Top 5 Ways to Get Rewarded for Exercise in the UK

Being rewarded for exercise used to mean a fitness tracker telling you well done. In the UK today there are several genuinely different routes: perks bundled with health insurance, workplace wellbeing schemes, gym loyalty rewards, step-counting apps, and Edge Rewards, our own programme launching in November. They cost different amounts, reward different kinds of activity and suit different people. This guide explains each type, ranks them, and shows how to combine them.

How did we rank them?

We asked four simple questions of each option:

• Cost to join. Is it free, or do you need to buy something first?
• What counts. Does it reward all kinds of exercise, or only steps or gym visits?
• Reward quality. Are the rewards things you would actually use?
• Access. Can most people in the UK use it, or does it depend on your job, insurer or gym?

A quick note on fairness. Edge Rewards is our own programme, so we have tried to be upfront about where it wins and where it does not. The biggest catch is simple: it is not live until 7 November 2026. Everything else is based on what each type of scheme offered at the time of writing. Details vary by provider and change often, so always check the current terms.

What are the top 5 ways to get rewarded for exercise?

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

1. Why is Edge Rewards top if it is not live yet?

Edge Rewards is a free rewards programme from Edge, and yes, it is our own. It launches publicly on Saturday 7 November 2026, with founding-member early access from Sunday 1 November for people on the waitlist. It is not live yet, so everything here describes what it is designed to do.

Here is how it will work. Members earn up to 50 points a day: 1 point for every minute of any logged workout (up to 50), plus 2.5 points for every 1,000 steps (up to 25), with a combined daily cap of 50 and no roll-over. Any logged workout counts, whether it is a run, a strength session, a HIIT class or a long walk. Manual entries count, and so do workouts imported from Strava, Apple Health, Garmin and Coros. Points reset to zero at the end of each calendar month.

You spend points in an in-app marketplace on real products from partner brands, a mix of free items and discounts. Think categories such as coffee and drinks, gels, snacks and bars, protein, and gear. As a rough guide, about a week of training should earn a free coffee. Everyone earns and redeems for free, and Edge Pro members earn faster with Double XP, have no daily cap, and get exclusive prizes and secret offers.

Why first? It is the only option here that is free to join and rewards every kind of training equally, not just steps or gym check-ins. If your week mixes runs, lifting and HIIT, all of it counts. The honest downsides: you cannot use it until November, and because points reset monthly it rewards steady consistency rather than saving up. Our line is simple. Get rewarded for moving.

2. Could your employer already reward you for exercising?

This is the option people forget. Many UK employers offer a wellbeing or benefits platform, and it often includes something activity related. Common features include discounted gym memberships at corporate rates, team step challenges with prizes, wellbeing apps, and the Cycle to Work scheme.

Cycle to Work is worth a closer look if you ride or want to start. It lets you spread the cost of a bike and safety kit for getting to work through salary sacrifice, so the cost comes out of your pay before Income Tax and National Insurance. That can mean a sizeable saving, though the exact amount depends on your tax band and your employer's scheme. Some employers also link their staff health cover to an activity rewards programme, so check for that too.

The upside: it is often free to you and may already be sitting unused in your benefits portal. The limits: whether you get anything depends entirely on where you work, the self-employed usually miss out, and rewards are often tied to steps or gym visits rather than your training as a whole. Your next step is easy: search your benefits portal for wellbeing, gym or cycling, or ask HR.

3. Are health insurer reward schemes worth it?

The best-known example in the UK is Vitality, which runs an activity rewards programme alongside its health and life insurance. Based on its published information at the time of writing, members earn activity points for things like tracked steps, workouts and visits to partner gyms. Hitting a weekly points target unlocks rewards such as a free or discounted coffee or cinema ticket, depending on the plan. Staying active over time can lift your status, which can unlock better partner discounts and, on some plans, affect what you pay at renewal. There is also a well-known watch offer, where activity points can reduce your monthly instalment.

Other UK insurers offer wellbeing perks too, such as gym discounts and health apps, though fewer appear to tie rewards so directly to weekly activity.

The catch is eligibility. These rewards generally come with an eligible insurance policy and its monthly premium. If you want private health or life cover anyway, the perks are a genuine bonus. If you only want to be rewarded for exercising, taking out a policy just for the perks is a much bigger commitment. That is why it ranks third rather than higher.

4. Do step-counting apps actually reward you?

Step apps count your daily steps and turn them into points or a digital currency you can spend on vouchers, discounts and digital items, or donate to charity. Sweatcoin is the best-known, with several others working in a similar way. They are usually free to download, with some offering optional upgrades.

The good: anyone with a phone can start today, and a visible step count is a nice nudge to walk a bit more. The limits: only steps count, so a 45-minute strength session or an indoor HIIT workout barely registers. The value per day also tends to be modest, and the better rewards often need a lot of saving up. Treat them as a small bonus on your walking rather than the main event.

5. Does your gym have a loyalty scheme?

Some gym chains reward regular attendance. At the time of writing, for example, Virgin Active's weekly rewards give members a choice of a voucher for a free drink, a vending machine item or tier points for hitting a weekly visit goal, which starts at two visits and can rise to four. Some local leisure centres run their own loyalty cards too, and many gyms offer a discount for referring a friend.

If your gym has a scheme, it costs nothing extra and rewards you for showing up, which is the habit that matters most. It ranks fifth because it is the narrowest option: only visits to that gym count, so outdoor runs, home workouts and classes elsewhere earn nothing, and whether you get one at all depends on your gym.

Can you combine more than one?

Yes, and that is often the smartest approach. A realistic stack might look like this: a discounted gym membership through work, an insurer scheme if you already hold an eligible policy, a step app on your phone for daily walking, and Edge Rewards logging every workout once it launches. Because Edge imports from Strava, Apple Health, Garmin and Coros, the same session can count without logging it twice.

One word of caution. Rewards are a nudge, not a training plan. If chasing points starts to change how you train, step back. The goal is a balanced week of running, strength, HIIT and mobility that you can keep up, with rewards as a pleasant extra.

Which one should you start with?

• You want something today: check your employer benefits first, then try a step app.
• You have, or want, private health cover: look at an insurer scheme and make sure you actually use the perks.
• You train in lots of ways: join the Edge Rewards waitlist for early access from 1 November.
• You belong to a chain gym: ask whether it runs a loyalty or visit reward scheme.

What should you check before signing up to any scheme?

• What counts: steps only, gym visits only, or every kind of workout?
• What it costs: is it free, or tied to a policy, membership or upgrade?
• What the rewards are: would you genuinely use them?
• Whether points expire: and how quickly you can reach a useful reward.
• What data you share: read the privacy settings before linking your watch or phone.

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.