Getting paid to head out for a walk sounds too good to be true, but whether you’re a devoted hiker or just enjoy running errands on foot, there are a number of different ways to get paid to walk.
The best part? Walking is great for your health. Whether you’re looking to lose weight by walking or just want to reach your step count goal on your Fitbit, increasing your daily steps is never a bad thing. In fact, walking has been found to prevent conditions like heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and cancer, as well as improve your cardiovascular fitness, and strengthen bones and muscles.
If you’re a hot stepper keen to learn (and earn) more, grab your sneakers and your smartphone, and read on to find the best apps to download right now.
How to get paid to walk — the apps to download
Stepbet: If you need the motivation to lace up and hit the sidewalk each morning, Stepbet turns walking into a game — a game in which you can win money. Players are ‘betting’ against their ability to reach their own personalized step goals each day, and if you hit your goals, you can win your own money back, plus a profit. It helps you stay fit, win money, and stay accountable.
Evidation: Evidation, which used to be called Achievement, allows you to earn money for walking, swimming, cycling, and taking health surveys. You can earn up to 80 points a day for exercise activities, and six points for logging food, tracking your sleep, or meditating. The app pays you $10 for every 10,000 points you earn, so it’ll take you a while to earn a huge amount of money, but still, every little helps, right?
Sweatcoin: Sweatcoin is a free app that allows you to earn cryptocurrency for walking. The company believes that “building a healthier planet requires everyone to move more”, so as a reward for taking 2,000 steps, you get a coin, which can be converted into various goods, services, and experiences. The downside with this app is that it doesn’t connect to any fitness trackers; instead, it uses your phone’s GPS and built-in accelerometer, meaning you’ll have to clock all of your miles outdoors.
Lifecoin: Lifecoin is another app that rewards you for walking, or running, outdoors. Each time you do a run or walk, Lifecoin will record the steps taken, and convert these into Lifecoins, which can be spent on different rewards. You can also earn Lifecoins for signing family and friends up to the app. It might take you a while to earn enough points to get a significant reward, but if you’re already heading out most days for a walk or run, it’s a handy app to have running (literally) in the background.
Charity Miles: If you’d prefer to convert your miles into good, Charity Miles is a great app to download. All you need to do is download the app to your phone (it’s free on iOS and Android), choose your charity, and record your activity. The app allows you to track a host of different activities, including running, walking, biking, and dancing. The drawback is that unlike other apps on this list, you’ll have to manually log into it to record your activities — it doesn’t work in the background.
Get miles: This one doesn’t just track your walking and running miles, but all the miles you take, be that on your bike, in your car, or on a plane. It's best suited for commuters, as you need to travel pretty far to get some of the rewards. The app just runs in the background and records how far you’ve gone. You’ll earn free points that can be redeemed for gift cards or exclusive offers.
Healthy wage: If you’re walking for weight loss, healthy wage is an app that might help you stay on track. You pick your weight loss goal, bet on yourself, and win money if you reach your goal.
How to get paid to walk — other ideas to earn as you step
While the apps above reward you for walking in points that stack up to be exchanged for rewards, if you want to earn more money for your steps, it might be worth turning them into more than a hobby. Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas.
Instacart: Imagine getting paid for strolling up and down the supermarket aisles. Instacart does just this. Sign up to be a shopper and get paid for shopping for someone else's groceries and delivering them. You can work when you want and get to keep 100% of your tips.
Rover: Whether you’re already heading out to walk your dog, or you’re looking for a four-legged companion to accompany you on your daily strolls, dog walking is one way to get paid to walk. Rover allows you to set your own schedule and prices, and get paid for doggy sleepovers, dog walking, and pet drop-ins.
Wag: Wag is another dog walking app that allows you to get paid for walking other people’s pets. You can work around your schedule, pick up last-minute walks, or plan regular walks with owners ahead of time.
Tailster: If you’re thinking of turning your dog walking into more of a business, Tailster is a good place to start. It allows you to grow your business for free, and provide quotes to local pet owners at the click of a button.
TaskRabbit: TaskRabbit allows you to earn money for running errands for others, whether that be doing some shopping, helping in the garden, or helping with deliveries. A lot of the activities require you to be on your feet, helping you earn as you walk.
Favor: Another app that allows you to earn money by running errands for others, Favor pays you for being a “Runner” and delivering anything and everything to their customers — from tacos, to dry cleaning.
Tours by locals: If you’re serious about hiking, and love chatting to people about the local history of your area, why not sign up to be a tour guide? Tours by locals pay you to share your knowledge with others, and there’s no reason why that couldn’t be on foot!
Of course, whatever app you choose to download to help you get paid to walk, you’ll want to be comfortable as you stride the sidewalks. We’ve hand-picked the best running shoes that will keep you comfy as you stroll, as well as the best fitness trackers to help you keep an eye on your daily step count.
