions!
This is a load of bull, this has been going on since fitbit pay was introduced in the UK, get to it and add all the uk banks like you have with the US ones.
UK banks are on board, I have personally talked to my bank (natwest) and they would happily support fitbit pay as they already support apple pay ect... Its fitbit not bothering with the uk market, we don't matter to them.
And the silence here is deafening! The problem is that people only read the comments here once they have bought the Fitbit. We need to spread the word on other channels. Trustpilot, Twitter, Amazon and report to Watchdog
I think it's fair to say that Fitbit Pay isn't really a feature in the UK and is just a marketing gimmick. It's been over a year now and Santander is the only mainstream bank available. I wonder what small percentage of the population this covers; yet their marketing would make you believe that any person buying a Versa, Ionic etc can use it to make contactless payments. Clearly this is misleading and disingenuous. I think Fitbit need to be candid about their plans for UK banks or remove it from sales literature.
Coming up to 2 years after this was first suggested, its not looking promising. How long will it take to have standard / major UK banks? I just bought a Charge 3 and after seeing the pathetic list of supported banks in the UK, I'm almost certainly going to return it.
I loved my "Blaze" and now I love my "Ionic",(which I have owned for 6 months now) I have and love my Apple phones ,
I like technology , I decided not to buy an Apple watch this time due to the 24 hr battery life,The Fitbit lasts 3 to 4 days and it gives more fitness information for me ,That said I was and still am very torn with both of them as apple pay etc on the watch is first class
For the Fitbit it is getting very frustrating after 2 years its still the same i.e 1 number known bank in the UK(which I would have to move to) and several other banks I personally haven't heard of (and wouldn't choose to use) .
Smart watch payments will not go away ,it will continue to grow and grow in the market.
If Fitbit don't take action,they will loose out in the UK,i'm not setting up a new current account just for my watch when for slightly more time I can just swipe my phone,
And though I have read its down and appreciate comments about to individuals to contact the bank ,On the ground the bank probably wouldn't even log it as a request ,Fitbit need to push it,they must be loosing lots of sales for this major issue that will only get bigger .
Fitbit outshines the rest for its software ,it is a shame it doesn't go that one step further and listen to the customers who want it to be even more successful ,
Fitbit are quite happy selling a chocolate teapot. Sell something strongly on a feature which is useless to 95% of the UK population, conveniently not mentioning it only works with Santander. I have had it with fitbit. If Natwest is not added by xmas 2019 then I will never buy another fitbit. It is their complacency and laziness as to why no other major bank has been added in 2 years. Would Apple allow it? No. They would lobby the banks before even launching. Google pay too. If they can do it, Fitbit can too.
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