FAQs - SwatchPAY!

A SwatchPAY! watch is a Swatch you can use to make contactless payments. A virtual card is created, based on your physical or digital payment card, to make payments.

Yes, in most launched markets. More information at www.swatch.com.

You can always buy it as a gift but please check the different activation options on our website. The lucky gift recipient will need to use their payment card to create the virtual card in order to use the payment function.

Each country has its own amount without PIN or authentication, set by the authorities in that country. For instance, in Switzerland, the contactless payment limit is CHF 80 after which one needs to input the PIN in the terminal or authenticated differently.

That depends on the country. For instance, in countries such as Switzerland, Germany and Italy, you can simply enter your PIN or authenticate differently to pay higher amounts. In others, such as the UK and France, you cannot pay a higher amount than the contactless limit.

At a Swatch store or anywhere, via your NFC-enabled Android or iOS smartphone.

At the moment, only one card can be linked to each SwatchPAY! watch.

Yes, you can link the same payment card to several watches.

To create your account and to create a virtual payment card based on your physical or digital payment card, you need a stable internet connection.

All you have to do is buy the watch. The rest is fast, easy and free.

Swatch uses a process called tokenization to create a virtual card linked to the watch. This process has been certified by Mastercard and Visa.

A token is a series of randomly-generated numbers used in payment card tokenization. [It replaces the customer's primary account number (PAN).]

This means that the link between your card and watch has expired and you need to create a new link if you want to continue making payments with your watch.

There are two situations in which you may need to renew the tokenization/activation of your watch:
1.    Your token has expired (usually after 37 months) or is deleted
2.    You have changed your payment card

You can find the expiry date on your SwatchPAY! app by clicking on the card.

The token's lifespan is usually 37 months but can vary from issuer (bank) to issuer (bank).

Usually when a payment card expires and the bank/issuer sends you a new card without any changes (same PAN) then your SwatchPAY! will continue to work. If not, you need to reactivate your SwatchPAY! with your new payment card.

PAN stands for primary account number or simply the card number of your payment card.

Your watch's PIN number is the same as the one for your physical or digital card.

Your SwatchPAY! watch works just like your payment card when you make contactless payments. It also works at the same places as your payment card would.
Note: If the payment requires authentication, you might be asked to enter your payment card's PIN and/or insert your payment card into the payment terminal.

Sometimes while making contactless payments with your SwatchPAY! the payment terminal will prompt you to enter your PIN. To complete the payment, simply enter your payment card's PIN number.

Simply search for the app "SwatchPAY! app" in the App Store or at Google Play and download the app.

Download the app and accept the terms and conditions. Click "Create account", then follow the instructions to finish creating your account.
Click on "Create Account"
Enter your nationality Enter your "Email address" Insert "Password" (minimum 6 charaters are required) Click "Continue" Wait for the confirmation email
Your account will be created when you have clicked the link provided in the confirmation email

Please check your spam folder. If it isn't there, please try the process again. If it still doesn't work, please contact us via connect@swatch.com

The user name for SwatchPAY! is always an email address. Try entering all your known email addresses or contact us via connect@swatch.com

Open the SwatchPAY! app
Click "Sign in"
Click "Forgot your password"
Enter the email address you registered with
Click "Reset password"
You will receive an email from noreply@swatchpay.app with a link
Click the link and create your new password

There are two ways to activate your SwatchPAY!:
1. In a Swatch store
2. With an NFC-enabled iPhone or Android smartphone

You can delete your virtual card using the app, but some non-sensitive data will still be stored on the watch. To remove it completely, please visit a Swatch store or use an NFC-enabled Android smartphone or iPhone and follow the steps by clicking on "Settings" in the menu and then on "Reset watch to factory settings".

If you no longer have your watch and would like the remove the virtual card data:
Enter the SwatchPAY! app
On the "My SwatchPAY!" screen, tap the virtual card for more details
Click on the icon next to "Remove virtual card"
You can delete your virtual card using the app, but some non-sensitive data will still be stored on the watch

After deletion, the SwatchPAY! app will not show the virtual payment card and the watch on the main screen 'MY SWATCHPAY!'. This indicates that the virtual payment card has been deleted from the server.

To delete unused virtual cards, simply sign in to the SwatchPAY! app, click on card image and then click on "Remove virtual card". If you delete the virtual card using the "Remove virtual card" function, some non-sensitive data will still be stored on the watch. To remove it completely, please visit a Swatch store or use an NFC-enabled Android smartphone or iPhone and follow the steps by clicking on "Settings" in the menu and then on "Reset watch to factory settings".

Yes, you can. Just ensure that the smartphones are NFC-enabled.

Not necessarily, but you'll need to sign in to the SwatchPAY! app with your credentials.

