Frequently asked questions

To buy an Apple Watch through Vitality, you need to have one of the following plans:

• Health insurance – any private health insurance plan.
• Business health insurance
    a. any small business health insurance plan.
    b. any corporate health insurance plan or trust scheme administered by Vitality, with Vitality Plus benefits
• Life insurance – any life insurance plan with Vitality Plus benefits. In addition, the total premiums of all life plans on which you are a member must be at least £45 per month for an individual plan and £60 for a joint plan, excluding any fee paid for Vitality Plus.

The reward is limited to one Vitality member aged 18 and over per plan, and it’s not available to members in the Channel Islands.

Once you’ve joined Vitality, register on the Member Zone at vitality.co.uk/member. Then visit the Apple Watch page in the ‘partners and rewards’ section. Follow the instructions to order your Apple Watch from there.

You can buy selected Apple Watch models, including Series 9 GPS, Apple Watch SE GPS, and Apple Watch Series 9 and SE GPS + Cellular models.

Upfront payments and monthly contributions differ, depending on which Apple Watch model you choose and how many activity points you earn a month.

You don’t need an Apple ID when you buy an Apple Watch, however you will need an Apple ID to activate and use both your iPhone and Apple Watch.

Yes, you’ll need an iPhone Xs or later with iOS 17 or later to use Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch SE. You also need Apple Health to track your steps activity. You need an Apple Watch if you want to track your heart rate workouts activity.

Apple Watch GPS + Cellular require a separate monthly data plan from the same provider as your iPhone service. Current networks supporting this are EE, O2 and Vodafone. Please contact your network provider for more details.

No, you’ll need to do that using the Vitality Member app for iOS. Take a look at our ‘Connect Apple Watch to the Vitality Member app’ guide that shows you how to connect Apple Health to Vitality.

If you get a new iPhone, you’ll need to delete the Vitality Member app, install it on your new iPhone and link it to Apple Health again to continue earning Vitality activity points.

Please note: If you have an Apple Watch, make sure you pair it with your new iPhone before deleting the Vitality Member app on your old iPhone and installing the Vitality Member app on your new iPhone.

You'll need to set up your health data in the Apple Health app on your iPhone so it can also collect health data from your Apple Watch. Your Apple Watch will then be automatically linked to Apple Health once you’ve paired it with your iPhone during the Apple Watch set up process.

No, only one Vitality member on each plan, aged 18 or over, can have an active Apple Watch benefit at any point in time. If you have a joint VitalityHealth or VitalityLife plan, only one Apple Watch is available. For all adult members of a joint plan to be eligible for Apple Watch, each member must also hold separate, sole eligible plans. 

You must buy your Apple Watch under your own Vitality membership number within Member Zone. You cannot gift it to someone else on your Vitality account and it can’t be transferred to anyone else on your Vitality account at any time. 

If you have already bought an Apple Watch through Vitality and the loan is paid off early, you’ll still need to wait until the last payment date of the original payment schedule until you are eligible again.

You can use Apple Watch to track your steps and heart rate. Take a look at our ‘Track steps with Apple Watch’ guide and ‘Track heart rate workouts with Apple Watch’ guide to find out how to sync your workout data with the Vitality Member app to earn Vitality activity points.

You can see how many activity points you’ve earned on your Vitality points statement on the Vitality Member app. Once you’re eligible to start earning Vitality contributions towards your variable Direct Debit, you'll also be able to track your activity points on the sidebar on the Apple Watch page.

You can view your tracked activity within the Apple Health app.

Simply open the Apple Health app and tap ‘Health Data’ then ‘Activity’ to set up and view information that the Apple Health app tracks – it will automatically count your steps, walking, and running distances.

No, if you own another Apple Watch you can connect it to Vitality and use that to earn activity points instead. However you’ll only be able to earn Vitality contributions towards your monthly Direct Debit on an Apple Watch purchased through the Vitality Member Zone.

To earn Vitality activity points, you need to use the Apple Health app on your iPhone.

It can take step data from your iPhone (if you're using an iPhone 6s or later) or steps and heart rate workouts from your Apple Watch.

The Vitality Member app, as well as giving you easy access to your Vitality points statement, Vitality Age and Active Rewards if your plan is eligible, is also able to take some data from Apple Health and use that to award Vitality activity points for your workouts.

Apple Health is the app on your iPhone that aggregates data from various health sources, such as a fitness tracker, exercise logger or food diary app. It aggregates steps data taken from your iPhone (if you are using the iPhone 6s or later) and steps plus heart rate workouts from Apple Watch – providing you’ve linked your Apple Watch to your iPhone.

