Do apps really pay you to walk?

How walking apps work

A walking app usually runs in the background on your phone and counts your steps using the same sensor your phone already has for fitness tracking. Once you hit a step goal, the app credits you with points, coins, or some kind of in-app currency.

Those points are not cash. Most apps let you trade them for gift cards, entries into a sweepstake, or a small in-app balance that takes a long time to build up. A few apps show a dollar figure next to your points, but that figure is almost always inflated compared to what you can actually redeem.

• Steps are tracked passively through your phone's motion sensor or a connected fitness tracker.
• Rewards build up slowly and are capped by daily step limits in most apps.
• Redemption options depend heavily on which app you use and which country you are in.

What to watch out for

Be careful with any app that asks you to pay money, deposit funds, or buy something before you can start earning steps-based rewards. A legitimate walking app does not need your money to let you walk and track steps.

Also watch for apps that advertise a specific daily amount you'll supposedly earn. No app can know in advance what you'll earn, since it depends on how many steps you take and how the app's reward system is set up that day. If the number sounds too good for just walking around, treat it as marketing, not a promise.

Walking apps turn ordinary steps into small rewards. They are not a job and not a source of steady income.

Can you actually get paid for walking?

You can collect small rewards for walking, yes, but calling it getting paid is a stretch. Think of it as a way to earn a little extra from something you already do every day, similar to how a rewards credit card gives you points for spending you were going to do anyway.

If your goal is real extra income, walking apps are not the way to get there. Surveys, online offers, freelance work, or a part-time job will do more for your wallet than any step tracker.

Where PocketsFull fits in

PocketsFull is not a walking app and does not track your steps. It is an online rewards site where members complete paid surveys and offers, including game and app offers, and collect rewards they can redeem.

If you like the idea of small extra rewards for simple activity, surveys and offers work the same way: easy to fit around your day, and nothing to lose, since joining is free and PocketsFull never asks for a deposit or a payment.

• Paid surveys add a reward to your balance once a provider confirms they are complete.
• Offers are simple tasks from partners, such as trying an app or reaching steps listed for a game offer.
• Being screened out of a survey before the end happens to everyone and is not a sign anything is wrong.

Games, offers, and no betting

PocketsFull's game offers work by installing or opening a game and reaching the steps that specific offer lists, found on the Offers page. There is also a separate section of free browser games for fun, with no download and no sign-up, but those do not pay rewards.

None of this involves betting, staking money, or real-money games of chance. PocketsFull takes no deposits and no stakes, and nothing you do on the site puts your own money at risk.

How you redeem rewards

Rewards on PocketsFull are redeemed through a payout box that shows your options, and those options depend on your country.

Gift cards are shown first and reflect local brands available where you live. PayPal and Litecoin are also listed on the redeem screen for members who prefer those.

PocketsFull does not pay out through other payment apps or wallets: if you were hoping to cash out that way, gift cards, PayPal, or Litecoin are the options available instead.