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Best Money Saving Apps
Swagbucks
18 ways to earn money – surveys, coupons, cashbacks + $5 sign up bonus
Up to 10% cashback from stores – Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, JCPenney
Most members can earn an extra $50 – $200 a month using Swagbucks
27 Money Saving Apps
Reduce Bills and Cut Subscriptions
Acorns
Acorns automatically invests your spare change with so-called round-ups after every purchase you make. You can also choose automatic investments set daily, weekly or monthly.
Portfolio is a mix of stocks and bonds developed by Nobel Prize-winning economist, Dr. Harry Markowitz. Its structure is assembled using Vanguard and BlackRock ETFs ; therefore, the monthly fee is only $1 for up to $ 1 million invested. You can choose between Conservative, Moderately Conservative, Moderate, Moderately Aggressive and Aggressive portfolios.
The latest feature is Acorns Later, which allows you to save for retirement. You can connect your IRA account and it costs $1 per month in addition to your Investment account. However, I would suggest using Personal Capital for your retirement tracking.
Betterment
Betterment is a clear leader among robo-advisors. The annual fees are only 0.25% of your portfolio – that ’s $25 for every $10,000 invested. No minimum investment required. There is even SIPC protection for up to $500,000.
It uses ETFs from about 12 asset classes. A great feature is goal-based saving, which allows you to set goals with different investment allocations.
For example, your retirement goal could be set with less risky investment allocation, while saving for a car could have a higher risk and potential higher returns.
The Tax Impact Preview tool warns you about potential taxes when you want to change your portfolio. Betterment automatically does tax-loss harvesting on taxable accounts. The Tax Coordinated Portfolio tool minimizes the tax burden of reallocating assets between retirement and savings accounts. Also, if certain ETFs perform better than others, Betterment rebalances free of charge.
Drop
Drop is an easy to use, intuitive app where you can earn gift cards as rewards for spending. Unlike many apps and platforms, Drop doesn’t care about the card you use. It simply allows you to compare merchants to find the best deals.
Once you connect a card, you can select five brands. These should be the places where you typically spend the most money. The list includes prominent brands such as Trader Joe’s with 1.2% cashback, 7-Eleven -1.6%, Target -0.8% and Uber -1%. Just bear in mind that you cannot change these after this point, so pick carefully.
All you need to do is shop with your linked card and you’ll earn points at your designated stores. Once you accumulate 5,000 points, you can exchange them for a $5 gift card.
Rocket Money
Rocket Money provides you a picture of your cash, credit and investment balances. You can track expenses, set monthly spending goals, and see what bills are coming. Rocket Money also categorizes your expenses and keeps track of the largest and most frequent ones . A convenient graph shows spending and revenue month by month.
According to CreditCards.com, 35% of consumers signed up for accounts that enrolled them in auto-pay without them realizing it. Rocket Money steps in and separates all your subscriptions into one list. Then you can decide on what should be canceled. Rocket Money also helps with the cancellation process.
With Rocket Money you will not overpay your bills as they provide a negotiation service. They even get you refunds when the internet goes down.
Last but not least is the ability to set savings goals. Once you set a goal, it tells you how much and how often to transfer, and how soon you will reach the target.
Trim
Trim uses bank-level security to connect to your accounts. Once connected, it analyzes your spending patterns to find ways it can cut your expenses. Then Trim negotiates phone, cable, internet, insurance and many other bills. Their partners are reputable companies such as Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner, and many others.
In addition to negotiating your bills, Trim also gathers all your subscriptions in one place and allows you to easily cancel any of them with a single press of a button. Or should I say single touch of a screen if you’re using a smartphone!
Trim can also get you a lower interest rate on a current credit card, waive interest charges, and get refunds on unfair bank fees. It also usually has some great cashback credit cards on offer – just make sure to always pay off your credit card bills before the end of the month.
For more strategies on how to reduce expenses and eliminate the unnecessary spending, read our recent article: Reduce Expenses – Take Back Control of Your Money.
Dosh
Dosh securely connects to your credit and debit cards. When you pay at any of 1000+ stores and restaurants, you get up to 10% cashback automatically. Cashback can be transferred to PayPal, your bank account or credit card and cashed out. Simple and straightforward.
