Tracking the minutiae of physical activities and circadian rhythms isn’t enough to persuade a good load of people to wear fitness trackers. But could it persuade more people if they can use the same fitness band to pay for everything they purchase throughout the course of the day? That’s what we’re going to find out with the Jawbone UP4, a fitness band that comes integrated with a mobile payment system.
Like Jawbone’s previous releases, the band will track your heart rate, physical activity, and sleep patterns, as well as give you access to app features like food logging, virtual coaching, and goal monitoring. It’s also splash-proof, with a week-long battery life, so you get the full roster of capabilities that you can possibly want in a modern fitness tracker.
Unlike other fitness trackers, the Jawbone UP4 can be used to make contactless payments, allowing you to walk up to the cashier at a store and pay for anything you pick up with a single tap on the terminal (the band has an embedded NFC chip). The service is exclusive to American Express cardholders, though, so if you use other credit card providers, you’ll have to consider whether you want to get a new card to take advantage of the feature. If you do decide affirmatively on that, they made the process easy, complete with a facility to apply for an AmEx card directly from the app.
Slated for a summer release, the Jawbone UP4 will retail for $199.99.