Discovery Vitality reward points requirements lowered during this time of social isolation

Not everyone is in love with exercising like me and many people need a little extra motivation to get themselves into it. That’s where reward programs like Discovery’s Vitality come in handy as they incentivise you for achieving your fitness goals and encourage many people to get off their sofas and go to the gym…and then just sign in, leave and return to the sofa. Yes, while there are a few cheats to the system, the majority of people have found those precious Vitality points and weekly rewards as a welcome motivator to get out and keep fit (yes, it essentially means Discovery is rewarding you so that they have less risk in needing to pay out what you pay them for, but no one said good business is noble).

The problem here though is that with the current restriction around sports events and social distancing it means that people no longer have events to train for (I’m already suffering withdrawal symptoms) and are trying to avoid the gym which means that people are able to work out less than before. Something which makes it difficult for many to now achieve their fitness goals and buy that precious weekly smoothie.

Thankfully, Discovery has realised this and as a result has announced that they will be dropping the maximum number of people required to achieve weekly fitness goals from 900 to 700. Something which many people should welcome as it now makes it that tad bit easier to earn their reward without needing to run circles in the backyard too much. Even more so if you have purchased a fitness device through them and want to ensure that you don’t need to pay it back.

Now not everyone needs to earn those amounts of points to earn their reward as the Vitality program starts people off at a lower points level and builds them up as they achieve higher fitness levels. The change will not apply to these lower levels, but only those, like me – because apparently, I run too much – who need to achieve that maximum points level to gain their rewards.

Discovery has also dropped the requirement to go to the gym a set number of times every month to keep a member’s discount, while the requirement to go for a Vitality health and fitness check to remain at rewards level has also been dropped. 

That is not all though as Discovery has also announced plans to introduce more rewards that cater for online purchases In this age of isolation so that if you don’t want to brave outside to get a smoothie or coffee, you can still reward yourself in some way with an online voucher. It’s not just Discovery though that is offering to make life easier during these difficult times, gym partner Virgin Active has also dropped its 50% of a monthly membership fee to pause a membership, or membership freeze, and will now allow all members to freeze their accounts free of charge. 

It’s great to see two companies come to the party to allow people to try and stay fit and healthy, but also be sensitive to the social restrictions in place. And for me to be able to run in peace with quieter roads for a change. After all, training for the zombie apocalypse should never stop.

Last Updated: March 20, 2020