Recently they launched Dosh Hotels, allowing you to book at any of 600,000+ hotels globally to get cashback on your accommodation. Useful if you travel a lot.
Rakuten
Formerly Ebates, Rakuten is an app that offers cashback when you shop using the Rakuten link. There is a list of stores with special deals such as buy one get one free, free shipping and free gifts.
Even if you don’t have a credit card, you can earn Rakuten cash back up to 15%. There is even a section for “In Store Cash Back”, so you can use Rakuten with available in store offers.
Rakuten offer new users a $10 sign up bonus. You can also earn $25 for referring family or friends.
Shopkick
The Shopkick app allows you to earn kicks or points for your in store and online shopping. There are several ways to earn kicks.
- Link a credit card: You can link a card and earn kicks automatically when you make a purchase using the card.
- Shopkick portal: If you’re shopping online, use the Shopkick portal to earn kicks automatically.
- Scan barcodes: When you’re in a store, you can scan the barcodes of items to see if there are any rewards. If you find a deal, simply submit your receipt after you’ve made your purchase.
- Check in: You can use the app and your Bluetooth to connect with locations and tailored deals. You’ll earn kicks just by checking in to these locations.
- Watch videos: You can also earn kicks by watching videos on the “Discover” tab.
Once you accumulate 500 kicks, you can redeem them for a $2 gift card. You can also redeem your kicks via PayPal.
Track Wealth
Personal Capital
Personal Capital serves as financial aggregator, allowing you to connect all your accounts: credit cards, bank accounts, investments, savings, loans, mortgage, assets and even retirement plans sponsored by your employer. Projection shows your future net worth and predicted retirement wealth. But what about savings? Actually , this app does not directly save you cash, but provides your financial snapshot, thus improving your money decision making. You may think twice before making another purchase once you see your financial wealth dip. A powerful tool, and free of charge as well.
Automate Investment
Robinhood
The entire premise of Robinhood is to make investing more accessible. This app provides access to commission free investment of stocks, funds, options and even cryptocurrencies.
You can also use the app to access learning resources to develop your investing skills. The Gold or premium subscription costs $5 per month, but it provides access to all the Robinhood resources.
What makes Robinhood most impressive is that there is no minimum investment. So, you can start to make investments with just a dollar or two without needing to pay hefty investment fees.
Stash
Stash is an all in one money management platform. This app allows you to bank, save, invest and learn in one place. Stash allows you to earn funds and stocks for making purchases using the platform.
This app allows you to make micro investments. You need just $5 to open a Stash investment account. There is also a Smart feature to automate your investments. You can expect returns of approximately 7%.
There are no hidden fees. But, there is a monthly subscription. If you want access to retirement investing tax benefits, it is $3 per month. You can also pay $9 per month to access investment accounts for your children and a debit card with double rewards.
Car Insurance (Carinsurance.com)
Another area of insurance where you can make serious savings is your car insurance. Carinsurance.com has been around since 2003 and provides expert advice on how to shop for the best auto insurance deal.
This platform has guides and easy to use calculators and tools to help you save money on your car insurance. There are several states where you can save the most per year on average by using this platform. These include:
- Michigan- $3,012
- PA- $2,497
- DC- $2,180
- Wisconsin- $2,111
- Kentucky- $2,014
However, you could save an average of $560 on your annual policy costs.
Phone Operator (FreedomPop)
These days a phone is considered essential. But, you can save money on your phone operator costs with FreedomPop.
This is a discount carrier offering reduced price handsets and data plans. It uses either the AT&T or Sprint network depending on your connection.
The plans include:
- Free unlimited texting and calling between FreedomPop phones
- Free international calls from 60+ countries
- WiFi texting and calling from anywhere
- Obtain a virtual number from anywhere
- Access to over 8 million hotspots around the nation
- Earn free data with partner offers and referring friends.
The plans start at just $9.99 per month. This creates the potential to save up to $1,000 per year.
