Earn money while you walk: the best apps to get paid to walk

Walking is one of the simplest ways to stay healthy, and now, thanks to a range of apps, you can actually get paid to walk.

Whether walking the dog, taking the kids to school, or just getting in your daily steps, these apps can help you earn a little extra cash or rewards.

Earn money while you walk

Here’s a round-up of the best apps that pay you to walk.

Sweatcoin

To start using Sweatcoin, you need to sign up with your email address and phone number. The app claims not to sell your data, which is reassuring if you’re concerned about privacy.

Tracking your activity: Sweatcoin tracks your steps both indoors and outdoors using your phone’s built-in pedometer.

If you have an Apple Watch (Series 2 or newer), you can use that for tracking, but if not, you’ll need to keep your phone on you to log your steps.

Rewards: for every 1,000 steps you take, you earn 0.95 sweatcoins. However, if you’re using the free version of the app, there’s a limit, and you can only track up to 10,000 steps a day.

If you’re a serious stepper, the premium version offers unlimited tracking, allowing you to earn more sweatcoins.

You can redeem your sweatcoins for rewards, although the selection is limited and changes frequently.

Examples of rewards include discounts on brands like Garmin, Adidas, Grüum, Green Chef, and Loveholidays.

Accuracy: the app verifies only about 65% of your steps, so some steps will not be counted. You can see this more if your phone is in battery saver mode, as it might miss even more steps.

Earning more Sweatcoins: beyond just walking, you can boost your sweatcoin earnings through daily rewards, participating in challenges, taking up offers, and inviting friends to join the app.

How Sweatcoin makes money: Sweatcoin generates revenue through partnerships with brands and some limited advertising, which helps fund the rewards you can claim with your sweatcoins.

Download Sweatcoin: Android | iPhone (requires iOS 13.4 or later)

Win Walk

To get started with Win Walk, you’ll need to sign up using your email and allow location tracking.

The app currently works only in European countries and claims that it doesn’t share your data with third parties.

Tracking your activity: Win Walk tracks your steps indoors and outdoors using your phone’s built-in step sensor. To improve accuracy and save battery life, you can sync the app with Google Fit.

Rewards: for every 100 steps you take, you earn 1 coin. The app limits you to 10,000 steps daily, meaning you can earn a maximum of 100 coins daily.

To redeem a £10 gift card, you’ll need 21,000 coins. If you walk 5,000 steps each day, it will take nearly 14 months to earn £10; walking 10,000 steps daily would cut this down to about 7 months.

Win Walk allows you to redeem gift cards from popular brands like Amazon, Costa, Just Eat, Primark, H&M, and others.

Earning more coins: you can boost your coin earnings by watching additional ads and playing games within the app. These activities can help you reach your goals faster.

How Win Walk makes money: the app generates revenue primarily through in-app advertisements, which helps to fund the gift card rewards you can earn.

Get Win Walk: Android only

Vitality

The Vitality app is exclusively available to those with a Vitality health or life insurance policy.

If you’re not a policyholder, you won’t be able to access the app or its benefits.

Tracking your activity: the app links with a compatible activity tracking device and tracks various activities, including walking, running, cycling, swimming, participating in Parkruns, and workouts at partner gyms.

This makes it easy for anyone who enjoy different types of physical activity.

Rewards: Vitality awards points based on your daily activities. You can earn up to 8 Vitality active points per day, with a weekly cap of 40 points.

For example, 7,000 steps will earn you 3 points, 10,000 steps will get you 5 points, and 12,500 steps or more will give you the maximum 8 points.

The points you earn can be redeemed for rewards. If you earn 12 points in a week, you can enjoy a free drink from Caffé Nero.

Accumulate 48 points in a month, and you’ll receive a free cinema ticket, valid at Vue or Odeon.

No additional ways to earn points: Unlike some other apps, the only way to earn points with Vitality is through logging your physical activities.

There are no extra points for watching ads or completing offers—your points are entirely based on your healthy habits.

Get Vitality: Android | iPhone

Charity Miles

To use Charity Miles, you’ll need to sign up with your email and allow location tracking. The app assures users that their data is not shared with third parties.

Tracking your activity: Charity Miles tracks activities like walking, running (both indoor and outdoor), and outdoor cycling.

Unlike some other apps, you need to start tracking each workout session manually. For those who already use Strava, the app can be linked for easier tracking.

Rewards: instead of earning points for yourself, Charity Miles allows you to earn money for the charity of your choice based on the miles you move.

The exact amount earned per mile varies, depending on the total miles accrued by all participants for that charity.

The app supports over 40 charities, including well-known organisations like Save The Children, Stand Up To Cancer, and the World Wildlife Fund.

You can choose a charity when you start using the app and change it whenever you like, allowing you to support different causes over time.

How Charity Miles makes money: the app is funded through sponsorships, and it also includes in-app advertising. These funds are used to support the donations made to the various charities.

No additional ways to earn points: the only way to earn money for your chosen charity is by logging your physical activities.

There are no extra rewards for watching ads or completing other tasks, making it a straightforward way to support good causes through exercise.

Get the Charity Miles app: Android | iPhone

Biscuit – earn rewards for walking and looking after your dog

To start using the Biscuit app, you’ll need to sign up with your email and provide some basic information about your dog, such as its breed and age.

This helps the app offer personalised recommendations tailored to your dog’s specific needs.

Tracking your dog’s activity: Biscuit helps you log your dog’s walks and other active play sessions.

To track an activity, you’ll need to manually start the session within the app and ensure GPS access is enabled. This ensures accurate tracking of your dog’s movements.

Rewards: as you track your dog’s activities, you’ll earn points, known as “biscuits.” For every one-hour walk, you’ll earn 25 biscuits.

If you prefer shorter walks, you can split the time across multiple sessions. Additionally, if you reach a weekly goal of three one-hour walks, you’ll earn an extra 50 biscuits as a reward.

The biscuits you collect can be redeemed for a variety of rewards. You can exchange them for gift vouchers from popular brands like Asda and Amazon, or for pet care products.

For example, 10 biscuits might get you discount codes, while 650 biscuits could earn you a £10 Caffè Nero voucher. To access gift vouchers, you’ll need to provide your dog’s microchip details.

Additional ways to earn biscuits: Beyond just walking, you can earn “Wellbeing badges” by taking care of your dog’s health, such as applying flea treatments.

These badges also reward you with additional biscuits, helping you earn rewards faster while ensuring your dog stays healthy.

Get the Biscuit app: Android | iPhone

Are these apps worth your time?

If you’re already someone who enjoys walking or staying active, these apps can be a great way to earn a little something extra for what you’re doing anyway.

They can also be an excellent motivator to help you stay on track with your fitness goals or be more eco-conscious by walking instead of driving.

However, if your main goal is to earn rewards quickly, you might find the pace a bit slow.

While the perks are a nice bonus, they can take time to accumulate, so it’s best to view them as an added benefit to improving your health rather than the main attraction.