The NHS is about to start paying people to walk. Well, rewarding them: NHS England has announced Movement 26.2, a "marathon a month" challenge that asks people to walk around 30 minutes a day and earn badges, vouchers and discounts for keeping it up. As a UK-founded company built on exactly this idea, we have opinions. Here is everything confirmed so far, what is still unknown, and how to get rewarded for your walking without waiting for the launch.
What is Movement 26.2?
Movement 26.2 is a nationwide challenge from NHS England, announced as part of the government's 10 Year Health Plan. The maths behind the name: walk roughly 30 minutes a day, every day, and over a month you cover about 26.2 miles, the distance of a marathon. Log that distance and you become eligible for rewards through a new NHS Points Scheme.
The scheme is being built with two people who know this territory well: Sir Brendan Foster, the Olympic medallist who founded the Great North Run, and Sir Keith Mills, the inventor of Air Miles and Nectar. Foster's pitch is refreshingly plain: "I'm known for running, but the ambition here is far simpler. I just want people to walk."
The reason the NHS cares is blunt. Physical inactivity is associated with one in six deaths, and around a quarter of the UK population is classified as physically inactive (less than 30 minutes of moderate activity a week). Foster's headline stat: someone who walks 30 minutes five times a week could gain up to four extra years of healthy life.
How the challenge will work
- The target: around 30 minutes of walking a day, adding up to roughly 26.2 miles a month. Reports suggest it is your monthly total that counts, not an unbroken daily streak, though the design borrows deliberately from "streak culture".
- Tracking: you log activity through a smartphone, smartwatch or online. If your phone already counts your steps, you are most of the way there.
- Rewards: digital first (badges and streak milestones, in the mould of Duolingo and Strava), then medals, T-shirts, shopping vouchers and discounts as the scheme matures.
- Who pays: the NHS funds the platform's setup, but not the prizes. Rewards will be funded by corporate sponsors and philanthropic partners, which is why no retailers have been named yet.
- Scale: the initial goal is more than 100,000 participants, with GPs and health staff encouraged to promote it to patients.
When does it start?
Early 2027. NHS England has said the challenge launches "early next year", and full details, including how to sign up and which reward partners are involved, are expected in the coming months. Until then there is nothing to register for; be wary of any third-party site claiming to take NHS sign-ups now.
Our take: the NHS just validated the whole idea
We will be honest about our bias here. Fitcoin is a UK-founded app built on the same premise the NHS has now put at the centre of a national health campaign: people move more when moving is rewarded. Streaks, points, tangible rewards for consistency. It is genuinely encouraging to see the country's health service arrive at the same conclusion, and with Air Miles-grade loyalty expertise behind it.
The one gap worth flagging is the same one we point out about every step-based scheme: walking is the floor, not the ceiling. A 30-minute walk is a brilliant baseline for the inactive quarter of the population the NHS is targeting. But a gym session, a swim, a run or a fitness class represents more effort than a stroll, and a distance-only challenge cannot see any of it.
That is the gap Fitcoin was built for. It connects to Apple Health and Google Health Connect and reads everything your phone and watch already record (steps, structured workouts, heart rate and active energy) into one daily FitScore, which converts into brand discounts and free items in the rewards marketplace. Walkers earn from day one; people who train earn for the training too.
How to get rewarded for walking right now
The NHS scheme is months away, but the habit it wants to build is available today, and because every app in this category reads the same activity data from your phone, nothing you start now conflicts with joining Movement 26.2 later. A sensible setup for a UK walker in 2026:
- Fitcoin for rewards on all your movement: walks, workouts, runs and classes, converted into brand discounts and free items you can claim in days or weeks.
- A cash step app such as WeWard or Winwalk if you want small cash or gift card payouts for steps alone. We ranked them in the highest paying walking apps.
- The 30-minute habit itself. If you want to be ready for the NHS challenge, start now: a lunchtime walk, an earlier bus stop, an after-dinner loop. By launch day the streak will already be second nature.
UK readers can also see our full guide to getting paid to walk in the UK for everything available here today.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NHS Movement 26.2 walking scheme?
An NHS England challenge asking people to walk around 30 minutes a day, roughly 26.2 miles a month, the distance of a marathon. You log activity via smartphone, smartwatch or online, and completing the challenge earns rewards through an NHS Points Scheme: digital badges first, then vouchers, discounts and merchandise.
When does it start?
Early 2027, with sign-up details and reward partners to be announced in the coming months. The initial target is more than 100,000 participants.
What rewards will the NHS give for walking?
Digital badges and streak milestones at launch, with medals, T-shirts, shopping vouchers and discounts planned as corporate sponsors come on board. The NHS itself will not pay for the prizes; partners will fund them.
Can I get rewarded for walking before it launches?
Yes. Fitcoin rewards your walks and workouts today via Apple Health and Google Health Connect, and step apps like WeWard and Winwalk pay small amounts for steps. They all read the same activity data, so using them now will not stop you joining the NHS scheme later.
More on earning for movement: how to get paid to walk in the UK, the highest paying walking apps, and the best apps that pay you to walk and exercise.
About the author: Harris Khan is the founder of Fitcoin. He studied at Loughborough University and has more than 15 years of personal experience across strength training, bodybuilding, Muay Thai, and general fitness. Fitcoin was built from the belief that real training should count, not just step totals.