Top 3 Reward Apps for Cyclists in the UK

The top 3 reward apps for cyclists in the UK are Edge Rewards, Love to Ride and Vitality, because all three count the ride itself rather than only your steps. Edge Rewards is our own programme and launches in November 2026, so if you want something live today, Love to Ride is free and Vitality suits riders who already have an eligible plan.

Here is the problem. Most reward apps count steps, and pedalling does not look like walking to a phone or a watch, so a long Sunday ride can leave your step count barely higher than a day at your desk.

One thing up front. We make Edge, and Edge Rewards is not live yet. So we have shown our criteria and tried to be fair to the other two. Details for the other apps were checked in October 2026 and can change.

What makes a reward app good for cyclists?

We ranked on five simple questions, in this order of importance.

• Does a ride count as a ride? The app should reward the session itself, by time, distance or as a workout, not only your steps.
• Does every ride earn? A commute, a club ride and a winter turbo session should all be able to count.
• What do you actually get? Real products rank above digital badges, although badges still have value.
• What does it cost to take part? Free to join ranks above anything that needs you to buy a separate product.
• Can you use it in the UK today? This is where our own programme loses marks, and we say so plainly below.

How do the top three compare?

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

Why is Edge Rewards number one?

First, the honest part. Edge Rewards is our own programme and it is not live. Founding members on the waitlist get early access from Sunday 1 November 2026, and everyone else can join from Saturday 7 November 2026. This ranking is based on how it is set to work. If being live today matters most, skip to number two.

On the other four questions, though, it is built the way cyclists tend to want. Edge Rewards is a free rewards programme inside the Edge app. Members will earn 1 point for every minute of any logged workout, up to 50 a day, plus 2.5 points per 1,000 steps, up to 25 a day. The combined daily cap is 50 points. So a 30-minute ride earns 30 points before your steps are added, and an easy spin earns at the same rate per minute as a hard hill session.

Any logged workout counts, including manual entries and rides imported from Strava, Apple Health, Garmin and Coros. That means a winter session on the turbo trainer counts in the same way as a ride outside, as long as it is logged. Our guide on whether Edge Rewards works with Apple Watch, Garmin and Strava explains the syncing in more detail.

Points will be spent in an in-app marketplace on real products from partner brands. Expect a mix of free items and discounts across categories such as coffee and drinks, gels, snacks and bars, protein and supplements, and apparel and gear. As a rough guide, about a week of training earns a free coffee.

Everyone earns and redeems for free. Edge Pro, which starts from £19.99 a month with a free 7-day trial (you add a card to start it), earns faster with Double XP, has no daily cap, and unlocks exclusive prizes and secret offers.

There are catches worth knowing. Points reset to zero at the end of each calendar month, so they are for spending, not hoarding. On the free tier, a long weekend ride earns the same 50 points as a 50-minute one. And until launch day, all of this is a plan, not a track record.

Why is Love to Ride second?

Love to Ride is the option on this list built purely for people on bikes, and it is free and live in the UK today. Lots of councils and workplaces use it, and anyone can sign up.

You can log rides through its app in the background, by syncing Strava or Garmin, or by adding them by hand. During its challenges, your riding turns into points, and points turn into prize draw entries. In Cycle September 2026, for example, each mile earned 1 point and each day you rode earned 10, and every point counted as an entry. Prizes in its campaigns have included bikes, kit and holidays, and local council challenges often add their own prizes too.

Badges, goals and workplace leaderboards make it especially good for commuters. It sits second because the reward is a chance to win, not a guaranteed product, and the big prize draws are tied to set challenge windows. Cycle September has now finished, so check for the next challenge before you count on a prize.

Why is Vitality third?

Vitality is one of the best-established UK programmes that rewards real exercise, and it is live right now. If you already have an eligible plan, it may be the best option on this list for you today.

At the time of writing, a ride counts as a heart-rate workout. Record 30 minutes or more with a linked tracker and an average heart rate of at least 60% of your age-related maximum, and you earn 5 activity points. An hour at that level, or 30 minutes at 70%, earns 8. There is a limit of 8 activity points a day and 40 a week, and only your best activity of the day counts.

Reach 12 activity points in a week and you can choose rewards, such as a hot drink. Three steady 30-minute rides a week would usually get you there.

It is third because of the cost of entry. You need an eligible Vitality insurance plan, which is a decision about insurance, not cycling, so it makes most sense if you already have cover through work or your own policy. Targets and rewards vary by plan, so check your member area for current details.

Which apps just missed out?

None of these are bad. They simply answer a different question.

• Strava challenges. Free to join, with distance and climbing goals in set windows. Finishing usually earns a digital badge, and some sponsored challenges add a discount code or prize draw entry. Some exclude indoor trainer rides or manual entries, so read the rules.
• BetterPoints. A free app that runs local programmes with councils and transport bodies in parts of the UK, such as West Yorkshire. Cycling earns points alongside walking and public transport, which you can swap for high-street vouchers or donate to charity. It missed the list only because it depends on where you live, work or study. Our BetterPoints vs Edge Rewards comparison goes into more detail.
• Step-counting apps, such as Sweatcoin and WeWard. Free and live in the UK, and a fine background earner if you walk a lot. But pedalling is not stepping, so a ride on its own usually adds little or nothing.
• Zwift. Indoor riders earn an in-game currency for riding and spend it on virtual bikes and wheels. Great motivation on the turbo, but the rewards stay inside the game, and Zwift is a subscription service.

Which one should you pick?

• You already have an eligible Vitality plan. Link your tracker and record your rides with heart rate.
• You want something free today and you commute by bike. Sign up to Love to Ride and join its next challenge.
• You want every ride, indoors or out, to earn towards real products. Join the Edge Rewards waitlist and start in November.
• You want all of it. These stack. Rides recorded on Strava or Garmin can sync to Love to Ride and import into Edge, so from November one ride can count in more than one place.

If you run as well as ride, our ranking of the top 3 reward apps for runners in the UK uses the same criteria. Edge treats running, strength and HIIT as one plan, and every logged session, rides included, will earn towards Edge Rewards in the same way.

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