App Review: Winwalk
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I’m all for getting some extra perks just for doing something that I was going to do anyway! If I’m already walking, why not get some perks for it?
There are all kinds of apps that are designed for walkers and runners. They can track your steps, share your workouts, raise money for charities for every mile/walk, or even help you make a little extra money on the side. I have a few go-to apps, but I’m always looking for more that will add a little extra to my daily workout. So, from time to time, I’ll download a new app and give it a try.
Last summer, I found Winwalk, an app that’s supposed to track your steps and give you points that you can cash out for gift cards. It’s a pretty simple app: just download it and keep it running in the background as you go about your day. Each day, it tracks your steps, giving you a point for every 100 steps (with a maximum of 100 points for steps each day). You do need to pull up the app once a day and watch a quick ad to “bank” your points for the day, but that’s the only requirement.
If you’d like to build up your points more quickly, you can also do “missions”—which includes watching additional ads, taking surveys, or playing games. And once you bank enough points, you can cash in those points for gift cards to a variety of different stores.
Is this a quick way to earn extras from walking? No. If you’re walking 10,000 steps a day and remembering to watch the ad and bank your points, that will give you 105 points per day. It costs 16,000 points to earn a $10 gift card—which means that, just from walking, you can earn a couple of gift cards a year. However…if you do some of the extras, you can earn more quickly. I found that there are a number of different options for surveys, and you’ll often get partial points, even if you don’t finish the entire survey. Surveys generally work quite well, and you can make quite a few points from offering your opinions in your spare time—and I found that it wasn’t too hard to earn 2,000 points or more per week through walking and the occasional surveys. You can also earn some extra points by referring friends—so if you want to check it out (and help me work toward another gift card) you can use my referral code.
Gift cards come in a variety of categories: food, shopping, entertainment, and fashion. So you can earn some free coffee from Dunkin (or Starbucks, if that’s your thing) or a burrito from Chipotle. You can pick up some new apps from Google Play or some walking tunes from Spotify. Or you can get some money to spend on gear from Amazon or Sierra.
Obviously, you’re not going to make a living off walking this way. But if you need a little extra incentive for getting those steps in, this is a good way to earn a little reward for crushing your goals. It’s pretty easy to use, and there are plenty of ways to earn extra points if you’ve got a little extra time. It’s no secret that I’ll work a little harder for free Dunkin (you’ve seen the name of this blog, right?), so, for me, it’s just a fun bonus on top of all of the regular benefits of walking.
Pros:
– Earn gift cards for something you already do
– Gift cards come in a good variety of restaurants, stores, and entertainment (did I mention this includes Dunkin?)
– Offers a few other ways to earn points in your spare time
Cons:
– Daily points cap out at 10,000 steps
– The list of available gift cards isn’t as large as some other apps
– You have to check in once a day and watch a video to bank your points
– It’ll take a while to earn—especially if you’re just walking
– Step count isn’t necessarily accurate
– Doesn’t connect to the devices you’re already using—has to run from your phone
– Gift cards do go out of stock—so you might have to wait for your favorite to restock
If you’d like to try Winwalk for yourself, here’s my referral link: https://s.winwalk.app/r/4238E23D6
