Get Paid to Walk: 16 Ways to Earn Money by Walking

How awesome is it to be living in a time when you can get paid to walk at your own pace and in your own free time?

For those of us who don’t really like working out, the idea of making money while walking is a good motivation.

(I have a few more ideas on how to make money fast here as well.)

The money you’ll earn will never replace your day job, but the cash or rewards (like gift cards) you’ll earn are real and legit.

Every dollar you get is still money you wouldn’t have made on a normal walk, right?

Walking the dog, delivering packages, and taking care of the elderly are all examples of real jobs that pay by the hour, so even if you’d technically earn money from walking with these traditional jobs, we skipped them so we could focus on more unusual ways.

So dust off your Fitbit, take out your running shoes, and read on to figure out how to put your feet to good use.

Get Paid to Walk with These 12 Apps and Sites

If you’re anything like me, your smartphone is mostly used browsing cat videos while sitting down. Or lying down.

But what if you could get healthier and make money at the same time?

That’s what these 12 apps will help you achieve.

1. DEFIT

Defit is a decentralized fitness platform that rewards users for staying active, particularly for walking and other forms of exercise.

The app operates on the blockchain, meaning, instead of cash, you’re earning crypto tokens as an incentive for completing fitness activities, including walking.

You can take the tokens you earn through walking and then trade them or use them within the app to redeem for rewards and fitness-related services.

If you ONLY use the app to walk, you’re looking at earnings of around 5 cents per day, which is low, I know. However, the potential to accumulate more tokens increases with higher levels of activity, longer durations, or additional exercises beyond walking.

2. CashWalk

CashWalk is similar to DEFIT, but their sole focus is paying you strictly for walking.

You’ll make more money walking with CashWalk, but you’ll earn more money overall if you’re working out during the day with DEFIT.

This is another app to install where you can gradually build up “Stepcoins” and then exchange them for rewards, like gift cards, in time.

3. Evidation

Evidation, formerly known as Achievement, rewards its users for every achievement “unlocked.”

It’s an all-around fitness and diet app, which means you can earn up to 80 points daily for physical activities like walking, swimming, biking, and other similar exercises.

You can also add 6 extra points daily by tracking your sleep, food, or weight, as well as sharing your progress with other Evidation users.

Because Evidation supports a wide range of fitness activities, you can connect over 20 apps, including popular ones like Samsung Health, Garmin, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, and Apple Health, among others.

You can also join Evidation Studies, allowing you to participate in hundreds of research programs that earn you points while contributing to the advancement of health and medical knowledge.

• Dollar value: Achievement exchanges 10,000 points for $10, redeemable to your PayPal, or direct to your bank account.

If you’re able to reach the maximum amount of points allowed per day, you’ll be able to earn $10 after 4 months (or $30 per year).

Unfortunately, points on Evidation expire a year after you earn them.

• Plus points: Users have the option of donating these points/money to charities listed on the app.

4. GigWalk

You can get paid to walk while doing a wide range of tasks with GigWalk.

When you become a “gigwalker,” you will be given a chance to work on various gigs near your location.

You will be able to see these gigs on your iOS or Android GigWalk app. If you’re interested in doing the quick job that matches your location, you click “Apply to this Gig” and wait for a notification once you’re selected.

Gigs are primarily posted by consumer brands wanting to ensure that their products are visible and priced correctly, or that marketing events are held successfully.

These jobs take anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours to complete, so if you’re chosen for the gig, you have to complete it and submit a photo or any other proof that you did the work to the GigWalk clients.

• Dollar value: Depending on the complexity of tasks and the amount of time required to complete the gig, payment ranges between $3 and $100 per gig.

This will be paid via PayPal immediately after the client reviews and approves your work.

• Plus points: Gigwalkers get to earn a performance score, which GigWalk clients check and use in hiring people for consistent, private gigs.

5. StepBet

You don’t just get paid to walk with StepBet, you can actually bet on yourself with real money that you’ll reach your step goals.

It’s a pretty interesting concept that’s perfect for people who love to challenge themselves.

Plus, it connects with Garmin, Fitbit, or your phone’s other health app.

You have to download the StepBet app (it’s available on both the App Store and Google Play).

From the app, you can select a game and bet into the pot to join.

Try reaching your goals for each week of the game. If you win the money, you’ll split the pot with your co-winners.

• Dollar value: Each game has a set amount required to join, which is often around $40. Past StepBet winners report making only a few dollars more than their bet, but the bragging rights and the health benefits are priceless.

• Plus points: The best thing about StepBet is that it works beyond the game.

The app helps you achieve better fitness milestones by giving you 4 active days and 2 power days each week.

The goal you’ll need to finish for the day depends on your previous activities, which is great because it removes the need to plan for a balanced workout.

6. United Healthcare Motion

Those insured with United Health Care have the chance to get some of their investment back with the United Healthcare Motion program.

Everyone who signs up for insurance receives a $55 credit toward a fitness tracker, which United will ship to your home.

Available in both Android and iOS, the United Healthcare Motion app has three goals users can try to meet every day.

These are the Frequency Goal (500 steps within 7 minutes spread 6 times daily, at least one hour apart), Intensity Goal (3,000 steps all within 30 minutes), and the Tenacity Goal (walking 10,000 steps a day).

• Dollar value: The points you earn can reach up to the equivalent of $1,095 per year, which you can use to pay for prescriptions, or other similar medical expenses.

The money is deposited directly into your HSA or HRA account every quarter.

• Plus points: If you don’t use the points you earn, they don’t expire. The money just rolls over year to year.

7. Sweatcoin

Sweatcoin is one of the more interesting approaches to getting paid to walk on this list.

