# Whoop's $149 Meridian band blocks its own wireless charger

Source: https://idevice.com/whoop-meridian-band-blocks-its-own-wireless-charger
Published: 2026-08-27

> The Meridian makes a Whoop look like jewelry, and it costs $149 before the membership. The metal mesh stops the on-wrist charger from working, so the tracker has to come off.

Whoop put the Meridian on sale on August 27, a $149 titanium mesh band in four finishes, with a tapered shape and a magnetic clasp that borrow openly from the Milanese Loop. It is sold separately from the tracker, so a buyer still needs Whoop hardware and an active membership, and those start at $199 a year. The pitch, in [Whoop's own announcement of the band](https://mashable.com/tech/whoop-meridian-band-announcement-price), is the evenings and events where a fabric sports strap looks wrong.

The metal is also the problem. Digital Trends reported that Whoop's wireless charger cannot send power through the mesh, so the tracker has to come off the wrist to charge, and the higher membership tiers ship a power pack designed to make sure it never does. Google sells a complete [Fitbit Air](https://idevice.com/fitness-trackers/fitbit-air/roadmap), sensors included, for $99.99, which is [fifty dollars less than the strap](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wearables/whoops-149-jewelry-band-costs-more-than-googles-entire-fitbit-air/).

## Sources

- [Mashable](https://mashable.com/tech/whoop-meridian-band-announcement-price) (Mashable)
- [Digital Trends](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wearables/whoops-149-jewelry-band-costs-more-than-googles-entire-fitbit-air/) (Digital Trends)