I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite parts of my day is when I get to put on my sneakers, grab my baseball cap, and leash up the dog for a walk.
There’s just something so satisfying about moving my body, getting my heart pumping harder, and enjoying the nature around me.
So, when I learned that you can get paid to walk, I knew this was something I wanted to learn more about and tell you all about, too.
Whether you walk every day to stay in shape, lower blood pressure, lose weight, or simply to get out and move your muscles a bit, this article will teach you how to make some bucks and rewards while doing so.
These ideas will help you go from sitting on your couch bored to moving those legs and getting your steps in!
Get Paid to Walk
Do you like to walk and want to make some side cash? How about being paid to walk? If you love walking, I’m sure I’ve piqued your interest! And yes, you actually can get paid to walk!
There are several popular ways to make money walking—from apps that will pay you to compete in weight loss challenges to dog walking, shopping, and more. Let’s check out those options.
1. Paid to Walk: Apps
Often, you’ll find fitness tracker apps willing to pay you to walk in the health and wellness industry. The apps will typically gather data on the user’s activity, such as steps taken, distance covered, and so on.
Typically, these trackers will require you to have one or more of the following devices and apps:
- A smartphone like an iOS (iPhone) or Android
- Fitbit
- Garmin
- Apple Health
- Samsung Health
- Apple Watch
- GPS
- Google Fit
If you have a smartphone, a smartwatch, and some good walking shoes, you should have everything you need!
So, where do you find apps that pay you to walk?
There are quite a few out there, which I share below!
Sweatcoin
Sweatcoin is an app that pays you to walk!
Sweatcoin has been around since 2015 and reportedly has millions of users. Using Sweatcoin while walking allows you to earn one sweatcoin for every 1,000 steps.
You can spend your sweatcoins at the sweatcoin store for items like shoes and even tech devices like iPhones, Apple watches, and more! You can also turn your sweatcoins into charity donations.
In addition to rewarding you for miles walked, Sweatcoin has an influencer program, which you can learn about here.
- Sweatcoin has a 4.5-star rating on Trustpilot.
Charity Miles
Charity Miles is an app that allows you to earn money for your favorite charity simply by moving your body!
And you don’t have to just walk either! Any workout that gets your body moving, like walking, running, or even biking, will earn money for your charity.
The app uses GPS to track your movement so that you can earn money while exercising.
The four main categories for earning while walking are:
- Donations from friends and family.
- The charities’ corporate sponsors.
- Companies that sponsor their employees through an Employee Empowerment Program.
- Charity Miles’ corporate sponsorship fund.
- Charity Miles has a 4.8-star rating in the Apple app store.
StepBet
StepBet was founded in 2015 and has been featured on Today, ABC News, People, and more!
You make money by joining games, placing your bet, and setting your step target. You’re joining a pool of other walkers, and when you meet your goal, along with the others, you’ll all be paid the money from those who didn’t meet their goal.
StepBet sends money earned via PayPal.
- StepBet has a 4.8-star rating in the Apple app store.
More Apps to Consider
Each of these smartphone apps works in a manner that rewards participants for being active. Some offer cash prizes to winners, whereas others award gift cards from popular retailers like Amazon and Starbucks. Be sure to read through all the details because some require users to place a bet in hopes of winning the pot of money.
Why You May Like Apps That Pay You to Walk
If you are self-motivated, love walking, and get thousands of steps in your day, this could be a good option for you. It’s a great way to make a little money, earn cash rewards, get discounts on items, earn gift cards and gifts, and make money for charity.
Look through the apps mentioned in this article, find the best fit for you, and get to walking!
2. Delivery Services
If you enjoy shopping for groceries at grocery stores, picking up fast food and delivering it, and making your own schedule, you’ll like the flexibility of delivery services.
This type of work not only allows you to get your body moving but also allows you to drive and be out in the world.
If you don’t like sitting at a desk or simply need something that provides extra money, this could be a good option for you.
Instacart
Instacart is an online grocery delivery and pick-up service that connects customers with personal shoppers who go to grocery stores to shop for customer orders.
Customers make an order online, which personal shoppers then shop for and fulfill.
If you need a flexible side gig for some extra money, this may be right up your alley.
Instacart hires shoppers nationwide, and full-service shoppers get paid per batch completed, and you keep any tips customers give you.
If you’re a full-time in-store shopper, you’ll be paid an hourly wage.
According to this Instacart review, full-service shoppers can make an average of $13-$19 an hour.
If you’d like an alternative to Instacart, you may want to look into a company called Shipt.
DoorDash
If you’d be more interested in picking up fast-food and restaurant orders and driving them to the customers, you may like DoorDash.
DoorDash is the largest on-demand food delivery service in the US.
People who work for DoorDash are called Dashers. As a Dasher, you’ll use your vehicle or other mode of transportation to deliver the orders.
You can work when you want; you choose the order you will pick up and deliver.
You must be 18 or older and have a working vehicle, which can include scooters or bicycles (in some cities). You will pay for your gas and vehicle upkeep. There are other requirements as well, such as carrying auto insurance and consenting to a criminal background check.
