Fitbit MoneySaving tips & tricks

Fitness tracker or smartwatch?

With so many different makes and models available, knowing which Fitbit to choose is the first step to saving money.

From basic step counting, to sleep tracking, heart rate and cardio fitness level monitoring, there are a range of Fitbits across both the fitness tracker category and smartwatches. Here's a brief summary of the difference between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch:

Fitness tracker - mainly focuses on health and exercise monitoring, including step count, calories burnt and reminders to move.

Smartwatch - like having a mini smartphone on your wrist, it enables you to view and respond to calls and texts and access apps, as well as the health and fitness monitoring above. Some now have more advanced health monitoring features, such as an in-built ECG and skin temperature monitors.

There are currently eight Fitbit models that are widely available (excluding special edition versions), though it's released many more than this over the years which are now harder to come by. Here are the most recent models – excluding the kids’ edition – and how much they cost at full-price:

There are three fitness trackers and three smartwatches above, with prices ranging from £89.99 to £169.99 for the trackers and £149.99 to £279.99 for the smartwatches. So the first question to ask yourself, is do you need the bigger display and additional features of a smartwatch, or are you just happy to track and monitor your health and exercise? 

Don't go a step too far – avoid paying for features you won't use

You may think we've covered this in the section above, but once you've decided on a fitness tracker or smartwatch, the amount of features – and price – then varies between models.

One of the simplest ways to save money on a Fitbit is to only pay for the features which you think you’ll use or need. All Fitbits have the same basic functionality and features, which include:

👣  Steps and activity🔥   Calories burned💤  Sleep tracking and silent alarm🌸  Female health tracking

🏃   Auto exercise recognition🕘  Reminders to move🏋️   20+ exercise modes📞  Call notifications

✉️  Text, calendar and app alerts✨  Fitbit accessories⌚  Customisable clock face💧   Water resistant to 50m

In the table below, I’ve highlighted some of the additional features of each model, so you can compare the price difference against the features available:

As you can see, the additional features vary quite a bit between each model. There's a fairly big jump in price between the Inspire 2 and the Charge 4 trackers, but you're gaining built-in GPS, quick replies to messages, and Fitbit Pay – so you'll need to weigh up if those features are worth the extra £40. 

The new Fitbit Charge 5 has many similar health features to the pricier smartwatches, but for a similar price, you're not getting the apps and additional 'smart' features that come with the watches.

With the smartwatches, the Fitbit Versa 2 is about £50 cheaper than the Fitbit Versa 3, though it's missing a few key features such as built-in GPS and Fitbit Pay. However, compare the Fitbit Versa 3 to the Fitbit Sense and the £80 difference in price doesn't get you much, other than the really technical bits you may not use (such as an ECG app).

Make sure you really consider which features you’ll use when choosing a Fitbit, as this could save you a lot of money. 

Where to find Fitbits at their cheapest, eg, £71 Fitbit Inspire 2 (norm £90), plus other brands incl Garmin, Huawei & Samsung

While this is a Fitbit guide, it may not be the best brand for you, so in this section I'm going to briefly introduce other brands as well, including Garmin, Samsung and Huawei – some of which offer cheaper alternatives, which you may be happy with.

For each tracker/smartwatch, I've included some of its key features beyond standard tracking (steps, calories and sleep), though I haven't tried out the trackers myself to test how good they are, so check online reviews at sites such as TechRadar and Tech Advisor before deciding which tracker is best for you.

As we're MoneySavers, I've split the trackers into three price brackets below so you can compare the different makes and models within your budget. Prices last checked on Tue 6 Jul:

Save £60ish by choosing the right colour Fitbit

After a quick detour looking at other brands, let's go back to Fitbits... They come in a variety of colours, and you can often save up to £60 picking one colour over another.

The model and features are the same – it’s just the colour and price that differ. For example, when I looked at the Fitbit Versa 2 on Tue 18 Jan, it cost the following prices in different colours at Amazon:

As you can see, by choosing black, petal/'copper rose' or 'stone/'mist grey' you’d save up to £54.51. 

This isn't just specific to this model either – a Fitbit Sense costs £198.60 in 'lunar white' at Amazon compared with £259 in 'sage grey'.

The colour applies to the casing of the watch or tracker, as well as the strap – though as straps are changeable on all these models I've mentioned, you may be able to get a different colour strap for less than the price difference between different coloured models, so that's something to bear in mind. See how to cheaply spruce up your Fitbit below. 

Turn your phone into free 'Fitbit'

Compare retailers and save £156

On Tue 18 Jan, I found a Fitbit Sense in 'sage grey', for the following prices at well-known retailers:

As you can see, there was a £156.39 difference between the cheapest and most expensive price for the exact same Fitbit. When we checked other models of Fitbits, we found similar price differences. For example, a Fitbit Versa 3 in 'midnight' costs £158.90 at Amazon, but £249.99 at Littlewoods – a £91.09 price difference.

When's the best time to buy a Fitbit?

Not only do Fitbit prices vary by colour and retailer, but they also change depending on the time of the year. The graph below shows the prices of different Fitbit models from May 2019 to May 2020, with the Fitbit models available at that time.

The graph shows the price of Fitbits fell during Black Friday promotions in November. Some, but not all models, dropped further or remained the same price in the pre-Christmas and Boxing Day sales period. Even though this was in 2019 to 2020, we’ve seen a similar pattern in other years.

As you can see above, prices stay fairly consistent from January until around April/May where the prices start to increase across most Fitbit devices. However, it's worth noting that this was the opposite to what we saw in this period in 2019, where prices actually decreased in March/April – so it may be the coronavirus pandemic meant retailers were offering less discounts at that time.

Check for short-lived promotions and extras

It’s always worth checking for codes and short-lived promotions that might be running on a particular website or in a store, but also consider any extras you may get, eg, longer warranty.

Spruce up your Fitbit instead of buying a new one

Most Fitbits come with changeable bands, so if yours is starting to look a little worn you could just buy a new strap rather than forking out for a new Fitbit. You can buy official Fitbit ones, or Amazon sells cheaper third-party versions – these can start from as little as £3.

Similarly, you can buy screen protectors to help keep your Fitbit in good condition. See Fitbit’s Wear & Care page* for more tips on how to keep your fitness tracker lasting longer.

Most Fitbits come with a standard two-year warranty, so if yours is faulty or damaged it’s worth seeing if you can get it replaced by Fitbit.

Get paid for using your Fitbit

If you've got a health or life insurance plan with Vitality, you can link your Fitbit to the Vitality Rewards app to earn points which you can convert into free Caffe Nero, cinema tickets and more. But don't let this be your main reason for taking out a plan with Vitality – always compare to make sure you're getting the best policy for your needs.

Have you saved on a Fitbit or other fitness tracker? Let us know in the comments below, or get in touch on Twitter @MSE_Deals.