Garmin teams up with Barclaycard for bPay Loop: Adding contactless payment to wearable fitness devices
Garmin teams up with Barclaycard for bPay Loop: Adding contactless payment to wearable fitness devices
UK /July 7, 2016 — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), has teamed up with Barclaycard to introduce bPay Loop, a contactless payment device which turns any compatible Garmin device into a contactless way to pay.
bPay Loop is a small case containing a contactless chip, designed to easily slide over a Garmin wearable device. Linked to a secure digital wallet, loop can be used to make contactless payments for up to £30 and under, wherever contactless payments can be made – which is currently over 400,000 locations across the UK. The product is available for anyone with a UK-registered Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card, not just a Barclaycard.
Loop comes in response to customer demand for a way to add payment functionality to wearables they already own – in particular, watches and fitness bands. It becomes the first product widely available in the UK to offer consumers the opportunity to add the ability to make payments to their existing devices.
Garmin will provide a limited number of loop devices free of charge to customers when purchasing compatible products via the Garmin website. Loop is compatible with a selection of Garmin wearable devices including the Forerunner, vivo and Approach ranges.
Quick, easy, convenient
Designed to appeal to those looking to make quick, easy, convenient contactless payments, loop is ideal for commuters as it makes paying for public transport journeys quicker; for shoppers, as it allows payments to be made with your hands full; and for sports and fitness fans allowing them to leave their cards and cash at home and still make payments.
Both the wallet and device are managed through the bPay mobile app, or via the online web portal, and users can set their account to top-up automatically from their chosen payment card when their balance falls below a pre-set level.
Safer than carrying cash and just as secure as any credit and debit card, all payments come with the same fraud protection that is applied to contactless cards. If lost or stolen, users can remotely shut down their device via the app, online, or by contacting the bPay team.
Tami Hargreaves, Commercial Director, Digital Consumer Payments at Barclaycard, said: “bPay is the UK’s leading range of wearable payment products and was designed to meet customer demand for a new way of paying. Following the success of the initial range, and in response to consumer demand, loop has been designed to allow payments functionality to be added to items that people already wear on their wrist."
“Thanks to the huge growth we are seeing in contactless payments, we are increasingly becoming accustomed to being able to make low-value payments throughout the day, in a quick, easy, convenient way. Loop makes that easier than ever.”
Gail Cook, Head of Marketing Communications for Garmin UK & Ireland, said: “Our customers are active people whose lives demand the best from their tech. By partnering with Barclaycard, a pioneer in contactless and wearable payments, to introduce bPay Loop to our key ranges such as our growing collection of vivo wellness devices, we’re giving our customers the flexibility they need to access their accounts from their favourite wearable device whenever and wherever they are. It’s an exciting technological development and something we’re pleased to be able to offer to our customers.”
Price and Availability
Loop has been designed to fit wristbands with an opening buckle and measuring 22 mm wide and under. It costs £19.99 and goes on sale online on the bPay e-store at www.bpay.co.uk from 7th July. Both the wallet and devices are free to use, with no transaction, usage or top-up fees for consumers, including when used abroad.
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Notes to editors
For more information about bPay Loop, please contact Tom Foxton on 07880 184381 or [email protected].
For more information about Garmin, please contact GUNG HO Communications 0121 604 6366 or [email protected]
About Barclaycard
Barclaycard, part of Barclays Bank PLC, is a leading global payment business that helps consumers, retailers and businesses to make and take payments flexibly, and to access short-term credit and point-of-sale finance. In 2015 we processed over £293bn in transactions globally. Barclaycard is a pioneer of new forms of payment and is at the forefront of developing viable contactless and mobile payment schemes for today and cutting-edge forms of payment for the future. We also partner with a wide range of organisations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit.
Follow us on Twitter @BarclaycardNews
About Garmin
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN). Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin is a registered trademark of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
