I take a lot of evening walks. I just love to stretch my legs, get some fresh air, and see my town at a slower pace. It’s easy to miss out on things when you’re zooming by, running errands. Then a funny thing happened on one of these walks: A friend pulled up and asked if I needed a ride. She couldn’t believe I was walking for fun!
Once I explained why I was walking, she also decided to get on board. Now, a whole group of us get together and walk around town. Recently, one of the girls remarked that it would be even better if we could make our walks more productive, maybe by becoming professional walkers who make money for their walking skills. After a good laugh, I fessed up and told her that I actually know of apps that pay you to walk!
I was surprised to find out that not one of all the ladies in our walking crew had ever heard of these apps. Especially since I’ve been using them with great success (#humblebrag) for some time. That got me thinking: how many others have never heard of apps that pay you to walk? So, because I love to walk, and I love to make some extra money, too, I thought it time to share my favorite apps that pay you to walk!
Step Up for Cash: The Best Apps that Pay You to Walk
Gigwalk
The area where my walking crew and I live is a mix of suburbs and city. The community is mostly walkable, with a few areas where, if you plan well, you can pass little shops, bigger stores, cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants. Still, it’s not so hectic and filled with traffic that you’re overwhelmed. This makes it ideal for Gigwalk.
Gigwalk is free to download, although be warned: for it to pay you, you do have to foot the bill for some small PayPal fees. The way it works is by providing you with a map of your area with participating stores and restaurants (or “gigs”) represented by a red pin. Click on the pin and a set of instructions pops up, something like: “go to [a specific location] and photograph [a specific item] with your phone.” As you walk, the map updates with additional gigs. For each one you complete you get paid!
In general, I’ve found that gigs only take a few minutes to complete and often pay less than $10, although demanding gigs can pay up to $100! The more gigs you complete, the more money you make obviously. Within a week of completing each task, you get paid via PayPal. Add Gigwalk to your daily stroll and you might not even notice you’re working!
Charity Miles
This next one doesn’t pay you directly. Instead, it donates to a charity of your choice. Charity Miles benefits more than 30 charities and organizations, including Stand Up To Cancer, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Special Olympics, and Habitat for Humanity.
When you’re out walking, the app uses motion detection within your smartphone to measure your total distance. It banks up to $.25 per mile you walk, or $.10 per mile when you bike if that’s more your thing. Then, Charity Miles’ corporate partners—companies like MasterCard, Kenneth Cole, and Humana—make the donation to your chosen charity. It’s walking with a cause—and it makes an already refreshing hobby even better!
Shopkick
Of the apps that pay you to walk, this one is my favorite. Shopkick and is a perfect choice for walkers, like me, who like to combine their favorite hobby with quick trips to the store. How it works is that Shopkick gives you points—known as kicks—for doing things you already do when you go shopping, like scanning barcodes on certain products for more information, scanning your receipt after you’ve made a purchase, and—ding ding ding!—just for walking into featured stores. You can then trade those points in for gift cards to participating stores.
One of my favorite things about Shopkick is that it makes my nightly walk even more fun by turning it into a sort of scavenger hunt for points. As my ladies and I are walking, we just pay attention to the alerts Shopkick sends us about nearby stores. Sometimes we duck in and score some points that way. Other times we plan ahead and do our shopping, too. We share tips about places where we’ve found the most kicks and just generally have a good time. I can’t recommend it enough!
One of my favorite things about Shopkick is that it makes my nightly walk even more fun by turning it into a sort of scavenger hunt for points.
So, there you have it: my personal list of the best apps that pay you to walk. I suggest integrating walks into your daily schedule because they’re a peaceful way to get some exercise and see the community where you live. I also suggest using one (or all) of these apps, because if there’s one thing I think you’ll enjoy more than walking, it’s getting paid to do it!
Get to know one of the best apps that pays you to walk. Download Shopkick today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how much you can earn with the help of a free shopping sidekick.
And, if you’re on social media catching up with friends, be sure to also join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily fun and inspiration.
Image courtesy maridav
