Going out for a walk is almost always preferable to sitting at home and staring at the TV. You get some fresh air and take in the sights while your cardiovascular system is getting a little workout. But did you know that nowadays, taking a walk can be profitable? That’s right — believe it or not, there are now apps that pay you to walk!
Ever since I discovered these awesome apps, I am more motivated than ever to go out for a daily walk around the block. The amounts of cash you can earn are not mind-blowing, of course, so do not expect to quit your day job. Still, you basically get free money and enjoy all the benefits a walk can provide you with.
Sounds like a sweet deal, right? What I did not know was that there are actually quite a lot of such apps on the market. I started researching the topic, and I was surprised at the number and variety! In this article, I will present you with my top 12 picks for apps that pay you to walk.
1. SweatCoin
SweatCoin is an app that pays you cryptocurrency rewards for walking. It is available for iOS and Android, and the basic version is free. For every 1,000 outdoor steps that you take, you will receive 0.95 SweatCoins.
The app uses GPS to track your movement, so you will not be able to make money by walking around at home or using a treadmill. Also, an algorithm makes sure you are not in a car while moving.
You can use your SweatCoins to purchase gift cards. However, rewards are limited and change on a daily basis. My advice is to keep your SweatCoins until you see a reward that you really want to get. Also, keep in mind that the free version of the app comes with a daily step limit.
The app claims that you can convert 20,000 SweatCoins into $1,000 in PayPal Cash. Unfortunately, the process will likely take around a year and a half to complete. Additionally, this option can be used only once per account.
2. LifeCoin
LifeCoin is an almost identical copy of SweatCoin, apart from the vastly different look. It works through GPS, so the only way to make progress is to walk outside. You collect LifeCoins, which you can then use to purchase gift cards or even physical products from the app itself. Make sure to check often, though, as offers are limited and change all the time.
The app also has a good referral program where you can invite a friend and have bonus LifeCoins added to your total. One of the more unique aspects of LifeCoin is the fact that there are two versions — a free one and a paid one.
The free version lets you earn no more than 5 LifeCoins per day. The paid version will cost you $4.33 a month, but you will be able to earn 10 LifeCoins per day.
By getting the paid version of LifeCoin, you will also become an Azumio Premium user. As a result, you will get full access to all other cool apps that the development studio has. Overall, LifeCoin is one of the better apps that pay you to walk, mostly because of its nice rewards.
3. Charity Miles
Charity Miles is technically not one of the apps that pay you to walk, but it will donate to certain charities of your choosing. I just had to include it here because it is a pretty awesome idea. You can choose among over 40 world-class charities that deal with animals, health, the environment, children, veterans, and more.
The cool thing about the Charity Miles app is that it counts both indoor and outdoor activities. For example, if you often exercise on a treadmill, you will be able to make money for the charity of your choice while doing so. The overall concept is pretty simple — the more miles you do, the bigger the donation will be.
One drawback I must point out is the fact that the app must be open in order to track your activity. Any other steps and walks will not be counted towards your total. Make sure you keep that in mind when using Charity Miles. This app is really great if you want to do some good for the world simply by walking around.
4. Achievement
Achievement allows you to earn money for doing all kinds of activities — walking, swimming, exercising, riding a bike, etc. It connects to over 30 other popular fitness apps and tracks your progress in real-time, so you can just set it up and leave it alone. Every 10,000 points you score can be redeemed for $10. However, there are daily limits on how many points you can earn.
Activities can earn you up to 80 points per day, and you can get an additional 6 points for keeping score of your weight, caloric intake, sleep length, and other statistics. At that rate, it might take you months to reach 10,000 points — however, it really does not require you to do anything else besides simply following your routine.
In addition to redeeming your points for cash, Achievement also allows you to donate to certain charities.
There are also other ways to earn points, like answering surveys. Just make sure you cash out as soon as possible — your points will expire in a year if you do not redeem them.
5. Carrot
Carrot is one of the most popular apps on my list. The original app was suspended in 2019, but now there is a new version available, under new ownership. In its current state, the app will give you one Reward Point for every step you take! You can use those points for in-app purchases or in one of the Carrot-registered businesses for offers and discounts.
The app will scan your daily activity and give you a personalized daily goal that you have to meet. With Carrot, every piece of data is stored on your phone — no need to use FitBits or any other wearables. However, you can still sync the app to any fitness tech you have, as long as it is compatible with Google Fit.
With Carrot, you will also get Reward Points for visiting the aforementioned Carrot-registered businesses. The app will alert you if a store nearby has a special offer you could take advantage of. Overall, the system and rewards that Carrot offers are pretty cool, so I highly recommend giving this app a try.
6. Lympo
Lympo is an app that motivates you to develop healthy habits — and pays you for it! You have a selection of challenges that you can complete daily in order to get LYM tokens. For example, one day, you might have to do an afternoon walk, and another — a morning jog. Once you have some LYM tokens, you can redeem them to get various in-app rewards.
Lympo syncs with most health apps in order to make tracking even easier. The app’s interface is simple and intuitive, and also presents a variety of data regarding the challenges you complete. Lympo is available on iOS and Android and is one of the best apps that pay you to walk.
