FNB is now supporting Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay, just a few days after the Samsung Pay trial went live in South Africa. FNB was not a launch partner to Samsung Pay and does not appear to be a supporting partner either so it makes sense that they went this route.

Fitbit Pay will work on Visa cards issued through FNB at any compatible contactless payment terminal. It’s essentially the same places Samsung Pay works, and FNB Pay, identifiable through the wireless symbol.

While I’m not sure about Garmin Pay, I can confirm that Fitbit Pay will work on the Ionic and Versa watches. If you have a Versa and it’s paired to either an Android or iPhone, you should be able to set it up immediately. Here’s how:

STEP 1: Make sure your Fitbit app is updated, and go into Fitbit Versa Settings

STEP 2: Choose the Wallet option under Settings

STEP 3: Follow instructions to add your card. You will need to add a OTP to verify it.

STEP 4: Long press the left key on your Fitbit Versa (or Ionic) to bring up your card. You’re all set.

I tested it a short while ago and imagine my surprise that Woolworths payment terminals ARE OUTDATED! (Not the one at Engen garages though), my regular one in the ‘hood. I can confirm it supported at my local Spar and Shell garage. It does not appear to require an internet connection because it’s basically a digital wallet that has your cards. If you’ve made contactless payments before, it’s just a matter of ‘tap and go’. So now you can do it from your wrist.

When you’re ready to pay, just long press the left button and your saved card will show up on your wearable device, after which you simply tap onto the payment terminal. It takes at most two seconds, as you can see above. The gif is me paying at the Shell and well, it’s kinda instant. It works for small payments – I think for anything above R200 a PIN is required.

Sorry Apple Watch, Fitbit Versa wins again!