Terms of Service

1. The agreement

By creating an account or using the Earnest app you agree to these terms. If you do not agree with them, do not use the app.

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into a contract where you live.

2. What Earnest is

Earnest is a fitness accountability app. You commit to a goal - a daily step target across a set number of days, or being at a place by a time - and you name the amount you would pay if you do not keep it. That amount is what the name refers to: an earnest is money put up to show a commitment is meant.

It is a commitment you make to yourself, not a game of chance. There is nothing to win: no pot, no payout, no odds and no chance element. The only thing in question is whether you did what you said, which depends on you alone. Nothing in the app is a bet or a wager.

3. How money works

This is the whole of it:

• Joining a challenge charges you nothing. We save a payment method; no money moves and no authorisation hold is placed.
• While a challenge runs, you owe nothing.
• If you keep your goals, you are never charged. Nothing was taken, so there is nothing to give back.
• If you miss your goals, the amount you chose when you joined is charged once, after the challenge settles, to the payment method you saved.
• There is no pot and no payout. Amounts charged for missed goals belong to us; nothing is distributed to other players, and finishing a challenge earns you no money.

A participation settles once. We will never charge you twice for the same challenge, and we will never charge more than the amount you agreed to.

You must keep a valid payment method on file for any challenge you are in. If a charge fails we may retry it, and we may prevent you joining new challenges until it clears.

4. Trackers and step data

You choose which tracker a challenge reads from when you join it, and you are responsible for keeping that tracker working, worn and syncing.

We score challenges from the step data your tracker reports to us. We cannot score days that never reached us. If your tracker fails, tell us before the challenge settles and we will look at what your device recorded - but do not wait until after settlement.

Manipulating step data - shaking a device, using a machine, or falsifying a check-in - is a breach of these terms. We may void the participation and close the account.

5. Your account

You are responsible for what happens on your account and for keeping your sign-in secure. One person, one account.

You can delete your account at any time from Account settings. Deleting while a challenge is running does not cancel a charge you have already incurred.

6. Acceptable use

Do not use Earnest to harass other players, post anything unlawful in a challenge feed, attempt to break or overload the service, or access it by any means other than the app itself.

We may remove content and suspend accounts that do any of these.

7. Health

Earnest is not a medical service and gives no medical advice. Walking more is not right for everybody at every moment. Talk to a doctor before starting a challenge if you have any reason to, stop if something hurts, and do not chase a step goal at the cost of your health. A charge is a smaller problem than an injury.

8. Availability and changes

We work to keep the service running but we do not promise it will never be unavailable. We may change or discontinue features, and we may change these terms - if we do, we update this page and tell you in the app before the change takes effect for challenges you are already in.

9. Liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, Earnest is provided as it is, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses. Nothing here limits liability we are not permitted to limit, including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud.

Where we are liable, our total liability to you is limited to the amounts you were charged through the app in the twelve months before the claim.

10. Ending this agreement

You may stop using Earnest and delete your account at any time. We may suspend or close an account that breaches these terms. Charges properly incurred before an account closes remain payable.

11. Contact us

Questions about these terms, or a charge you do not recognise: support@earneststakes.app. Write to us before you dispute a charge with your bank - we would much rather fix it directly.