Usually I write about budgeting tips that require a lot of mental investment, and while they’re worthwhile in their own way and will help you in the long term, we shouldn’t forget about the little things that can ease our financial burdens just by going about our daily lives.
Things like apps that pay you to walk, for example.
Why would one consider doing that, I hear you ask? Well, it’s a low-effort way to get your phone pedometer to give something back other than helping you stay in shape – something even more tangible.
While you won’t end up with a massive amount of money, you will end up with a nice little surprise every now and then when you complete certain milestones.
The only problem you might have with the apps is if you don’t want to fill your Android and IOS device with too much random software.
And that’s fine, but you’re here to learn how to make money through exercise.
And it’s not just the money and the benefits that you earn from using one (or more) of these apps, there’s the added benefit of potentially having to spend less on gas now that you can walk to work if it’s not too far away.
Or, it could simply be a way to keep you on your feet and help you reduce your stress and tension after a full day of hard work.
Top 13 Apps That Pay You To Walk
1. LifeCoin
Starting off with this little app, LifeCoin works by allowing you to earn up to $5 or so a day based on the number of steps that you take.
And, if you pay their subscription fee of around $4 a month, you can earn as much as $10 worth of LifeCoin per day, which is totally worth it if you can actually manage the steps.
Be aware though -, you don’t earn actual money, instead the app lets you redeem your LifeCoins for various different products that change on a daily basis.
They’re usually limited in stock too, so make sure to check often and redeem quickly if there’s something extra special that catches your eye that would cost a fair bit of real money to obtain otherwise.
The app also requires a bit of self-maintenance as you need to confirm your daily steps before the day rolls over otherwise they’re lost for the day.
2. SweatCoin
This app works in a similar way to LifeCoin, allowing you to earn 5 to 10 SweatCoins per day depending on if you’re using the paid model or the free one.
This equates to about a thousand steps per SweatCoin, so you need to be sure you can commit to that many before deciding to spring for the premium membership.
SweatCoins are a form of cryptocurrency that you can exchange for a decent cash payout. Well, I say decent, but anything is decent if it doesn’t cost you anything.
You can either get paid through a range of gift cards they have on offer or you can just turn the cryptocurrency into cash and have it transferred to your PayPal account so you can do whatever you like with the cash at a later date.
The exchange rate is about 20 SweatCoins per dollar so it’s a slow process, earning you about 50 cents a day.
This means you really have to sweat for that coin, especially because the app itself doesn’t count any of the steps you take indoors.
You’ve gotta get active and get some of those outdoor steps counted if you want to start earning money.
While 50 cents might not seem like much and you might need to do at least half a month’s walking to start earning free money once you’ve installed SweatCoin on your Iphone or Android device, it’s still free money – about $100-$150 of it when you take the premium membership away.
Not too bad considering it’s being accumulated passively. Plus, if you’re diligent you might reach a personal weight loss goal too.
One last note though, is that it can’t be connected to any form of fitbit or other fitness tracker, so you’re stuck working off your own phone’s GPS tracker for a bit instead.
3. Charity Miles
This one is different to the other apps that pay you to walk and is probably one of the best apps if you like being a good samaritan.
You see, instead of earning the money for yourself while walking, you’re gathering the extra money for charity by trying to stay in shape through physical activity.
There’s a variety of charities to choose from so you can donate to a cause you feel is worthy.
Each workout you perform will be logged on the app and contribute toward earning funds for a charity.
The app has to be on and running in the main window if you want it to track your workouts, but it will let you count your indoor steps as well as your outdoor ones.
This means that treadmills and exercise bikes count as well as walking and biking, so if you’re feeling generous, get your smartphone out, download the fitness app from Google Play or the App Store and start earning some extra cash for a worthy cause.
4. MapMyFitness
If, however, you’re more in it for personal reasons (nobody is judging, especially not me) and you’re the kind of person who’s more motivated by being challenged or by accomplishing certain achievements, then MapMyFitness might be one of the best apps for you.
Unlike some of the other apps on this list, you won’t earn money walking around, but rather you’ll be trying to accomplish achievements that MapMyFitness sets out in the form of challenges.
Completing these challenges could potentially earn you prizes in the form of workout apparel, for example.
While not the most ideal app if you’re looking for a small and satisfying cash injection to help out with personal finances every now and then, it’s a rather potent way to keep one oriented toward a healthier lifestyle, with a variety of challenges to mix your daily routine up.
It certainly keeps you on your toes!
The app also integrates rather well with a fitbit or similar fitness tracker, allowing you to track your progress more easily than having to pull your smartphone out every now and again to see how far you’ve gone.
5. Runtopia
Runtopia is similar to MapMyFitness in that it sets challenges for you to overcome, but it also has the potential of earning you cash payouts via PayPal on top of the products you can obtain from their store.
