FAQs - SwatchPAY!

A SwatchPAY! watch can be used to make contactless payments. An embedded NFC chip, allows users to link their physical or digital payment card on their watch by creating a virtual card.

Yes, SwatchPAY! watches are available in many countries. For the complete list of countries where SwatchPAY! is available visit www.swatch.com.

SwatchPAY! makes the perfect gift! Just make sure to check the eligible banks that can be used to activate it. The gift recipient will need to use their payment card to create a virtual card to use the payment function.

The payment limit without authentication is different for every country as it is set by the countries' authorities. For example, in Switzerland, the contactless payment limit is CHF 80. For any amount above this limit, the terminal will prompt the user for a PIN input or alternative authentication methods.

In most countries yes. For instance, in countries such as Switzerland, Germany and Italy, you can simply enter your PIN to authenticate your identity to pay amounts above the contactless payment limit. In others, such as France, you cannot pay an amount that is higher than the contactless limit.

You can activate the contactless payment feature in your watch using your NFC-enabled Android or iOS smartphone or at any Swatch store.

Only one card can be linked to each SwatchPAY! watch.

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

No, to create your account and activate 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. There are no costs or fees from Swatch.

SwatchPAY! 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. This series of numbers acts as your primary account number (PAN).

It means that the link between your card and SwatchPAY! watch has expired, and you need to create a new link (reactivate your watch) if you want to continue making payments with your watch.

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

You can see the expiry date of your virtual card, by logging in to your account on the SwatchPAY! app and clicking on your virtual card.

Tokens are issued by the banks and their lifespan is usually 37 months but this can vary from bank to bank.

If your payment card expires and the bank/issuer sends you a new card without any changes (same PAN) then you can continue to make contactless payments with your SwatchPAY! watch. If your new card has different details, you will need to reactivate your watch to link the new card to it.

PAN stands for Primary Account Number or simply the card number of your payment card.

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

Your SwatchPAY! watch can be used to make the same type of payments as you make with your payment card.
Note: If the contactless payment requires authentication, you might be asked to input your payment card's PIN and/or insert the payment card in the terminal.

Your SwatchPAY! watch doesn’t have its own PIN. If you are asked for a PIN when making a contactless payment, simply use your payment cards PIN.

Simply download the SwatchPAY! app from the App Store or Google Play.

1. Download the app and accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Notice.
2. Click "Create account", then follow the instructions.
3. Enter your email address.
4. Create your password (minimum 6 characters are required).
5. Click "Continue".
6. Wait for the confirmation email.
7. Verify your email by clicking on the link to finish creating your account.

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 swatchonline@tregergroup.co.za.

The username for your SwatchPAY! app account is always an email address. Try entering all your known email addresses. If that still doesn't work, please or contact us via swatchonline@tregergroup.co.za.

To reset your password please:

1. Open the SwatchPAY! app.
2. Click "Sign in".
3. Click "Forgot my password".
4. Enter the email address you registered with.
5. Click "Reset password".
6. You will receive an email from noreply@swatchpay.app with a link.
7. Click the link to create your new password.

There are two ways to activate your SwatchPAY! watch:
1. Using a SwatchPAY! box in a Swatch store
2. Using an NFC-enabled iOS or Android smartphone

You can always delete the payment card information linked to your SwatchPAY! account.
Log in to the SwatchPAY! app and click on the image of the payment card you want to delete.
Click on the 'bin' icon which is next to the 'remove virtual card' icon.
This ensures that all your data related to this virtual card is deleted.

If you want to remove your virtual payment card data from the SwatchPAY! app you need to:
1. Log in to the SwatchPAY! app and click on the image of the payment card you want to remove.
2. Click on the 'bin' icon which is next to the 'remove virtual card' icon.
3. This ensures that all your data related to this virtual card is deleted.

After being deleted from the SwatchPAY! app, the virtual payment card and the watch will no longer appear on the "My SwatchPAY!" app screen. This indicates that the virtual payment card has been deleted from the server.

