Garmin Badges vs Edge Rewards

Garmin badges and Edge Rewards reward you in different ways: Garmin badges are free digital awards that build towards a level inside Garmin Connect, while Edge Rewards, launching in November 2026, will turn your logged workouts into points you can spend on real products. Because Edge syncs with Garmin, you do not have to pick one, and the same run can count towards both.

Edge Rewards is our own programme and it is not live yet, so everything below about it describes how it will work at launch. We have kept the Garmin side factual and fair, based on how Garmin describes its features at the time of writing.

What are Garmin Connect badges?

Badges are small hexagon-shaped awards that live in the Garmin Connect app. You earn them for things you do on your Garmin watch or bike computer, and for a few things you do in the app itself. There are badges for running, cycling, strength, yoga, steps, general activity and health, plus some for using Connect features, such as creating a workout.

There are well over 100 to collect, and new ones appear over time. A few types are worth knowing:

• Milestones: big moments such as your first 5K or a marathon recorded as a single activity.
• Repeatable badges: some can be earned again, and many have several levels, so the badge steps up each time you earn it.
• Streak badges: Goal Getter badges reward hitting your daily step goal many days in a row.
• Limited-time badges: these can only be earned on a set day or in a short window, such as recording an activity on New Year's Day.

How do Garmin points and levels work?

Every badge carries points. Collect enough and you move up a level in Garmin Connect, and Garmin says levels range from level 1 to level 10. Harder badges are generally worth more points than easy ones, so a long-distance milestone counts for more than a quick feature badge.

Your points also place you on a leaderboard with your Garmin connections. The higher levels take much longer to reach, which is part of the appeal for keen collectors: there is always another badge to chase.

How do Garmin Connect challenges work?

Challenges are the other half of the system. Garmin posts badge challenges in the app each month. You opt in and join each one, then hit the target within the challenge window to earn that challenge's badge. The line-up changes from month to month, so it is worth checking back.

You can also set up challenges with your connections, such as a steps challenge over a weekend or a week, and follow the leaderboard as it moves. Menu names vary between app versions.

Do you need Garmin Connect+ for badges?

No. The standard badges, levels and monthly challenges are part of the free Garmin Connect app, and when Garmin launched Connect+ in March 2025 it said all existing features in Garmin Connect would remain free. You will need a compatible Garmin device to earn most badges, since they are built around the activities you record on it.

Garmin Connect+ is Garmin's optional subscription. At the time of writing it costs around £6.99 a month or £69.99 a year in the UK, and Garmin offered a 30-day free trial at launch. Among other premium features, such as AI-driven insights, it adds exclusive badge challenges and frames for your profile. Garmin's own example was a Running Climbs challenge: record 500 metres of total ascent across a month of running. Some reviews also report bonus points on certain badges for subscribers.

What are Garmin badges good at?

• Collecting: a long list of badges to work through, with levels that show your progress over years at a glance.
• No extra effort: record your activity as normal and the badges arrive on their own.
• Variety: badges for strength, yoga, steps and health, not just running and cycling, can nudge you to try something new.
• Consistency: streak badges reward showing up day after day.
• Friendly rivalry: leaderboards and challenges with connections add a bit of fun and accountability to an ordinary week.

What do you actually get from a Garmin badge?

Garmin badges are digital. You get the badge on your profile, the points towards your next level and a place on the leaderboard with your connections. For lots of people that is plenty, and a full badge collection is a satisfying record of years of training.

If you would also like your training to add up to something you can use in real life, that is the gap Edge Rewards is built to fill.

What is Edge Rewards?

Edge Rewards is a free rewards programme inside the Edge app, built around one simple idea: get rewarded for moving. It is our own programme, and it is not live yet. Founding members on the waitlist get early access from Sunday 1 November 2026, and the public launch is on Saturday 7 November 2026.

Instead of badges, you will collect points. You spend them in an in-app marketplace on real products from partner brands, a mix of free items and discounts, in categories such as coffee and drinks, gels, snacks and bars, protein and supplements, and apparel and gear. The rewards are gifted by partner brands, and everyone earns and redeems, on the free app or Edge Pro. As a rough guide, about a week of training earns a free coffee.

How will you earn Edge points?

• Workouts: 1 point per minute of any logged workout, up to 50 points a day.
• Steps: 2.5 points per 1,000 steps, up to 25 points a day.
• Daily cap: the two add together, up to 50 points a day for free members. Anything over the cap does not roll over.
• Monthly reset: points reset to zero at the end of each calendar month, so spend them before the month ends.

Any logged workout counts, whether it is a run, a ride, a strength session, a HIIT class or a mobility session, and whether you enter it by hand or import it from Garmin, Strava, Apple Health or Coros. Points are counted by the minute, not by pace, so a gentle 30-minute jog earns the same as a fast one. You do not need a watch at all, since manual entries count too.

Edge Pro members, from £19.99 a month with a free 7-day trial, earn faster with Double XP, have no daily cap and get exclusive prizes and secret offers.

How do Garmin badges and Edge Rewards compare?

Prices and features change, so check each app for current details. Accurate at the time of writing.

Can you use Garmin badges and Edge Rewards together?

Yes. Edge syncs with Garmin, and workouts imported from Garmin will count towards Edge Rewards. Nothing about your Garmin set-up changes: you keep your badges, your level and your challenges, and Edge adds points on top. Here is how a normal day could look once Edge Rewards is live:

• You record a 40-minute run on your Garmin. It adds to your Garmin stats and can count towards a running challenge you have joined.
• The run is imported into Edge, where it earns 40 points.
• Add 4,000 steps across the day for another 10 points, which takes you to the free daily cap of 50.

These numbers are examples to show how the rules work, not a promise of what any one person will earn. For a full walkthrough of which devices and apps feed in, read our guide on whether Edge Rewards work with Apple Watch, Garmin and Strava. If you also post your runs to Strava, our comparison of Strava challenges vs Edge Rewards shows how its badges fit alongside, and if you switch between watches, see Apple Watch awards vs Edge Rewards.

Which one suits you?

• Garmin badges on their own suit you if you love collecting, you already own a Garmin, and digital milestones are all the motivation you need.
• Garmin Connect+ may appeal if you want extra badge challenges and Garmin's other premium features on top of the free app.
• Edge Rewards suits you if you want your training to add up to real products, you mix runs with strength and HIIT, or you do not always wear a watch.
• Both together make sense if you already train with a Garmin. Your badges keep coming, and the same workouts earn Edge points too.

How do you get early access to Edge Rewards?

Joining the waitlist is free and gets you founding-member early access from Sunday 1 November 2026, six days before the public launch on Saturday 7 November. In the meantime, connect your Garmin to Edge so you are ready on day one.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, pregnant, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.