Fitness tracker
Which health insurer pays for a fitness tracker or smartwatch?
Only through the bonus.
No insurer pays for a fitness tracker or smartwatch as a benefit. But with some insurers you can use a bonus you have earned through check-ups and courses as a subsidy for the device.
Author: Jan Ortgies · As of 11 November 2026 · If a switch comes about through our comparison, we receive a fee from the new insurer, not from you.
For everyone
What applies in principle
- Not a benefit
- Trackers and smartwatches are everyday items, not a health insurance benefit.
- Bonus programme
- Every insurer has a bonus programme. You earn a bonus for check-ups and vaccinations, usually for certified courses too.
- A bonus for sharing data?
- In the view of Germany’s Federal Office for Social Security (BAS), which supervises the nationwide insurers, insurers may not make a bonus conditional on using fitness apps or transmitting fitness data (2020 circular). Simply counting steps is not enough under it. For regionally active insurers the state supervisory authorities are responsible; we have not looked into how they handle it. With app offers, read carefully which data you are sharing.
Subsidy
How the subsidy comes about
- Bonus as a subsidy
- Some insurers let you use the bonus you have earned as a subsidy for a tracker or smartwatch. The device then normally belongs to you.
- Read the conditions
- Watch for deadlines, the proof required and whether you need to submit the receipt.
- Tax
- Under the Income Tax Act, bonus-programme rewards of up to €150 per insured person per year do not reduce the tax deduction for your health insurance contributions (Sonderausgabenabzug). Anything above that normally counts as a contribution refund. This is general information, not tax advice. For your own case, ask a tax adviser or a wage-tax assistance association (Lohnsteuerhilfeverein).
- Before switching insurer
- Have your bonus paid out before you switch, if you can. We found no entitlement to have the new insurer take over your points.
- Check in the comparison
- In the calculator below, pick “Rewards Program Cash Bonus” under “Selected benefits”. You then see, for the insurers listed there, whether and up to what amount they contribute according to the calculator. Whether you can use the bonus for a tracker is not shown there; the insurer can tell you. Only the insurer’s own information is binding.
Other benefits
What else does the insurer pay?
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does public health insurance pay for a smartwatch?
Do I have to give the insurer my fitness data?
What earns a bonus?
What does your help cost?
This page is general information based on our own research, without guarantee, and does not replace individual advice, legal or tax advice, medical advice or information from your insurer. Which voluntary benefits an insurer pays is set out in its rules and can change.
Sources: § 65a SGB V · § 33 SGB V · § 10 EStG · Federal Office for Social Security: circular of 2 April 2020 (German)
Why is the comparison free?
The comparison and advice on statutory health insurance cost you nothing. If a switch comes about through us, we receive remuneration from the new health insurer – not from you. Your contribution is the same as if you switched directly with the insurer, and you enter into no obligation.
for the comparison
You don't have to cancel your old health insurance yourself. Your new insurer handles the entire cancellation. You just briefly tell your employer which insurer you're switching to – the new insurer then sends them the membership certificate (Mitgliedsbescheinigung) electronically.
The entire switch happens online. No public office, no fax, no waiting room. Your membership application takes just a few minutes to submit online.
All statutory health insurers open nationwide are obliged to accept members – with no health check and no waiting period. Company health insurers (Betriebskrankenkassen) may be restricted to certain groups of people.