7-January, 2021 – Doha-- QNB Group, the largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, partnered with Garmin (NASDAQ:GRMN) and Fitbit (NYSE: FIT) to make Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay available to QNB customers in Qatar for the first time, through its contactless payments platform, QNBpay.
To make purchases, customers will simply need to add any of their QNB credit or prepaid cards to their Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay supported devices. This is a straightforward, easy and secure process which will fundamentally change the way customers pay for their purchases.
Commenting on the announcement, Heba Al-Tamimi, General Manager, QNB Group’s Retail Banking, said: “QNB is a regional industry leader in cards and payments products and our collaboration with Fitbit and Garmin reinforces our commitment to create contactless and rewarding payment experiences. The launch of these services is a true testament of the Bank’s commitment to innovate the ways through which it interacts with our customers and address their changing needs.”
With the addition of these services, QNB customers can now benefit from easy and secure contactless payments worldwide without any additional cost.
Contactless payments using wearables have increased in popularity due to COVID-19, as they allow consumers to make quick and secure digital payments while avoiding either contact with commonly touched public surfaces such as POS machines or using cash.
Fitbit Pay is currently available on Fitbit Versa family of smartwatches, Fitbit Ionic, Fitbit Charge 4 and Fitbit Charge 3 Special Edition. By following simple steps in the Fitbit app on Android or iOS, users can quickly add their QNB credit and prepaid cards to their Fitbit Wallet. To make payments, customers simply need to press and hold the left side button until their QNB credit card or prepaid card is seen on their device screen, then hold the device near a payment terminal until a confirmation of payment appears. A protected PIN is chosen by the user during device set-up for an additional level of security.
Garmin® (NASDAQ:GRMN): With the broadest portfolio of wearables on the market you can track activity, golf, swim, sail, cycle, run and more with products made to keep up with your lifestyle. Garmin Pay is designed for people who are always on the move and lets you make purchases with nothing needed but your watch.
Previously, QNB has launched full-fledged contactless cards on its credit, debit and prepaid products portfolio, and it has also been actively deploying Point of Sale (POS) terminals that can process both contact and contactless transactions.
QNB Group’s presence through its subsidiaries and associate companies extends to more than 31 countries across three continents providing a comprehensive range of advanced products and services. The total number of employees is more than 29,000 operating through 1,100 locations, with an ATM network of more than 4,300 machines.