Every Smart Ring That’s FSA And HSA Eligible

Have you been eyeing a smart ring but aren’t quite comfortable pulling the trigger on a $300-plus device to track your health and fitness? Getting into the wearables market can be a somewhat expensive endeavor, but there’s a trick out there that many people are not taking advantage of that can significantly reduce the cost of a smart ring. It involves using a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) to at least reduce your out-of-pocket cost for your smart ring.

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In case you haven’t run into HSAs or FSAs yet, both act as specialized accounts that you can put money into to use for future medical expenditures. Think of it as a savings account for your healthcare. While they serve similar purposes, there are a few key differences that make an HSA a slightly more attractive option, such as unused funds carrying over from year to year. However, unlike an HSA, you can use an FSA for expenses beyond your current balance as long as you are on track to contribute that much money within the same calendar year.

If you already have an HSA or FSA, then it’s just a matter of shopping through the eligible rings laid out below. One thing to note: Some rings can be purchased outright with a spending account debit card via their official website or Amazon, and others require reimbursement after your purchase. If you don’t yet have an HSA or FSA, check with your employer to see if you are eligible so you can snag one of these smart rings without dipping into your actual savings.

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Though it may not have the name power of Samsung, the Oura Ring 4 stood up well against the Samsung Galaxy Ring in our comparison, making it a worthy competitor in a relatively small market of wearables. From tracking your steps and activity goals to monitoring the quality of your sleep and providing a Readiness score for the day ahead, an Oura smart ring puts your health and wellness near the tip of your finger.

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The Oura Ring can track an individual’s body temperature and heart rate at an accuracy of 92% and 99%, respectively. Of course, it does so at a price, as the Oura Ring 4 starts at $349, but the website is clear on its HSA and FSA eligibility. According to Oura, the ring, charger, and membership, which allows for personal health insights and a readout of daily to monthly trends, are all eligible for HSA and FSA spending.

Though the ring and your first year of membership can be purchased directly using an HSA or FSA card via the online store, ongoing memberships require a request for reimbursement, which you can submit directly to the spending account provider. It’s also worth noting that partial HSA or FSA payments may be available based on the issuer’s terms of service. There is also no requirement to purchase the newest model if the still-available Gen3 (which starts at $249) fits your needs.

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In our review of Samsung’s Galaxy Ring, we found that the wearable had two main cons: it requires the use of Samsung’s ecosystem to access all its features and is expensive. There’s not much that can be done about the first pitfall. However, being HSA and FSA-eligible can help mitigate the $399 price tag. Unlike the Oura Ring, though, the only way to utilize HSA or FSA funds is through reimbursement. Currently, Samsung does not accept spending account cards at the time of purchase. Per Samsung, shoppers will need to save their receipts and submit a claim with their provider.

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The thin, lightweight design and long battery life make it ideal for active users, particularly those interested in knowing how their biometrics fluctuate throughout the day. Like the Oura Ring’s Readiness score, the Galaxy Ring provides the wearer with an Energy Score that lets them know just how active they should be throughout the day. This reading is available without a subscription or membership, meaning that even though the Galaxy Ring is $50 more expensive up front, it’s the more long-term cost-efficient option compared to Oura.

Another benefit Samsung has over the Oura Ring is trade-ins. During the purchase process, buyers can opt to trade in functional smart watches or rings across Apple, Garmin, Oura, Amazfit, Ultrahuman, Evie Ring, and RingConn ecosystems to reduce the overall cost.

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A provider of at-home health and wellness trackers, Ultrahuman offers everything from ovulation tracking to real-time glucose monitoring. With such a focus on health, it’s not too surprising that its Ring AIR would be included in HSA and FSA eligibility. Priced competitively with the Oura Ring, the Ring AIR offers similar features, like a Sleep Score that gauges the quality of your sleep with deeper metrics regarding sleep stages. It is a lighter-weight option than the Oura, though only slightly heavier than the Galaxy Ring, and there is no required subscription to use its services.