You need to enable the NFC on your phone. You can do this in your phone settings. Check to see if your smartphone has NFC

Check to see if your smartphone is NFC-enabled as not all Android smartphones or iPhones are NFC-enabled.
If your smartphone is not NFC-enabled, you can always visit our stores and we will be happy to help you activate your SwatchPAY!

Open the SwatchPAY! app, follow the steps by clicking first on "Settings" in the menu and then on "Reset watch to factory settings".

Yes, it is safe. The process is validated and secured by Mastercard and Visa.

For Android: Move your SwatchPAY! watchhead on the back of the NFC-enabled Android smartphone to find the connection. Once the smartphone and watch are connected, it will be indicated in the app.
For iPhone: Please hold the watch exactly as shown in the visual in the app before starting the activation process.

All iPhones later than iPhone 7 (e.g. iPhone 8, iPhone X,iPhone XS, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, etc); min. requirement iOS 13.

Depending on the Visa and Mastercard requirements and/or the preconditions, between 3 and 5 times.

This pop-up indicates that this watch is already linked to a virtual card and if you press "Continue", you will replace that virtual card with the new details you enter.

Yes,
Enter the Menu
Click on "Settings"
Click on "Reset watch to factory settings"
and then follow the steps

Yes it is. The data is end-to-end encrypted.

The connection between your watch and your smartphone was lost. Please ensure that you hold it steadily in the right place and do not remove it before instructed. Please try again. For additional support, check out the videos on www.swatch.com/swatchpay.

Seems like you took a little too long for the process. Please try again. For additional support, check out the videos on www.swatch.com/swatchpay.

SwatchPAY! was made compatible with Visa in 2021; thus some watches do not yet have the Visa Applet. This does not mean that you cannot link your Visa card but to do so the first time, you need to use either an NFC-enabled Android smartphone or the SwatchPAY! box at our stores.

Download the app and accept the terms and conditions
Click "Create account", then follow the instructions to finish creating your account       
Once the account is created:
Press on the "Add Card" icon on the top right corner of the "My SwatchPAY!" screen in the app
Follow the steps with an iPhone or Android NFC-enabled smartphone to activate your watch

Your SwatchPAY!-enabled watch is linked to your payment card through a token created during the activation process. 
The bank gives this token an expiry date, similar to the expiry date on your debit, credit and prepaid payment cards.
Therefore, it is important that you reactivate your watch before the deadline to avoid any inconvenience.  

If you do not have a smartphone with NFC function, you can visit your nearest Swatch store to complete the process in person.

The expiry date of a token is defined by the bank.  

You can reactivate your SwatchPAY!-enabled watch after January 1, 2024.
However, after December 31, 2023, and until you reactivate it, you won’t be able to use it to make payments.
To enjoy uninterrupted use of the SwatchPAY! App we recommend you complete the process before December 31, 2023.

If you have more questions regarding your token, please contact your bank/issuer .
Or contact Swatch Customer Service at connect@swatch.com.

Yes, it is GDPR-compliant.

A Secure Element is a tamper-resistant chip capable of securing confidential and cryptographic data such as payment card data in accordance with regulations and security requirements set out by a group of trusted authorities.

A Secure Element doesn’t have an expiry date. To be used for payments, a Secure Element is evaluated by trusted authorities to ensure it is secure enough to hold payment credentials. This evaluation is attested by a certificate from a contracted lab; this certificate has an expiration date. At the time of expiration, the chip manufacturer typically goes through testing at a lab to extend validity. If no security breach is found, the lab will issue a new certificate. Secure Element certificates are public and can be found on the respective websites of the certification body or trusted authority. For payment, this trusted authority is EMVCo. EMVCo also relies on Secure Element certifications by Common Criteria. Common Criteria is an international set of guidelines and specifications developed for evaluating information security products, specifically to ensure they meet an agreed-upon security standard for government deployments.

EMVCo is the international body that currently manages standards relating to EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) payment technology (https://www.emvco.com). It is a consortium with control divided equally among Visa, MasterCard, JCB, American Express, China UnionPay and Discover.

Yes, SwatchPAY! watches contain chips that are EMVCo-certified.

Yes you can, please visit us at a Swatch store or contact our customer care team at connect@swatch.com

Contact our customer care team at connect@swatch.com for more information.

Contact our customer care team at connect@swatch.com for more information.

The first thing you should do is suspend your virtual card within the SwatchPAY! app.
Go to “My SwatchPAY!” page, select your card and click on the suspend button.
If you prefer, you can also delete your virtual card and token. Once the virtual card is suspended or deleted through the app, the watch can no longer be used to make payments.
Also, call your bank to inform them of the same.

This depends on your contract with the card issuer and the law in your country. Please contact your bank or payment card issuer for more details. Please note that Swatch does not bear any responsibility in such cases.