A new wellness scheme aims to encourage more people to visit health clubs by offering rewards such as rebated gym membership, cinema tickets and itunes vouchers in exchange for being active.

Fettle works in partnership with UK insurance companies and their clients, seeking to pass on the insurance savings made from healthier living back to the policyholder. In addition to the incentives, it pays Active Rewards Credits tiered up to 100 per cent of a person’s monthly insurance premium for regular workouts verified via an activity tracker or partner health club.

The company’s co-founders – Brent Kelly and Stuart Hodgson – believe Fettle can help boost the number of people taking gym memberships by offering added health incentives to an audience they say falls outside of the 13.7 per cent of the UK population currently tied to a health club.

“It’s a revolution in active rewards and it will dramatically impact the way in which members engage with their own fitness journey,” said Brent Kelly, CEO at Fettle.

“We’re rewarding people for going to the gym by paying for their membership if they are healthy and active, so we’re reaching a new audience of people who are signing up to life cover, health insurance and critical illness cover – most of which will not already have a gym membership.”

Paid for either through a company wellness scheme or individually by a health insurance policyholder, Fettle membership starts from £3.30 per month (on top of the insurance premium) and provides tiered rewards equivalent to up to £115.08 for those attending the gym four or more times per week. The company says it spends more than £1m per month on active rewards and is currently seeking more partners to help provide activity incentives.

“In essence the model works like this: The choices you make affect your health more than you think,” added Kelly.

“If you stop smoking, watch what you drink or eat, or exercise regularly, you’re less likely to get ill – and less likely to make a claim on your insurance. That means it costs us less to look after you. So we can pass those savings back to you.”

Both employee wellness and reward schemes for activity are coming into greater focus as the imperative to promote healthier lifestyles continues to grow. Last year saw the launch of a physical activity loyalty card (PAL) scheme in Northern Ireland to boost exercise among at-risk employees in the public health sector who need to lead more active lives.