Have you ever tried StepBet for earning money for walking?

[ilovedolphins]

I am interested in doing this and would hope that the thought of losing my $40 bet would motivate me more to get my steps.  I went to Disneyworld for 9 days and didn't manage to get in more than 20,000 steps a day...and that was only 1 day.  Granted I did spend a lot of time in the room because it was so hot and I was sick part of the time.

[TheOtherMe]

I have never heard of it.  Would you explain it, please?

[ilovedolphins]

I just found out about it last week.  You sign up and then bet $40 on a game that you will walk a certain amount of steps each day.  Their website calculates, according to your fitbit or whatever app you are using for step counting, how many steps you have to walk each day to keep in the game.  Most games last for 6 weeks.  At the end of 6 weeks if you have met all your days of steps then the "pot" of money is distributed among the winners.  If you don't meet your step goals then you are kicked out of the game and lose your $40.

[TheOtherMe]

I'm not much of a betting person, so I probably wouldn't do it.

[chiver78]

not that app, no. I dont always have my phone (I won't wear a Fitbit or similar) on me, so I wouldn't be getting all my steps for a bet. but I do have this app called Sweatcoin. it uses GPS to track outdoor steps and tracks more or less what I do in a typical day. theres an algorithm for converting steps into coin, and I can convert 20k in "sweatcoin" into $1000 into my paypal account. well, until the rules change. but, it's not costing me anything to track my steps. 🤷‍♀️

[ilovedolphins]

I had looked at Sweatcoin but I don't walk all that much outside.

[chiver78]

Oct 12, 2019 19:12:42 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

I had looked at Sweatcoin but I don't walk all that much outside.

I have big dogs that I need to walk more often than I do. but I didn't put much stock into the ap til I started taking public transportation to work. without anything else going on, I log about 6k steps just getting to and from work. I have an Android, which has worse returns on the algorithm than iPhones for whatever garbage reason. but, somehow the steps within South Station in Boston as I transfer from train to T seem to get caught and registered.

[ilovedolphins]

I signed up for Sweatcoin last night and decided to give it a try.  I haven't been outside but it says I took 8 steps.

[billisonboard]

I found another way to earn money for walking:

[dannylion]

There was a news story a few years ago about a company that gave out Fitbits to their employees and offered financial rewards for reaching certain goals.  People quickly learned that the Fitbit didn't know or care whether it was on (IIRC) an adult human, a toddler, or a dog.  The company ended the incentive program fairly quickly.  

[ilovedolphins]

My last insurance company gave us a step counter and paid us for a certain amount of steps we took. We could only apply it to medical bills. There was only one coworker and I that took advantage of it.  He walked a lot and worked out a lot and had no medical bills.  I on the other hand had about $600 worth of medical bills that I got paid for using the stepper and walking.  So it worked out good for me.

[steph08]

I should really look into this, since I run a ton. But, with the weather changing, a lot of my running January-April will be inside. 

I should have read this thread before I ran 17 miles outside this morning...

[chiver78]

Oct 13, 2019 9:17:08 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

I signed up for Sweatcoin last night and decided to give it a try.  I haven't been outside but it says I took 8 steps.

I should have said, it still picks up some. it relies on GPS, and theres something wrong with how it works indoors. it also works better on iPhones than Android, which they tell you as you're signing up.

[ilovedolphins]

I also do Achievement.  I have only made $20 this year but it's a little bit anyway.

[ilovedolphins]

Oct 12, 2019 18:39:46 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

not that app, no. I dont always have my phone (I won't wear a Fitbit or similar) on me, so I wouldn't be getting all my steps for a bet. but I do have this app called Sweatcoin. it uses GPS to track outdoor steps and tracks more or less what I do in a typical day. theres an algorithm for converting steps into coin, and I can convert 20k in "sweatcoin" into $1000 into my paypal account. well, until the rules change. but, it's not costing me anything to track my steps. 🤷‍♀️

How much have you accumulated so far?  On my first day, today, I got the max amount - $5.00.

[dannylion]

This thread has reminded me of a program my health insurance offered this year that would let members get an Apple watch and "pay" for it by setting and reaching specific health-related goals.  I thought that sounded interesting (I'm a sucker for any sort of shiny thing), so I looked into it. 


The only way to participate was to order the Apple watch through an app that could only be downloaded on an Apple device.  You could not order an Apple watch any other way and register it in the program, you had to order it through the program's app.  The app could only be downloaded on an Apple device.   I do not have an Apple device, so I couldn't even reach the entry-level point to participate.  It was clear that it was not so much a program to enhance the health of the insurer's members as it was a program to sell Apple products.  

[chen35]

I’ve done step bet. One thing to keep in mind is it looks at your past steps to set your future goals, so if you’re already getting a ton you’ll have to get more. You get one day off a week (it just uses your lowest step day, doesn’t have to be the same each week)

[CCL]

Oct 13, 2019 14:56:13 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

Oct 12, 2019 18:39:46 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

not that app, no. I dont always have my phone (I won't wear a Fitbit or similar) on me, so I wouldn't be getting all my steps for a bet. but I do have this app called Sweatcoin. it uses GPS to track outdoor steps and tracks more or less what I do in a typical day. theres an algorithm for converting steps into coin, and I can convert 20k in "sweatcoin" into $1000 into my paypal account. well, until the rules change. but, it's not costing me anything to track my steps. 🤷‍♀️

How much have you accumulated so far?  On my first day, today, I got the max amount - $5.00.

So how many steps did it take to get that?

[chiver78]

I'll have to pay attention tonight to try to answer that. there isn't a readily available history for you to see what you did a couple days ago. but, there is a weekly email summary that trends your activity vs the week before, if that makes sense. like this past week, I was more active than the week before  - when I was recovering from the time change and red eye flight, plus a pair of WFH days that don't include all the walking in my daily commute.