Google Is Shutting Down Fitbit Pay. Here's What That Means for You
Google Is Shutting Down Fitbit Pay. Here's What That Means for You
Google is ending Fitbit Pay on July 29, 2024. This is the contactless payment feature that lets you tap your Fitbit device at a checkout counter to pay for things, the way you might use your phone or a contactless credit card. Google bought Fitbit in 2021 and is now replacing Fitbit Pay with Google Wallet — the same payment tool you may already use on your phone.
If you have a Fitbit device with payment set up, you'll need to add your payment cards to Google Wallet to keep using contactless payments. The deadline is less than a month away.
What You Need to Do
The shift from Fitbit Pay to Google Wallet is not just a name change. Fitbit Pay was its own separate payment system. Google Wallet is different — it pulls payment information from the Google account you probably already use for email, photos, and other services. This means less setup work once you make the switch, because Google already has your card information on file.
Here's what happens: you'll go into the Google Wallet app or website, add or link your payment cards, and then your Fitbit device will be ready to use those cards for contactless payments. Your bank may ask you to verify it's really you before allowing the change.
Not All Fitbit Devices Will Support Google Wallet
This is where things get tricky. Older Fitbit devices may not work with Google Wallet at all. Contactless payment requires special security hardware inside the device, and many earlier Fitbit models didn't have it. If your device is older, you may lose the ability to pay with your Fitbit.
Google has said it will send updates to supported devices to add Google Wallet, but the company hasn't released a detailed list of which models will and won't work. If you're unsure whether your device will be compatible, it's worth checking the developer documentation or contacting Fitbit support now.
Why Google Is Doing This
Google is consolidating its payment systems. Rather than running two separate payment platforms — one for Fitbit and one for Google Wallet — the company is folding everything into a single service. This is a pattern we have seen before. Apple did it with its payment system across iPhones and watches. Microsoft merged different cloud services into Azure. When technology companies own multiple products, they eventually try to unify them.
The move also makes sense from a business perspective. Google competes with Apple and Samsung in the smartwatch and fitness tracker market. Apple Pay on the Apple Watch is the leading wearable payment service. Samsung has its own version on Galaxy watches. By putting all of Google's payment features under one brand and one system, Google creates a more unified experience to compete with those platforms.
The Timeline and What Banks Need to Do
Banks and payment companies that work with Fitbit Pay now need to make sure they support Google Wallet. For institutions already set up with Google Wallet, the change is straightforward. Those without that setup face extra work and may need to build new connections.
The window to prepare and move over is tight — around one month. For people managing lots of cards across business accounts, this could be stressful. But for most users with a Fitbit and a few payment cards on file, the transition should be relatively simple.
What matters most is that Google appears willing to accept some inconvenience now in order to have one simpler payment system later. Whether other technology companies follow a similar playbook — sunsetting old systems to clean up their product lines — may depend on how smoothly this particular migration goes.
