STRATEGIC PARTNERS
August 29, 2017
How long before Fitbit enthusiasts can dash up to an ATM and briefly interrupt their daily 5K run to check their account balance and their heart rate with a single wave of the wrist?
It could definitely happen.
American Express, MasterCard and Visa have announced separate deals that will support contactless payments with Fitbit's first-ever smartwatch, Ionic, which features an NFC-enabled chip.
Over the past few years, each of the major card networks has made it easier for wearable providers to add payment credentials through digital token services, and Fitbit Pay will work like most other contactless payments on devices such as smartphones and other wearables. To link a payment account to Ionic, the user just needs to upload card information to the Fitbit mobile app.
Fitbit started accepting pre-orders for the $300 device on Monday, and said in a press release that in the coming months, users will be able to add AmEx, MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards from global card-issuing institutions that include ANZ, Banco Santander, Bank of America, Capital One, HSBC, KBC Bank Ireland, OCBC Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, UOB and US Bank with more countries and banks planned soon.
