NFC TIMES Exclusive Insight – Struggling wearables maker Fitbit on Monday began selling its second smartwatch, the Fitbit Versa, supporting its NFC-enabled Fitbit Pay service, but not all versions of the new device support NFC in the U.S.
And while Fitbit Pay added JPMorgan Chase as a major participating bank in the U.S., joining some other large issuers, the issuer list for Fitbit Pay in the U.S. and globally remains fragmented. Around 25 of the global issuers supporting Fitbit Pay are small banks and credit unions in the U.S. These are among more than 60 banks in 15 countries participating in the payments service.
Fitbit, which has fallen behind Apple in wearables shipments because of the latter’s Apple Watch Series 3, is transforming its product mix from fitness bands and other fitness trackers to more smartwatches. Last October, it launched its first smartwatch, the high-end Fitbit Ionic–the first to support Fitbit Pay and the Fitbit OS.
