Airtel Payments Bank has joined hands with consumer tech brand Noise, and Mastercard to launch the Airtel Payments Bank Smartwatch, a device aimed at expanding contactless payments in India. The smartwatch is priced at ₹2,999 and is available on the Airtel Thanks app.
As things stand, only Samsung, through its Wallet, allows its users to make contactless payments through its smartphones and smartwatches paired to Samsung phones. One just has to select a card of choice through the app and tap an NFC-enabled card reader for the transaction to go through.
In a press release, Airtel Payments Bank said the smartwatch has been developed in partnership with Noise and is equipped with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology powered by Mastercard, enabling users to make contactless payments.
According to the release, the smartwatch allows Airtel Payments Bank customers to link their savings account to the device through the Airtel Thanks App. Once linked, users can make payments ranging from ₹1 to ₹25,000 per day by simply tapping the watch on Point of Sale (POS) machines with the Tap 'N Pay facility.
Ganesh Ananthanarayanan, COO of Airtel Payments Bank, said the move is aimed at enabling urban digital consumers to make on-the-go digital payments effortlessly.
Beyond its payment capabilities, the Airtel Payments Bank Smart Watch offers additional features such as Bluetooth calling, a battery life of up to 10 days, access to cloud-based watch faces, support for various sports modes, IP68 water resistance, stress monitoring, and SpO2 (blood oxygen) monitoring for better health insights.