They’ve developed their own cryptocurrency called Sweatcoins and reward you based on the number of steps you’ve taken.

You can then redeem your Sweatcoins for various rewards in their store. It takes around 1,000 steps to generate 1 Sweatcoin.

Note that Sweatcoin only counts outdoor steps, as their algorithm includes GPS data as one of the inputs. This means your indoor steps (e.g., steps you make on the treadmill, stair stepper, elliptical, etc.) won’t be counted.

• Dollar value: At this time, Sweatcoins cannot be redeemed for cash, but their FAQ section seems to hint that it might be a possibility in the near future.

• Plus points: Sweatcoin has partnered with many brands, such as Audible, Tidal, Headpace, YogaClub, and over 1,000 others. While there is no actual cash you can earn, the rewards are definitely sweet.

8. Rover

The only thing better than getting paid to walk, is getting paid to walk with dogs.

Rover will allow you to do just that. Download their app, create a dog walking profile, and you can connect with local people who need their dogs walked throughout the day.

• Dollar value: Walking a dog on Rover.com pays an average of $18 an hour. This will still vary depending on the packages you offer (pre-payment for a year, discounts, etc.)

• Plus points: Rover has various other offerings, like dog boarding, sitting, and drop-in visits, but if you aren’t interested in doing those, you can sign up just to be a walker.

The following apps don’t pay you cash, but you still get paid to walk with rewards like gift cards, discounts, or instant good karma (if you choose to donate your rewards instead).

9. Charity Miles

You can log your walking, running, or cycling sessions, as well as other physical activities in exchange for rewards that you can donate to over 20 participating charities, such as Wounded Warrior Project, Habitat for Humanity, Alzheimer’s Association and more.

• Pros: Tons of charities to choose from.
• Cons: It doesn’t support other fitness apps since it only uses your phone’s GPS and motion sensors for tracking your activity. You’d have to open the Charity Miles app for it to track your workout.

10. MapMyWalk

This app is under the MapMyFitness umbrella and runs alongside popular fitness apps as well as your phone’s GPS.

It syncs with Under Armour smart shoes as well, enabling you to track your pace, stride length, and cadence.

You can analyze the data in the app itself or on the website and take advantage of their adaptive training plans to achieve your next goals, like your first 5K run or your first marathon.

• Pros: The prizes from rewards involve popular brands like Under Armour.
• Cons: There are no guaranteed rewards for steps or activities, since you’d have to join challenges and earn rewards as prizes.

11. winwalk

winwalk is a free, easy to use pedometer that rewards you coins for your steps that you can exchange for gift cards.

It sounds really simple to get paid for walking, doesn’t it? That’s because it is.

However, this app is only available for Android users.

• Pros: It takes around 100 steps to earn 1 coin, and it takes 8,000 coins to earn a $5 gift card from their brand partner.
• Cons: It takes way too many steps to earn these gift cards, so don’t make this your only source of side cash from walking.

5 More Ways You Can Earn Money by Walking but with a Twist

The following methods aren’t really advertised as “get paid to walk” gigs, but you technically earn real money by walking.

12. Become a tour guide

If you’re a people person and love entertaining a group of people, you’d love working as a local tour guide.

You don’t need a degree to do this – just a genuine love for the place you’re showing off, as well as good story-telling and communication skills.

• Dollar value: Tour guides can earn up to $200 an hour, plus the tips you may receive from your group.

I have a more comprehensive blog post about earning money as a tour guide here.

13. Run errands (join Tasker apps)

If you’ve got spare time and want to turn this free time into a productive few hours, you can get errand runner jobs via Tasker apps.

There are various kinds of tasks you can do, from grocery delivery like Shipt, GoPuff or Instacart, to caregiving apps such as Sittercity or Care.

There are apps that cater to miscellaneous errands, such as Favors, Same Ole Line Dudes (line-sitting), or Task Rabbit.

Every task and app has specific payment ranges. Check here for complete details of all these Tasker apps.

14. Lead fitness groups

If you’ve always volunteered to lead your community’s Zumba group, this one’s for you.

You can actually find people to join you to walk, and get paid for leading them, too!

Start a hike or fitness trail service locally. This could be a part-time gig or full-time, depending on your time commitments.

If you have extensive knowledge with food nutritional value, you can even provide diet food delivery for your team.

Advertise on Facebook groups or traditional community center service boards.

15. Deliver food, packages and other items

While most delivery gigs require you to have a car, you can pass for walking if you live in cities like New York.

Check here to learn which are the best paying food delivery apps around.

16. Start a walking-themed blog or book

If you prefer not to deal with other people with tour guides, creating walking guides could be a better alternative for you.

Walking guides are a hit for many people. You have several options if you wish to earn this way:

• Start a blog: Ideal for those who love to write and can commit to creating content regularly.
• Build a YouTube channel: – Ideal for those who are comfortable being on camera.
• Write a book or e-book: If you love writing but don’t want to commit to continuous blog post production, you can write a one-off book and earn passive income this way.

Get Paid to Walk Gigs are Legit!

Ask any doctor about workout recommendations.

You’ll find out soon enough that walking is generally the most-prescribed exercise since you don’t need to pay for a gym membership or invest in expensive equipment.

It’s good for people with bad knees, back problems, and a lot of internal health problems.

With the apps I’ve listed above, you can get paid to walk either with real cash or rewards.

Who wouldn’t want that?

Want a secret pro tip? Combine your love of walking with the opportunity to get paid to wear clothes to seriously maximize your earnings while out and about.

And when you are ready to take it to the next level, here are more ways to get paid to lose weight.