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Fitbit Pay Launches in U.K. for Starling Bank Customers

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Fitbit Pay officially launched in the U.K. on Tuesday, but with only one bank currently supporting the mobile payment platform, access to it remains severely restricted for users of the company's latest wearables.

The Fitbit Pay payment system was introduced as an exclusive feature of the Fitbit Ionic, the activity tracker firm's first attempt at a smartwatch, released on October 1. The digital wallet works in a similar way to Apple Pay on the Apple Watch, but up until now it wasn't available outside of the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

fitbit-ionic3-25301bb975db0d25575cfae67ce53c075-800x450.jpg

Fitbit Pay users in the United Kingdom need to hold an account with Starling Bank, a newcomer and relative minnow on the financial banking scene, which will undoubtedly leave the majority of Ionic owners unable to take advantage of the payment system, at least for now.

Fitbit has confirmed the company is in talks with other U.K. banking services for future support, but with rivals like Apple Pay, which lists over 25 supporting banks on its official website, as well as Android Pay (over 20 banks) and Samsung Pay all jostling for contention, Fitbit will have a job gaining a foothold in the emerging mobile payment industry.

You can check out our in-depth review of the Fitbit Ionic here. Fitbit Pay is expected to land in other European countries sometime next year.

Article Link: Fitbit Pay Launches in U.K. for Starling Bank Customers
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/24/fitbit-pay-launches-in-uk-starling-bank/
thisisnotmyname said:
I keep wondering when Fitbit will become the next blackberry
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they are taking all the right steps to become the next blackberry. They should just focus on fitness and fitness feature only and stop chasing the Apple Watch. The AW fitness features are subpar if you're not doing the 3-4 traditional execrises
 
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I've lived in the UK my whole life. I've never even heard of Starling Bank, nevermind Fitbit Pay. Is this really going to tempt people away from their contactless debit and credit cards? I doubt it.
 
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James Craner said:
Starling Bank - Lol, to be honest not sure that counts as 'UK' launch, as they are tiny. First time I have ever heard of them.
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Well, they do have a pretty strong presence in this new whole "FinTech" thing; a new breed of (usually) app-only banks that aim to build the infrastructure using modern technologies (such as AWS and micro services) as opposed to in-house, proprietary equipment.

I've given a couple of these a try (Starling Bank and Monzo) and I'm quite pleased so far. Starling Bank is also the first bank in the UK with in-app Apple Pay card provisioning. You can go from downloading the app to spending using Apple Pay in literally minutes, it was quite surprising!
 
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Financially fit & healthy! Well done Starling

Shame the watch isn't fit though, looks like one of those boxy Volvo's or original Samsung gear's

5
 
This is a waste of time IMO. Just use your phone, you don't need to use this ugly watch to pay for anything. Android pay or Apple pay is in your ding dang pocket. Actually just avoid this ugly watch all together.

Those are my opinions lol.

And in my experience, it took my bank literally years to support Android Pay, they were "analyzing the market to see if it warranted support" I highly doubt Fitbit pay will go anywhere. Especially seeing how Samsung Pay is even less supported and more loved in the smartwatch world than Fitbit.

This just seems like a "me too" and is a waste if resources. I could be wrong. Just how I see it now.
 
Apple blogger said:
God bless the merchants... if everyone is going "pay", it's going to be a tough time managing it.
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I agree 100%. We don’t need every device manufacturer releasing their own wallet. Fitbit is too late to the game, and their market share is minisule for any vendor to bother supporting it. Trying to enter this market is futile. In a few years FitBit Pay will be be dead. Literally anyone can see that.
 
Just opened an account with them as a backup, App seems ok if still not as feature full as a larger Bank. Registered with Apple Pay quickly and simply and features like setting a pin or freezing a card are available within the app which is nice. Not applicable to me as it’s not my main bank account however it also has some monitoring capabilities giving you a breakdown of where you spend your money.
 
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James Craner said:
Starling Bank - Lol, to be honest not sure that counts as 'UK' launch, as they are tiny. First time I have ever heard of them.
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They are awesome- check them out
James Craner said:
Starling Bank - Lol, to be honest not sure that counts as 'UK' launch, as they are tiny. First time I have ever heard of them.
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[doublepost=1508878478][/doublepost]
iGeek2014 said:
Starling Bank was great for being able to add my card to Apple Pay.

Shame the customer service was less than exemplary.
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What’s up? They are usually really good
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mike... said:
I've lived in the UK my whole life. I've never even heard of Starling Bank, nevermind Fitbit Pay. Is this really going to tempt people away from their contactless debit and credit cards? I doubt it.
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Check them out and you’ll know why they are so incredible
 
mike... said:
I've lived in the UK my whole life. I've never even heard of Starling Bank, nevermind Fitbit Pay. Is this really going to tempt people away from their contactless debit and credit cards? I doubt it.
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I heard about starling bank but it's from the tv series Arrow.
 
vmistery said:
Just opened an account with them as a backup, App seems ok if still not as feature full as a larger Bank. Registered with Apple Pay quickly and simply and features like setting a pin or freezing a card are available within the app which is nice. Not applicable to me as it’s not my main bank account however it also has some monitoring capabilities giving you a breakdown of where you spend your money.
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What other features does it need tho? It's pure UK mobile right? That's better than my current bank, there apps awful
 
uklad said:
What other features does it need tho? It's pure UK mobile right? That's better than my current bank, there apps awful
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As in they don’t do loans / isas/ credit cards / investment products it literally is just a bank account at the moment. The app is miles better than some of the big banks I’ve no doubt.
 
vmistery said:
As far as I can see that is not a launched feature now, or if it is I can’t find it!
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The marketplace does exist but so far the only partner that you can actually sue is the flux receipts thing (which only works at a specific store in Shoreditch and EAT stores)
 
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