Users will soon have to bid farewell to Fitbit Pay as Fitbit is merging with Google, and the Google Wallet service will replace the previous experience.
This means that users will have to resort to Google Wallet for all Fitbit wearable purchases, with this taking effect later this year. However, this would not apply to all regions where Fitbit Pay is available.
NFC payment transactions made Fitbit Pay a breeze as users only had to tap their devices on supported machines, one of which began in 2018.
Goodbye, Fitbit Pay, Hello Google Wallet—When's the shutdown?
(Photo: Kamil S on Unsplash)
The company's email announced that starting July 29, Fitbit Pay would no longer be available as a payment method for contactless store purchases.
This means users must transition to Google Wallet and store their credit or debit card information there.
Users may set up Google Wallet on their Fitbit now but would first need to update to version 4.14.1 or higher on the Fitbit app on Android or iOS. On the app, choose Devices and look for the Wallet icon.
Update the Google Wallet and sign in to your Google account. This will allow users to add a card to Google Wallet.
Fitbit Pay cards would not migrate to Google Wallet, which could only be done manually.
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Fitbit Pay Will Remain in Some Regions-Where?
That being said, Fitbit Pay is not entirely going away.
It was revealed by email that it would still be available in Japan (Suica), Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan (iPass), and it would not require Google Wallet. However, no more cards may be added after the shutdown.
Fitbit's Wireless Payment Service
Fitbit's first introduction of the Versa in 2018 also gave birth to Fitbit Pay, its dedicated wireless payment service that is meant to offer tap-to-pay features for various purchases in retail stores and more.
This introduction also marked the new face of Fitbit, with the Versa introducing the "squircle" and slimmer bezels, with all of its features for only $199.
Since 2022, Fitbit has supported the Google Wallet payment service on its smartwatches, which offers another platform for storing credit, debit, and other cards for contactless purchases.
It was first made available to the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatches, but later devices also featured Google Wallet's payment service for the renowned wearable.
The Fitbit acquisition of 2021 opened it up to many of its parent companies, including Google, technologies and apps, with Google Wallet being one of the top features.
Now, Fitbit Pay is bidding its farewell in favor of Google Wallet, unifying its payment methods on Android and its account.
However, this change does not apply to all regions where Fitbit Pay will be available this July.
Related Article: Google to Remove Third-Party Fitbit Watch Apps and Faces in EU by June
