There are things you should know about me:
- I’m a cheapskate
- I’ll do anything for a story
So you can bet I’d be up to try a brand-new app that promises to pay me to walk around (not that this is much of a stretch for me–I walk all over the place anyway).
But with Sweatcoin (that’s the app), the stakes were higher. You see, Sweatcoin pays users real, usable digital currency for every step you take. At least, that’s how they market themselves. As soon as I heard of the idea, I was hooked. I had to try it; it seemed too good to be true.
So I downloaded Sweatcoin and started walking. I had already read in a review that Sweatcoin only counts steps taken outdoors. Their algorithm cannot analyze indoor steps yet. “Fair enough,”I thought, and set out on a very long walk that would have taken about ten minutes via public transport.
As soon as I got to my destination, however, I was bitterly disappointed to see a mere 500 steps logged. The app only pays per 2,000 steps taken, and the outcome is a measly 1 Sweatcoin at that.
I quickly realized I would have to change my strategy.
After some more research, I learned two things–The app does not count steps if you force quit it (that is, you swipe out of the app to close it). It must always be running in the background, which is quite the drain on battery and data. Secondly, the counting is pretty faulty, as many other reviewers have confirmed. Even when my app is running as I’m doing other things, it sometimes won’t count my steps properly… Although sometimes it will. More often than not, I just keep it open on my screen; otherwise, I’m constantly checking paranoid that it won’t work.
Despite the fact that I was hitting my goal of 10,000+ steps each day in Sweatcoin, I wasn’t earning much. This was due to both miscounts as well as the fact that a standard profile limits you to earning five Sweatcoins a day. This is minuscule when considering items in their marketplace start at 5 coins, but normally sit in the tens or hundreds.
Speaking of marketplace, Sweatcoin does not currently allow users to convert their coins to crypto or fiat currency (but what a dream that would be). It’s in the works according to their site but hasn’t happened yet. The only exception is a marketplace option of a $1,000 Paypal payout, which costs 20,000 Sweatcoins.
As soon as I saw that, I was nearly done, ready to dismiss the whole scheme as rubbish.
But then… I found out about the 30-day upgrade trials that Sweatcoin offered. Upgrades boost your profile status and therefore maximize your earning ability. The current options are Shaker (allowing earnings of 10 coins a day), Quaker (15), or Breaker (20) with one additional upgrade to come.
Of course, I chose to test out Breaker, and boy have I capitalized on it. So as to not let my brief trial go to waste, I started fully taking advantage of the upgrade. It may be winter in Melbourne, and I may have an abundance of bikes and public transport options literally on my doorstep, but I don’t care. I’d be damned if I didn’t make the most of this opportunity, so I’ve been walking EVERYWHERE.
My friends think I’m crazy, but I’ve earned almost 100 Sweatcoins in a week. Who’s laughing now?
Now, I don’t know how I’ll use my coins. Nothing in the marketplace (which includes Fitbits, meditation apps, and workout clothes) strikes my fancy. I’m hoping I can just hold on to my coins until a full cryptocurrency exchange is available, then I’ll covert them to Etherium and strike gold. But for now, I guess I’ll just keep on walking.
Have you tried Sweatcoin? Share your experience below!
Also by Quincy: Going Vegan In Japan? What You Need To Know About This Tofu & Mochi Wonderland
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Photo: Screenshots by Quincy Malesovas, Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