The Vitality Member app takes your step and heart rate workout data from Apple Health and uses that data to reward Vitality activity points. If you’re tracking multiple activities a day (i.e. both steps and heart rate workouts), the Vitality Member app will only reward activity points for the ONE daily activity with the highest points earned. Opening and refreshing your Vitality Member app is the only way to send Apple Health data to Vitality to sync your activity.

Please note: for heart rate workouts to count towards Vitality activity points, you need to have exercised for at least 30 minutes and your average heart rate must be 60% of your heart rate maximum (HR Max) or higher for the entire workout. Your HR Max is the greatest number of times your heart should beat in one minute during maximum physical exertion. We use the most common estimate of HR Max, which is 220 minus your age.

For more information on heart rate workouts and HR Max calculations, check out our Guide to track steps and workouts on Apple Watch.

We recommend that you sync your Apple Health data daily so we have your latest activity points.

If your plan is eligible for regular Active Rewards, you need to consistently earn 12 activity points each week for them to be available.

To be able to get a weekly handcrafted drink from Caffè Nero, you need to have synced your Apple Health data by the end of Sunday to be rewarded with your handcrafted drink for the following week. If you hadn’t synced in time to qualify, you’ll be able to redeem your handcrafted drink the week after.

To be able to get a monthly ODEON or Vue cinema ticket, you need to earn 48 activity points a month. Once you generate your cinema code, you’ll have until the end of the following month to use it.

Apple Health sends us the average heart rate and the time spent working out over the whole exercise session, including the extra time spent exercising at a lower heart rate.

Your workout must be at least 30 minutes and your average heart rate must be 60% of your HR Max or higher for that entire workout before you can start earning Vitality points.

• Exercising at 60% of your age-related maximum heart rate for 30 consecutive minutes - 5 Vitality points
• Exercising at 60% of your age-related maximum heart rate for 60 consecutive minutes – 8 Vitality points
• Exercising at 70% of your age-related maximum heart rate for 30 consecutive minutes – 8 Vitality points

For example, if you’re 40 years old, your average heart rate would need to be 108 beats per minute to earn Vitality activity points for a workout: Heart Rate Maximum (HR Max) would be 220 – 40 = 180 beats per minute (BPM) 60% of your HR Max would be 108 BPM.

The Apple Health app will take data from both your iPhone and Apple Watch. If you track your steps whilst carrying your iPhone and wearing your Apple Watch at the same time, whichever source takes priority in the Apple Health app will count towards your daily step total.

Sometimes you might find that the number of steps recorded on your Apple Watch is different to the number of steps recorded on your phone. This can be because Apple Watch is more accurate or because the Apple Health app syncs with your iPhone more regularly.

To check your Apple Watch device is prioritised:

1. Open the Apple Heath app
2. Tap 'Steps'
3. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click 'Data Sources & Access'
4. Under 'Data Sources', ensure Apple Watch is at the top of the list
5. To move it to the top, simply tap ‘Edit’, then hold and drag to the top and then tap ‘Done'.

If you’re tracking multiple activities a day (i.e. both steps and heart rate workouts), the Vitality Member app will only reward activity points for the ONE daily activity with the highest points earned.

If you leave the Workout app running after you finish your workout, your average heart rate might drop below the threshold for us to be able to award you Vitality activity points.

Your HR Max is the greatest number of times your heart should beat in one minute during maximum physical exertion. We use the most common estimate of HR Max, which is 220 minus your age.

You can view your average heart rate within the Apple Watch Activity app.

Simply open ‘Activity’, tap ‘Workouts’, select a workout and view your average heart rate.

No, the Vitality Member app will only take automatically collected data recorded by an Apple device – such as an iPhone 6s or Apple Watch – or another eligible device or app. It will not take data recorded from ineligible devices or apps e.g. Strava or Nike – even if you’ve linked them to Apple Health.

Current eligible devices or apps include: Apple Health, Garmin, Polar, Fitbit, and Withings.

We’ll reward Vitality activity points based on your daily steps total within the Apple Health app. Your daily steps total is calculated as follows:

1. When only one device is actively recording step data, that device will contribute towards your daily step total
2. When two devices are actively recording step data, only your prioritised device will contribute towards your daily step total

For example, when your Apple Watch is the prioritised device, if you track 4,500 steps on your Apple Watch and 4,000 steps on your iPhone, then later on that day track 3,000 steps solely on your iPhone, we’ll reward Vitality activity points for 7,500 steps.

Your total steps for the day will be taken as a combination of steps from your prioritised device and any secondary devices.

To find out your individual device steps:

1. Open the Apple Heath app
2. Tap ‘Summary’
3. Click ‘Steps’
4. Scroll down to the bottom and click ‘Data Sources & Access’
5. Select the device you use as priority.

