When you go green during your commute to and from work, you save on gas and wear and tear on your vehicle. You reduce your carbon footprint. If you choose to bike, you improve your fitness.

A healthier lifestyle means a healthier you.

As good as all of that sounds, MidPenRideShare offers something more tangible to entice you to carpool, use public transit or bike to work. (Even telecommuting counts!) You’ll earn rewards in the form of discounts and freebies at places you regularly eat, shop or spend money for services or recreation.

The more trips you log, the more rewards you reap, but just downloading the MidPenRideShare app at the App Store or on Google Play and filling out a short profile gives you 1,000 points to instantly redeem. Add a photo to your profile and you’ll increase your points. Imagine how many rewards you can earn by amassing points when you start logging actual trips.

When we say rewards, what are we talking about? The app spits out 1,760 discounts that relate to dining, activates, shopping, services and online savings.

A sampling of just a few from each category:

Dining

• -25% off regular menu price orders at papajohns.com
• -25% off your total bill at The Cowboy Sports Grill in Yorktown
• -Free breakfast/lunch entrée with purchase of same at National Pancake and Waffle House in Williamsburg
• -25% off the total bill at Tuscany Ristorante Italiano in Newport News
• -20% off the regular price of any catering order of $100 or more at The Honey Baked Ham Company

The dining rewards also include all sorts of free items at Rally’s and Bubba N Frank’s, discounts at Guy Fieri’s Pizza Parlor and other restaurants all over Hampton Roads. With 518 dining rewards, we can’t list them all here, but you can find them under “Rewards” on the app.

Activities

• -20% off any Laser Tag Party at Tagtime Mobile Laser Tag in Yorktown
• -A free round of golf when you buy a round at Family Fun Center in Yorktown
• -Buy one, get one admission at Langley Speedway
• -As many as 10 games at 50% off during open bowling at Spare Times in Hampton
• -Buy one, get one admission at Cozzy’s Comedy Club & Tavern

As many as 175 activities come up under Rewards. Check out what you can do at a discount!

Shopping

• -$10 off a purchase of $50 or more at Sherwin Williams in Yorktown
• -$10 off the purchase of $89 or more at Rack Room Shoes in Gloucester
• -40% off any regular-priced item at JOANN Fabric and Craft Stores in Newport News
• -20% off a purchase of $100 or more at Yolanda’s on Main in Gloucester Village
• -50% off your first month’s payment at Aaron’s in Gloucester

The app lists nearly 400 shopping discounts or freebies.

Services

• -Budget Truck rental discounts
• -10% off any color at Class Act Salon in Hayes
• -Firestone Complete Auto Care discounts
• -20% off oil changes at Texaco Xpress Lube
• -Eyeglass discounts from America’s Best
• -Paint on Pottery discounts
• -Tire Discounts

More than 650 service discounts are offered on the app.

Online

Save when you make purchases online from Land’s End, Elizabeth Arden, Blue Sky Vitamin, Scosche, Keurig, Nautica, Crocs, LifeStride, Harry & David, Finish Line and more.  As many as 24 discounts are listed under online rewards.

Rewards are constantly evolving, so pay attention to expiration dates and location-specific coupons. Keep logging and keep saving money while contributing to your health and the overall environmental wellbeing of the Middle Peninsula.