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

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
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.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching This Year With These 8 New Features

Tuesday January 28, 2025 11:48 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
airpods 4 blue

Apple Finally Explains How to Install New Firmware on Your AirPods

Monday January 27, 2025 11:17 am PST by
Apple regularly releases new firmware for the AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max, but the company has historically provided limited information on how to initiate an update. That changed today, and Apple updated its AirPods firmware support page with more specific instructions. Prior to today, here's what Apple said on the subject: Firmware updates are delivered automatically while your...
tvOS 18 Thumb 3

Apple Releases tvOS 18.3

Monday January 27, 2025 10:00 am PST by
Apple today released tvOS 18.3, the newest version of the tvOS 18 operating system that came out in September. tvOS 18.3 comes more than a month after Apple released tvOS 18.2, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and the Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.3 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

5 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's MacBook Pro

Monday January 27, 2025 4:25 am PST by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...
ipad january sale

Amazon's New iPad Sale Has Up to $300 Off M4 iPad Pro, M2 iPad Air, and iPad Mini 7

Tuesday January 28, 2025 7:32 am PST by
Today we're tracking a few iPad discounts on Amazon, including the new iPad mini 7, M2 iPad Air, and M4 iPad Pro. These deals include multiple all-time low prices on Apple's tablets, matching the prices we tracked over the holiday season in many cases. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

iPhone 17 Air Design, Specs, and More: All the Rumors So Far

Wednesday January 29, 2025 4:00 am PST by
This year, Apple is expected to discontinue the iPhone "Plus" device in its iPhone 17 lineup to make way for an iPhone "Air," so-called because of its thin profile. Below is a compilation of every rumor and leak we have registered from reputable sources thus far about Apple's new entry in its flagship smartphone lineup. iPhone 17 "Air"? About the Name There has been some uncertainty...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 to Have Notch Instead of Dynamic Island

Tuesday January 28, 2025 1:49 pm PST by
The upcoming iPhone SE 4 will feature a notch instead of the Dynamic Island, respected display analyst Ross Young said today. The device will have a "notch like the iPhone 14," according to Young, which contradicts a recent leak that depicted a Dynamic Island. Earlier this month, leaker Evan Blass shared images said to feature the iPhone SE 4's design, but those images featured an iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

James_C Avatar
95 months ago
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.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sheza Avatar
95 months ago
As far as I can see that is not a launched feature now, or if it is I can’t find it!
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)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vmistery Avatar
95 months ago
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.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mike... Avatar
95 months ago
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.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mariotr87 Avatar
95 months ago
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.
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!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thisisnotmyname Avatar
95 months ago
I keep wondering when Fitbit will become the next blackberry
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)