Free ‘Sweatcoin’ App Will Pay You to Get Off the Couch

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A new app can help you get in shape while you earn “currency” that can be redeemed for goods, services and experiences.

It’s called “Sweatcoin,” but sweating is not required. All you have to do to start earning money from this app is head outside and put one foot in front of the other.

As the Sweatcoin website explains:

We track & verify your outdoor steps using your phone’s accelerometers and GPS location. Those steps get converted into our currency — Sweatcoins.

Every 1,000 outdoor steps is worth 0.95 Sweatcoins.

Save up enough of this virtual currency and you can exchange it for “goods, services and experiences ranging from anti-gravity yoga classes to high-tech shoes, to iPhones and Apple Watches,” according to Sweatcoin.

You can also donate your Sweatcoins to charities that Sweatcoin partners with, such as the animal shelter San Francisco SPCA. The virtual currency will be converted into actual dollars for the charity to use.

The Sweatcoin app is available for Apple iOS devices as well as Apple Watch 2. While it’s not currently available for Android devices, you can sign up on Sweatcoin’s home page to get priority access when it does launch on Android.

The app is free and, CBS News recently reported, ad-free.

CBS, which spoke with Sweatcoin co-founder Oleg Fomenko, reports that “the company hopes to eventually make money through deals with insurance companies, health care providers, and employers who want to motivate their employees to exercise.”

For more ways that you can make money for being active, check out:

Have you ever tried an app like Sweatcoin? Share your thoughts below or over on our Facebook page.

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