7. Walgreens Balance Rewards
If you happen to be a frequent Walgreens shopper, you are probably aware of their Balance Rewards program. But did you know that you can score more points for it by walking and engaging in fitness activities?
There is a Walgreens app you can download for your iOS or Android device that rewards you with 20 BR points for each mile you have walked! However, there is a monthly cap of 1,000 points for each account.
The app tracks your steps either via your phone’s motion sensor or by syncing with a fitness wearable like FitBit. Aside from walking, you can also score points by measuring your weight, blood pressure, and even sleep. The app itself has a great design and lets you see your progress, as well as the number of steps you have taken, among other statistics.
Every 1,000 BR points equal a $1 discount from your Walgreens purchase. I know it is not much, but the BR points tend to pile up rather quickly, so you can definitely save a few bucks from your everyday shopping. If you are already a customer of Walgreens, you have absolutely no excuse for not using this app!
8. StepBet
StepBet is unlike the other apps on my list. It allows you to place a bet on yourself to reach your daily step goals — and you will be wagering real money! As you can expect, there is a certain amount of risk involved here, but fear of losing money can be quite an effective motivation for some.
The whole concept is really interesting and fun, so let’s take a closer look at how StepBet works.
The app will set your goals based on your previous activity. A game period usually lasts 6 weeks, during which you have to meet your goals on regular days and the so-called Power Days. In order to win, you have to meet your goals for 4 regular days and 2 PowerDays each week. If you fail to reach your goals for any week after the initial one, you lose the game, along with your wager.
As you can see, StepBet is a really unique thing and is among the more interesting apps that pay you to walk. If you meet all your goals and win, you split the pot with the rest of the winners. You will end up with quite a few more bucks than your original wager, and you can use them for whatever you want!
9. PK Rewards
This iOS app lets you collect virtual coins through basically every physical activity that can be tracked via your phone. What is different about PK Rewards is that the more effort you put into whatever exercise you are doing, the more coins you will receive.
Essentially, this app is a great fit for people who like rigorous and intensive workouts and exercises. You can use the coins you earn to either buy in-app rewards or to help some of the supported charities.
Always remember to start the app before you begin walking or exercising! Each session will have its own “Effort Score,” based on which you will get a certain amount of coins. There is no limit to how many coins you can earn daily — however, you can only spend so many of them on rewards in a single day. You can upgrade your account to increase the number of coins you can use to buy stuff.
You can sync PK Rewards with a variety of fitness and health apps and import your data directly from there. Wearables like FitBit are also compatible and will guarantee that the app correctly measures your effort. To make a long story short, PK Rewards is a great app, and I highly recommend you give it a try.
10. FitPotato
FitPotato is a fun app that works similarly to StepBet. It allows you to bet real money and then win a portion of a larger prize pool — if you complete the challenges in store for you, of course. You can reach the goals by walking, running, or even walking your dog! FitPotato needs to be synced with a step-tracking app like Google Fit or Apple Health in order to accurately measure your steps.
Here is how FitPotato works — there is a weekly cash pool of around $1,000, and you need to wager $5 for a chance to win some of it. After that, you will have to complete three sessions of around 6,000 steps each in one week.
If you manage to do that, you win and get your wager plus a share of the cash pool. FitPotato has the potential to earn you a bit more cash than other apps that pay you to walk.
11. Higi
Higi is not one of the typical apps that pay you to walk. What it does is sync with a variety of other apps and devices and turns all your workout efforts into points that you can use for various rewards. There are weekly and monthly challenges available, and you earn a certain amount of points per mile.
You can also earn additional points by checking into Higi stations, which are available at various pharmacies.
With Higi points, you can get discounts for different health and fitness products. You can also use them as a way to enter the prize draw that occurs at the end of each challenge. Higi has a cool referral system that rewards you with additional points for inviting your friends to the app.
You can link pretty much every fitness and health tracking app you can think of to Higi. However, do not think that you can cheat and use several apps at once to boost your performance! Higi will only take into account the app you use most often. Overall, Higi is a great way to win some cool rewards and get exclusive discounts.
12. Runtopia
Last on our list of apps that pay you to walk, we have an app that aims to improve your health while offering some great rewards. Runtopia allows you to set goals for walking, cycling, and running, and also has a host of great warm-up routines to get you going.
It is a free app, but there is a Premium version that has more features available. However, for the purpose of making money while walking, the free version is just enough.
As you complete the tasks the app has set for you, you will receive Sports Coins. You can then spend those coins on in-app purchases, products, and gift cards. The best aspect of Runtopia is the fact that you can convert your Sports Coins to actual PayPal cash! Just make sure you cash out before March 1st, as any Sports Coins you have will automatically expire then.
The Bottom Line: Apps That Pay You to Walk Are Quite Useful!
Well, that was my list of the best 12 apps that pay you to walk. I know that some of them do not actually offer you cash money, but the benefits you can get are pretty awesome. Discounts, gift cards, and special deals are always good to have! After all, we all walk at least a bit every day — why not make those steps as profitable as possible?
If you are like me and you enjoy a daily walk, soon you will see the benefits of using the apps on my list. It is a great way to make money off of something you usually do every day while being beneficial to your overall physical and mental health. Of course, you will not get rich by using apps that pay you to walk, but who can say no to some extra cash these days?