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Like the Galaxy Ring, that just leaves the cost of the wearable, which eligible spending accounts can cover. Ultrahuman has a simplified purchase process where shoppers can use their HSA or FSA card during the checkout process via WithFlex.com rather than worry about purchasing now and receiving reimbursement later. You can even cut down the final price tag by trading in a different smart ring, such as the Ultrahuman R1, Oura Gen3, or Oura Gen2.

The Ultrahuman Ring AIR is available in five different styles, including Bionic Gold, Aster Black, and Raw Titanium, making it easier to match the wearer’s style. For an even more personalized touch, the ring can be engraved for $39, which is built into the final price and can be covered by HSA and FSA funds.

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The latest version of the Circular Ring, the Slim, shares many of the same features as previously mentioned smart rings, just at the lowest price tag so far. Available for $294, the Slim doesn’t require a monthly subscription to take advantage of its health and fitness monitoring. Daily heart rate tracking, temperature monitoring, sleep tracking, and blood oxygenation are common features of modern smart rings; Circular just does it all at a smaller size and with haptic feedback. The optional vibration, which can be removed for a $60 savings, makes features like a built-in alarm clock and timer possible.

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Though the Circular Ring Slim is our lowest-scored smart ring on this list, it is slightly more convenient than the better-received Galaxy Ring in that it’s eligible for HSA and FSA card use through Flex. There is one extra step with the Circular Ring, as a telehealth consult to determine eligibility is needed before the sale will go through. Once approved, the transaction will be processed as normal using the provided HSA or FSA debit card. If you don’t have a spending account card, you can purchase the ring with your funds and submit the itemized receipt for reimbursement afterward.

Despite being the cheapest smart ring on this list at $199.99, the Amazfit Helio offers many of the same base functions as its more expensive counterparts. When synced with the free Zepp App, the Helio Ring delivers easy-to-read metrics to help users plan their activity and rest for the day ahead. The ring has its own version of Oura’s Readiness score and Galaxy Ring’s Energy Score, which reads vitals after a good night’s rest. No subscription is necessary to receive updated vitals or monitor current stress levels.

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Taking advantage of HSA and FSA funding eligibility is made convenient with Truemed. This allows for the use of spending account debit cards rather than waiting for reimbursement of funds. The Helio Ring is just one of Amazfit’s products available for HSA or FSA use. More than half a dozen Amazfit smartwatches can also be purchased using an eligible spending account debit card. The Amazfit ecosystem works together to help develop the healthiest approach to balancing periods of activity and rest.

Marketed specifically to women, the Evie Ring is the only smart ring on this list catering to a singular gender. Though it performs some of the same features as other smart rings, such as monitoring sleep quality, activity tracking, and basic health metrics, Evie also focuses on menstrual health. The unique ring provides metrics pertaining to monthly cycles and ovulation, with predictions and symptom tracking available in the free Evie Ring App. The app even allows users to log their mood and symptoms during their cycle for a complete overview of the monthly process. Evie’s biggest issue is that it’s only compatible with Apple devices.

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The Evie Ring is set up for purchase with an HSA or FSA debit card using Sika Health, an external provider of health-related payment methods. If an appropriate debit card isn’t available, Evie recommends seeking reimbursement using the provided itemized receipt. The Evie Ring is one of the cheaper options on this list, available for $269 with free shipping available. That lower cost does come with at least one hiccup: its battery life falls a little below Oura and Galaxy rings with a charge that lasts just over four days.

While you can fairly easily use your HSA or FSA to help purchase one of the above smart rings, there are limitations as to what else you can buy with these accounts. For example, according to the HSA Store, a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) is “required to show that the device will be used to treat a legitimate medical condition such as obesity.” Fitness trackers like Fitbit have been deemed by the IRS “medically necessary under special circumstances” and are otherwise used to promote “general health.”

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There are still other fitness and health-related items that can be purchased using funds from your HSA or FSA. Caring Mill by Aura sells a Full Body Analysis Scale — which displays BMI, bone mass, metabolic rate, body water, and body fat — that is eligible for HSA funding. Much like with the Galaxy Ring, some purchases require you to buy the item outright and then seek reimbursement afterward.