From today, Santander UK has become the first major High Street Bank to offer its customers access to Fitbit Pay, the contactless payment system, which is available with the Fitbit Vers and Fitbit Ionic smart watches.
The new mobile payment option will be available to all Santander’s personal and business credit and debit card customers.
Recent research from Santander suggests that over a quarter (28 per cent) of consumers have moved away from carrying cash in the last year as mobile and contactless payments become more accessible. The number of outlets accepting mobile payments is growing rapidly with many retailers now allowing mobile spend over the standard £30 cap on contactless card purchases.
Matt Hall, Director of Banking and Unsecured Credit at Santander UK, said:
“We are always looking at how we can offer our customers new ways to help them manage their money and make life easier. With more people embracing a healthier lifestyle, Fitbit is the ideal partner to deliver a convenient and simple payment experience. Customers can go straight from the gym to the coffee shop without worrying about carrying cash or cards.
“Fitbit Pay complements our existing mobile payment solutions and shows our commitment to improving the digital options available to our customers.â€
Getting started
- Add a card – Using the Fitbit app on your smartphone, simply scan the card or manually input the card details and follow the onscreen instructions.
- Verify – Santander send you a code to enter into your smartphone and Fitbit Pay is ready to use.
Making a payment
- Pay in shops – Fitbit Pay can be used at any contactless terminal. Simply press and hold the left button on your device for two seconds. If prompted, enter your 4 digit PIN and then hold your device near the contactless terminal. Once a 4 digit PIN is entered it will last 24 hours. While you are wearing the device you can make payments for the rest of the day without entering your 4 digit PIN again. If you disable the heart rate monitoring, remove the watch from your wrist, or 24 hours has elapsed, you must enter the 4 digit PIN again before making a payment. Payments can be made up to any value at most retailers.
- Pay on TfL – Fitbit Pay can be used for Transport for London transactions and is similar to using a contactless card by touching in and out of services. For more information on mobile payments on Transport for London services, please visit Transport for London
You can find out more about FitBit Pay, includinf FAQs, at the Santander website.