You don’t need an Apple ID when you buy an Apple Watch, however you will need an Apple ID to activate and use both your iPhone and Apple Watch.

If you think that your Apple Watch has been damaged in transit, for example the box is crushed or the screen is cracked, please contact us within 48 hours of delivery.

You can do this by sending us a secure message via ‘Contact us’ in the footer in Member Zone or by calling us on one of the following numbers:

• Personal Healthcare plans: 0345 602 3523
• Business Healthcare plans: 0345 602 3437
• Corporate Healthcare plans: 0345 279 8865
• Life Insurance plans: 0345 602 3523

Our lines are open between 8am - 7pm Mondays to Fridays, and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.

Please note that you will need to pay for the return postage.

Damaged within 90 days of delivery:

Dead on Arrival:

If your Apple Watch is non-operational upon first use, you can contact the AppleCare team for a free diagnosis over the phone. If confirmed dead on arrival, Vitality can request a return of the unit. Your AppleCare Case ID must then be provided. Full credit will be given once the watch has been received.

Not dead on arrival: 

If the issue appears after the first use, the Apple one year Warranty applies. You can contact the AppleCare team for a free diagnosis over the phone. A physical inspection may be required by an approved Apple service provider – just so you know, fees may apply. If the examination reveals that it is a manufacturer defect, the unit will be repaired or exchanged for free with AppleCare.

Apple also offer a 90-day Complimentary Support on their new devices. 
You can visit Apple support at support.apple.com

Damaged between 90 days to one year from activation:

If your Apple Watch is damaged between 90 days to one year from activation, the Apple one year warranty may apply. You can contact the AppleCare team for a phone diagnosis or visit an approved Apple service provider where a physical inspection may be required – just so you know fees may apply.  

If the inspection reveals that it is a manufacturer defect, the unit will be repaired or exchanged for free with AppleCare. 

If the issue is revealed as non-manufacturer related defect, a quote for repair costs will be provided to you.

Damaged more than one year from unit activation: 

If your Apple Watch is damaged more than one year from activation, the device will not be covered by AppleCare and must be inspected by an official Apple service provider – just so you know fees may apply. 
If the inspection reveals that there is a manufacturer/software defect which is covered under the Consumer Law Claim, the unit will be repaired or exchanged for free by the approved Apple service provider who will then seek reimbursement from Apple. 

If the issue is revealed to be non-manufacturer related or not covered under the Consumer Law Claim, a quote for the repair cost, including parts, will be provided to you.

AppleCare+ for Apple Watch is an insurance product that provides up to two years of telephone technical support and hardware coverage, including up to two incidents of accidental damage, each subject to a £49 excess fee. In addition, you get 24/7 priority access to Apple experts by chat or phone.

Vitality don’t include AppleCare+, but you can buy it directly from Apple.

You’ll be able to track the amount we will contribute to your payment on the Member Zone, or by using the Vitality Member app.

As monthly payments for Apple Watch with Vitality are dependent on how many Vitality activity points you earn each month, you will start with a “payment holiday” from the date you purchased your Apple Watch until the end of one full calendar month.

In the second calendar month, you’ll start earning Vitality activity points towards your first payment.

Your first Direct Debit payment will then be taken at the end of the third calendar month.

Here’s an illustrative example:

• 15th April – order your Apple Watch
• Rest of April plus May – payment holiday
• June – first month earning Vitality activity points
• 1st August – first Direct Debit payment

Yes, you can pay your loan amount with etika early. However, that will mean your Direct Debit is cancelled and you won't be eligible for any more Vitality contributions. You also won’t be able to buy a further Apple Watch through Vitality until the last planned payment date for the original Apple Watch has passed. You can view your account balance and payments to date by visiting the etika website.

If you cancel your plan or leave your company scheme, your credit loan agreement for your Apple Watch will continue with etika Finance UK Ltd.

As you won’t be earning Vitality activity points, your monthly Direct Debit payments will switch to the maximum amount per month for the remaining period of your credit loan agreement.

Yes, please read our Apple Watch terms and conditions before you order an Apple Watch in Member Zone.

Follow the Apple Watch troubleshooting guide to resolve any difficulties.

Check to see if the Apple Health app is now included on the ‘Data Sources & Access’ page and remove it if it is, detailed in step 4 of the Apple Watch troubleshooting user guide.

Yes. Your new phone may download your current apps and passwords and show you’re linked to the Vitality Member app, but it won’t update your steps information. You need to delete the Vitality Member app, then download again from the App Store or Google Play and connect Apple Health or Google Fit to Vitality.

If you have an iPhone, follow these steps to connect Apple Health to the Vitality Member app.

If you have an Android phone, follow these steps to connect Google Fit to the Vitality Member app.