If you want alternatives to DoorDash, you may want to look into Uber Eats or GrubHub.
Why You May Like Delivering
If you enjoy walking, driving, and shopping, this could be a good side gig for you. Shopping for groceries or even delivering fast food is a great option to earn extra money.
This side gig also offers flexibility, which many people prefer, and it can be worked alongside a traditional job if wanted.
3. Dog Walking and Pet Sitting
If you love dogs and want to get paid to walk, how about a dog walking business?
If you want to start a dog walking and pet-sitting business, you’ll need to market yourself and ensure you have the correct business licenses and insurance.
But don’t let the technicalities scare you off; it’s a viable option and one that has the potential to be profitable and fun!
If you don’t want a full-fledged business but like the idea of walking dogs, you could look into Rover.
Rover is a pet-sitting and dog-walking company that you can join to become a sitter. Rover does the hard work of marketing and attracting dog owners, while you can pick up walking or sitting gigs!
If you’d like to start walking dogs for money via Rover, you can click here.
If you’re interested in starting a dog-walking business, I recommend researching the licenses you may need, writing a business plan, and consulting a lawyer and accountant.
You can read more about starting your business at NerdWallet.
Why You May Like Dog Walking
If you’re a dog-lover and like to walk a lot, this could be an excellent option for making money on the side or even a full-time income if you start a business.
4. Personal Shopping
If you love to shop, walk, and help people, then personal shopping could be right up your alley!
Personal shopping is similar to the delivery services mentioned in this article, but you would be in charge of clients, your business, and marketing, and you could do more than just groceries, as well.
Clients would hire you to do their shopping for them. You could be hired to shop at places like Walmart, Target, and grocery stores or even pick up items from specialty stores. Essentially, whatever the client needs, you could shop for them.
Along with groceries, personal shoppers can shop for wellness items, clothing, pharmacy items, and much more.
You’ll want to look into your local business license laws and any insurance you may need. It’ll help to put together a business and marketing plan before getting started.
Why You May Like Personal Shopping
Can’t get enough of shopping? Do you consider yourself to be a fashionista? Know the stores around you inside and out and like the back of your hand? Like walking and have reliable transportation? This may very well be a great option for you.
You could parlay personal shopping into becoming a full-time personal assistant if you enjoy working with clients and helping them with their household needs.
5. Mystery Shopper
When I worked at an apartment complex well over 20 years ago, I was “shopped” many times. All these years later, mystery shopping is still a thing!
Businesses use mystery shoppers to go undercover and rate/review the service they receive from the employee who helps them.
As a mystery shopper, you hold a very important job. You must pay close attention to detail and remember the experience well to report on it.
If you like the idea of getting your steps in and making some extra money as a mystery shopper, the below sites may be good options for you.
Sinclair Customer Metrics
Sinclair has been around since 1987, which means they’re very well established and have proven themselves in the mystery shopping world. They have an A+ BBB rating, pay once a month via check, and offer shoppers the opportunity to shop at places like banks, grocery stores, retail spaces, and more.
Mystery Shopping Service
Mystery Shopping Service has been around for a couple of decades and serves the senior living, real estate, retail, and hospitality industries in the US. They have an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau website and pay once a month via check or PayPal.
More Mystery Shopping Options
If you’d like more mystery shopping options, you may want to look into BestMark, Pinnacle, or IntelliShop.
Why You May Like Mystery Shopping
If you want to get your steps in while putting on your sleuth hat so that you can help companies make sure they are putting their best foot forward, this may be a great option for you.
You’ll want to be comfortable with pretending to need the service or item you’re there shopping for, and you’ll need to be detail-oriented and have a great memory to make a good shopper report when the mystery shop is over.
6. Fitness Classes
If you’re fit and strong and want to teach classes in your neighborhood, how about doing a boot camp for your neighborhood?
I’ve driven by many fitness boot camps in my neighborhood, and it looks like a lot of fun!
Some ideas for classes could be:
- Yoga
- High-intensity interval training
- Running or jogging
- Nature walking or hiking groups
- Cycling group
- Fitness challenges
- And more!
You’ll want to advertise the fitness class. Think of clever ways to find people interested in working out in your local outdoor area. You could look into local Facebook groups, or if you know a few neighbors, you could start there and ask them to invite any of their local friends. You could find out if your church would host a group, and so on.
You will need to look into any potential liability for injuries and determine if you need insurance or standard waivers.
If this sounds up your alley, I recommend reading this article, which goes into more depth on the topic.
Why You May Like Hosting Fitness Classes
If you like people, moving your body, and getting outdoors, you may enjoy hosting fitness classes!
Get creative with your class and enjoy this exciting side gig!
Final Thoughts on Getting Paid to Walk
As you can see, there are several ways to make money while moving your body.
Some are more strenuous, like walking apps, fitness classes, and walking dogs, while some are more laid back, like personal shopping, delivery services, or even mystery shopping.
Whichever method of making a side income and moving your body appeals to you, hopefully this article gave you good ideas on how to make that happen!
So, strap on those walking shoes, grab your water bottle, and get to walking for pay!