They too use a form of cryptocurrency of their own called Sports Coins, which can get you said products or coupons at local stores.
There is a catch though, and it’s that all of your accumulated coins get reset annually on the first of March, preventing any sort of hoarding.
Frankly this sucks for the user if they are close to an item they want and they’re unable to get it due to this rather specific time constraint.
As far as it’s availability goes, it functions similarly to how other apps do in the fact that it’s a free app with premium membership options that allow you to earn more currency, which pays off if you’re diligent and don’t quit after a month.
6. Walgreens Balance Rewards
If you often shop at your local Walgreens, you might want to consider looking into the Walgreens Balance Rewards options that they offer for customers who keep up with their fitness.
Essentially, the way you get started is by going to their main website and signing up for a Walgreens account, after which you download their app from Google Play or the App Store depending on your mobile device’s operating system and log in on there.
Once that’s done, you simply link the app to any of your existing fitness trackers and start walking. It runs in the background as you start earning discounts at Walgreens for future shopping trips.
The point exchange rate is 20 points for a mile and you can earn up to 1000 points per month.
While 50 miles might sound a lot, it’s a little less than 2 miles a day which is the recommended daily amount of walking anyway, meaning you can reach your goal rather easily just by staying active.
The number of miles needed is also easily reduced by tracking your weight, blood pressure, and similar aspects on the app as well.
As for the actual rewards – you need 1000 points to get a dollar discount, which means you can earn a dollar a month.
Sure it’s not enough to fix your personal finances right off the bat, but it’s a nice little bonus if you’re a loyal customer.
7. Stepbet
Now Stepbet is an odd one. It’s a fitness app where you set goals for yourself and then you bet money on yourself to see if you can fulfill your fitness goals or not.
While normally I’m not a big fan of gambling, and anyone who has a problem with it should absolutely stay away from this app and anything that might trigger said problem (and get some help in dealing with it before it potentially ruins your life), this app still might be worth looking into.
I know, I know, it sounds counter-intuitive, but more and more companies are preying on those who are financially vulnerable and I don’t want to be the cause of someone going bankrupt.
In any case, Stepbet is another one of those walking apps that pay you for walking, but only if you meet all of the required step goals that are assigned to you during a six week period, otherwise you’ll end up losing your money.
The goals are based on your current fitness level, so the app knows you’re not going to be swindling them out of money in the first place.
The minimum bet is usually $40, with the potential for more and the payouts tend to be quite decent depending on the amount invested, but please don’t get too ahead of yourself.
It’s still gambling and can still potentially end up losing you more money than it earns you.
That said, having some of your own money on the line may be just the right motivator for you to stick to your fitness goals and achieve your desired sculpted or well-defined physique, leaving you feeling satisfied both financially and personally at the end of it all.
8. Achievement
The Achievement app can be used as either a standalone or supplementary app to other fitness apps out there like Myfitnesspal, and Garmin.
The way it functions is explained in its name, with certain achievements set up for you to complete daily to help you earn Achievement points.
The app lets you earn up to 80 of these points a day and can be somewhat automated if you use it in conjunction with one of the fitness apps it’s compatible with.
That said, if you want to maximize these points, you’ll still need to log in and log various aspects of your diet and fitness routine, successes and hurdles, as well as other aspects related to your health.
In the end, you’ll be able to earn around 10 or so dollars every 4-5 months, which you can either pocket for yourself or, as with Charity Miles, donate to a charity if you’re feeling generous.
Much like Runtopia though, the points are reset at the end of each year, meaning you’ll be able to earn around $25 annually if you keep being diligent and maximize your points every day.
It sounds like a lot of effort for little payoff, but it’s not too difficult to manage it a few minutes a day. It’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it or not, but considering that it’s free so you’re not risking any of your own money, it’s a pretty fair amount.
Don’t expect to be earning anywhere near a wage’s worth out of stuff like this anyway. It’s more of a fun way to keep yourself busy during dull working periods and to help you stay in shape rather than a replacement for your existing job.
If nothing else, it’s a free Starbucks coffee every few months or so.
9. PK Rewards
If you’re not just looking for apps that pay you for walking around, but that also reward you for working out, then PK Rewards might be more up your alley.
At least this way, you get to keep your exercise routine varied and still end up earning a few rewards if you like the product brands that their app supports.
Most of the rewards are good quality too, ranging from sportswear brands like Nike to general purpose sponsors like Amazon.
The way the app works is that you activate the app on your smartphone or Apple Watch, queue the workout tracker by clicking the “Start earning” button and begin working out. It’s as simple as that.
The app tracks how intense your workout was and rewards points based on a self-determined workout score, earning you PK Coins (the name the app was formerly known by) that you can then use to redeem for those prizes I mentioned earlier.
It’s a neat and free little health app that doesn’t just focus on having you walk and is more for the active fitness enthusiast than for the average Joe.
