Earn money while you travel: the best mobile payment apps

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

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

Earn money while you travel

Here's a roundup of the best apps that pay you to walk.

Sweatcoin

To start using Sweatcoin, you need to register with your email address and phone number. The app says it doesn't sell your data, which is reassuring if you're concerned about privacy.

Track your work: 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 with you to log your steps.

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

If you are 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 constantly changing.

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

Accuracy: the app verifies about 65% of your steps, so other steps will not be counted. You may notice this more if your phone is in battery saver mode, as it may miss more steps.

Earn more Sweatcoins: beyond just traveling, you can improve your sweatcoin income with daily rewards, participate in challenges, accept offers, and invite friends to join the app.

How Sweatcoin makes money: Sweatcoin generates revenue through product partnerships and 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 register using your email and enable location tracking.

The app currently only works in European countries and says it doesn't share your data with third parties.

Track your work: 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 get 1 coin. The app limits you to 10,000 steps daily, which means 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 around 14 months to earn £10; walking 10,000 steps every day will reduce this to 7 months.

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

To earn more coins: you can improve your earnings by watching more 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 ads, which help fund the gift card rewards you can earn.

Get a Win Walk: Android only

Vitality

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

If you are not a policyholder, you will not be able to access the app or its benefits.

Track your work: the app connects with a compatible activity tracking device and tracks a variety of activities, including walking, running, cycling, swimming, participating in Parkruns, and exercising at partner gyms.

This makes it convenient for anyone who enjoys different types of exercise.

Rewards: Power award points based on your daily activities. You can earn up to 8 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 earn you 5 points, and 12,500 steps or more will give you a maximum of 8 points.

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

Collect 48 points a month, and you'll get a free cinema ticket, valid at Vue or Odeon.

There are no additional ways to earn points: Unlike other apps, the only way to earn points with Vitality is to log your physical activities.

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

Get Strong: Android | The iPhone

Charity Miles

To use Charity Miles, you will need to register with your email and enable location tracking. The app assures users that their data is not shared with third parties.

Track your work: Charity Miles tracks activities such as walking, running (both indoors and outdoors), and outdoor cycling.

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

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

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

The app supports more than 40 charities, including well-known organizations such as 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 sponsored, and includes in-app advertising. These funds are used to support donations made to charities.

There are no additional ways to earn points: the only way to raise money for your chosen charity is through your physical activities.

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

Get the Charity Miles app: Android | The iPhone

Biscuit – earn rewards for walking and caring for your dog

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

This helps the app provide personalized recommendations tailored to your dog's specific needs.

Track your dog's activity: Biscuit helps you log your dog's walks and other active playtimes.

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

Rewards: as you track your dog's activities, you will earn points, known as “biscuits.” For every one-hour journey, you will earn 25 biscuits.

If you prefer a short walk, you can split the time into multiple sessions. Additionally, if you reach the weekly goal of three one-hour walks, you will earn an additional 50 biscuits as a reward.

The biscuits you collect can be used to get various prizes. You can exchange them for gift vouchers for popular brands such as Asda and Amazon, or for pet care products.

For example, 10 biscuits might get you discount codes, while 650 biscuits might win you a £10 Caffè Nero voucher. To access the gift vouchers, you will need to provide your dog's microchip details.

More ways to earn biscuits: In addition to walking, you can earn “Welfare Badges” by taking care of your dog's health, such as using self-medication.

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

Get the Biscuit app: Android | The iPhone

Are these apps worth your time?

If you're already active or active, these apps can be a great way to get something extra out of what you're doing anyway.

They can also be a great motivator to help you stay on track with your fitness goals or become more environmentally conscious by walking instead of driving.

However, if your main goal is to get rewards quickly, you may find the pace slow.

While the benefits are a nice bonus, they can take time to accumulate, so it's best to view them as an added benefit to improve your health rather than a major attraction.