To delete unused virtual payment cards, simply sign in to the SwatchPAY! app, click on the image of the virtual payment card image you want to remove and then click on "Remove virtual card".

Yes, you can. Just ensure that the smartphone you use is NFC-enabled.

No, this is not necessary. Just be mindful to log out once you are done activating your SwatchPAY! watch, otherwise the owner of the device will be able to access to your details.

You need to enable the NFC on your smartphone. Check to see if your smartphone has NFC and if it isn’t enabled, enable it in your device settings.

If your smartphone is not NFC-enabled, you can always visit our stores and we will be happy to help you activate your SwatchPAY! Alternatively, we suggest you check out the onboarding video's on our website.

You can always delete your payment card information linked to your SwatchPAY! watch.
Log in to the SwatchPAY! app and click on the image of the payment card you want to delete.
Click on the 'bin' icon which is next to the 'remove virtual card' icon.
This ensures that all your data related to this virtual card is deleted.

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

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

All iPhone models later than iPhone 7 (e.g., iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, etc.) can be used. The mininum requirement is that they have an iOS 15.

You can always remove/replace the virtual payment card linked to your SwatchPAY! watch.
Simply follow the steps to 'Remove the virtual card' and then click on the 'Add Card' button and follow the steps to activate it. Remember, to activate, you will need your SwatchPAY! watch, an NFC-enabled smartphone and your payment card.

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

It means that your payment card is not one of the banks we currently work with. Try activating your watch with another card. You can always contact your back and let them know that you would want to use SwatchPAY!.

Seems like you inserted your credentials wrongly into the app. Check your payment card details carefully when filling in the information.

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

Download the app and accept the terms of use and privacy notice.
Click "Create account", then follow the instructions.
Once the account is created:
Press on the "Add card" icon on the top right corner of the "My SwatchPAY!" app screen. Then, using an iPhone or Android smartphone that is NFC-enabled, follow the steps to activate your watch.

We are updating our systems therefore this technical update is required.

Yes, after the scheduled update is complete, you will need to reactive your SwatchPAY! watch.

If you do not reactivate your SwatchPAY! watch you will not be able to make contactless payments. Of course, you would still be able to use your watch to tell the time.

During the scheduled technical update, you will not be able to log in to or access the app. Until the technical update is complete you will not be able to use your SwatchPAY! watch for contactless payments.

You don't need to do anything during the scheduled technical update. Once the update is completed, we will send you an email with the next steps.

Only your username and password will be transferred.

The scheduled technical update will start at 9:00 pm CET on April 29, 2024, and will take several hours to complete. To minimize disruption, we scheduled the update to occur during the night for most users worldwide.

Yes, you will need to download the latest version of the SwatchPAY! app.

Yes, there will be some changes to the SwatchPAY! app's features. We are actively working towards making all the features available to you as soon as possible but the experience you have using your SwatchPAY! watch will remain the same.

No, you can use your old account or login credentials.

Yes, the service will be disrupted for a few hours. To minimize disruption, we scheduled the update to occur during the night for most users worldwide.

Yes, you will be notified via email.

Please check out the activation video here:
https://www.swatch.com/swatch-pay/how-it-works/activate-on-android-or-iphone.html
If you are still unable to activate your SwatchPAY! watch then:
1. Click on the 'Menu' and then on 'Contact us' or,
2. Send us an email via swatchonline@tregergroup.co.za with your issue and we will respond as quickly as possible.

For issues related to making payments, then please contact your bank. Otherwise, contact us at swatchonline@tregergroup.co.za.

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 your nearest Swatch store or contact our Customer Care team at swatchonline@tregergroup.co.za.

Please contact our Customer Care team at swatchonline@tregergroup.co.za for more information.

Please contact our Customer Care team at swatchonline@tregergroup.co.za for more information.

The first thing you should do is suspend your virtual card within the SwatchPAY! app.
Go to the “My SwatchPAY!” page, select your payment 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 that your watch has been lost or stolen.

This depends on your contract with the card issuer/bank and the laws 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.