That said, anyone can use it and end up having a lot of fun seeing if their workout routine has improved based on their score.
10. Higi
This is yet another health app that allows you to earn money for charities rather than yourself.
The difference here is that Higi is a rather popular brand among more health-oriented people as they have stations in pharmacies and grocery stores where you can have your health statistics noted properly.
Doing this will help you earn points within the app as well as help track your progress and compare it to other people using the app nation-wide.
Naturally, you still earn money for walking and you only need to walk up to a mile to earn the full daily amount of points possible from the app.
While this is all well and good, the downside is that you can’t really cash out on this app as the only personally applicable point redemption is reserved for health based products, so if you’re not looking to purchase any of the products they have on offer, this app might not be the one for you.
That said, if you feel like donating to charity through your physical efforts, it’s a rather solid option and you get to keep track of your own health while doing so.
The app integrates seamlessly with a variety of other fitness trackers to make matters easier for yourself so you can keep Higi in the background.
11. Winwalk
Winwalk is a completely free app that functions as a simple pedometer which tracks your daily steps and rewards you points based on them – up to 10,000 steps per day.
It even helps motivate you if you’re falling behind or if you’re really close to hitting another 100 step marker to earn your next round of points.
You can later redeem these points for various gift cards from popular retailers or even Amazon and they don’t take too long to get depending on the brand name that caught your eye in the first place.
A great way to save up for some targeted products.
12. Lympo
Lympo is similar to LifeCoin and SweatCoin. You earn their cryptocurrency as you perform daily tasks and challenges, accumulating LYM over time and using it to purchase a variety of gifts from their store, whether it’s Amazon gift cards or products from other popular retailers.
Sound familiar? Well, most of the fitness apps seem to be sponsored by the same people and the rewards themselves are disguised as clever ad space as not many people consider them as ads because they’re placed under the “rewards” tab.
The great benefit of Lympo, apart from the challenge variety and the rewards section, is that all of these challenges can be completed from the safety of your own home through workouts on treadmills, exercise bikes, and similar.
This allows for a lot of flexibility in how you approach the challenges in the first place.
Plus, they come with some bonus health metrics outside of steps taken to help keep track of your physical state and see if it’s healthy or if action needs to be taken.
13. Gigwalk
And finally, a rather unique take on earning money for ‘walking’, or in this case, being a freelance worker or QA tester (depending on the task) for companies that utilize Gigwalk for their own industry-based needs and walking around stores.
Becoming a Gigwalker means that you’re expected to take on these ‘gigs’ that Gigwalk-using industries set up, earning yourself a sizable profit for completing said task depending on its complexity.
The more efficient you are in completing these gigs the better, as the more you have under your belt, the more you see the more fruitful gigsof the bunch.
It pays off to be diligent with Gigwalk and you might end up with a good amount of extra money from it by using it on a proper monthly basis.
Besides, nobody’s stopping you from combining this with many of the fitness apps listed above to have different sources of income knocking at your door and dropping dollars off in front of you.
Special note: Dog walking
While it doesn’t necessarily count as any of the apps that pay you to walk, dog walking can be an excellent side hustle that will help you fill up some free time while aiding you in completing the daily goals set by any of the fitness apps you use.
Plus, you’ll end up earning a fair bit of money just from this, with the app income being a nice ’employee benefit’ of working as a dog walker.
Not to mention, dogs are lovely animals, making it less of a chore and a job and more of a passion and an enjoyable time.
And yes, there are a few apps for this too. Namely “Rover” and “Wag!”.
Being a dog person myself, I wish this had been available when I was younger.
It would’ve made for a nice chunk of pocket money on the side with all of the free time I had. Nowadays my hands are rather full taking care of my family and trying to get back into the rat race.
That said, this is probably one of the best apps that pay you for walking, depending on the amount of people needing the service in your area, and just one walk will earn you a lot more than many of these fitness apps.
It does require actual free time and active devotion to it though, rather than just passively accumulating points. Plus, nothing is stopping you from doing both at the same time.
The Bottom Line
While there are many apps that pay you to walk, so to speak, rarely any will pay off substantially with just a month of use.
A lot of them require a lot of effort and not many offer cold, hard cash payouts, but rather specifically tailored gift cards and rewards from their own stores. They do have to earn a living of their own after all.
There are some that will end up earning you quite a bit more money really fast, but those usually involve some level of high risk – high reward mentality, like StepBet.
Alternatively, there are other unique ways of earning money for walking –becoming a dog walker, for example.
This is a more expedient method that rewards you for devoting your free time (or your exercise time) to performing a task that usually gets relegated to teenagers and getting a sizable bonus to your monthly budget for doing so.
Overall, some people might not find the apps worth the time needed to invest in them, but, in my book, any sort of extra money is nice to have and if you use a combination of them, the profits might start seeming like they’re worth it more and more.
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