Bank Account (Super Money)
SuperMoney is a great platform to get your finances organized and save money. You can:
- Explore your financial goals: Once you tell SuperMoney about your goals, the company will provide the resources and knowledge you need to help you work towards them.
- Compare products: SuperMoney allows you to compare services, features and rates of products from different providers, so you can make an informed decision.
- Obtain competing offers: You can complete just one form and obtain offers from multiple companies to find the best options.
SuperMoney is a free service and it only performs soft pull credit searches, so it should not impact your overall credit score.
Automate Coupons
Honey
Honey already has 10+ million users on Google Chrome with a 4.8 out of 5 stars rating. This app is phenomenal as it automatically finds the best coupon while you are browsing on the Internet. On average, their users save $ 126 per year, with an average discount of 17.9% per purchase.
In recent years Honey added Droplist – a function to add a product to the list and get notified once the price drops or a new coupon appears. With 30 , 000+ participating merchants, expect many automatic discounts.
Wikibuy
Wikibuy is a great app to save money on your shopping. You can find deals from your favorite stores, earn credits and compare prices on products. You can also use the app to find and apply coupon codes.
Essentially, the Wikibuy app searches the internet for coupon codes and great deals. In the last year, the platform has discovered $160 million+ in savings. The app features include:
- Universal Product Search- You can search online retailers or scan store barcodes.
- Price Drop Alerts: You’ll receive a notification when there is a price drop on an item you’re interested in.
- Redeemable Credits: You can earn credits as you’re shopping and then redeem them for gift cards.
DontPayFull
DontPayFull helps people to find products at the best possible prices in just a few moments. You can use this platform to find free coupons and promo codes for your favorite stores.
Some of the partner brands include:
- Amazon,
- eBay
- Walmart
- Best Buy
- Target
- Home Depot
- Macy’s
- GAP
- Nordstrom
- Sears
- JC Penney
DontPayFull also runs money saving challenges to motivate you to use deals and boost your savings.
RetailMeNot
RetailMeNot is one of the largest sites for finding discounts, promo codes and coupons. The main area of the site has a focus on non essentials such as eating out and clothing. However, there is also an everyday section with groceries and cleaning items.
The RetailMeNot app allows you to access all of these features directly on your phone. So, you can find money saving bargains when you’re out shopping or shopping online at home.
There is also a “Today’s Hot Deals” tab, where you can explore the latest coupons and deals.
Savings.com
Another money saving coupon platform is Savings.com. This platform offer promo codes and coupons to save cash when you’re shopping at your favorite online brands. You can use the app to browse through the ones you would like to use and then click to get the deal or reveal the code.
The Savings.com links will direct you straight to the retailer’s site, so you can immediately start shopping. You simply use the site as normal and then apply the discount code when you check out. If there is no code, the discount is applied automatically.
SlickDeals
Slickdeals has a community of more than 11 million people who share the best tips, tricks and deals. This platform can help you to find the lowest prices on almost everything from laptops to running shoes and Apple watches to coffee makers.
You can start to enjoy the slick deals by registering your account. This is a free process, but can immediately provide access to features to help you to maximize your savings.
The app provides deal alerts, breaking news about deals, up to the minute coupon codes and free giveaways.
ShopAtHome
Shop at Home (SAH) is a platform where you can find coupons, promo codes and cashback offers. There are also some surveys on the platform. But, its primary focus is on helping you to save money.
SAH is part of the same parent company that operates Swagbucks, so you can be assured that it is legit.
Once you sign up for your account, you can take advantage of the savings on the platform. You can earn cashback on clothing, groceries and practically any other item available at more than 2,000 stores participating in the program.
The percentage of cashback varies, but you can earn up to 6% at stores such as Walgreens and Target Optical. Other stores such as Walmart offer 1.5%. You can redeem your cash back via PayPal, check or Amazon gift card.
Automate Refunds
Paribus
Paribus tracks your confirmed purchases via email. If the price of something you bought online drops, they will help you get a refund.
Late deliveries can usually get compensation, so you get notified by Paribus if that happens. Paribus also tracks return windows, so you can always check how many days you still have left to return the item.
If you are wondering which retailers their system supports – Amazon, Target, Gap, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and many other major retailers. If you are wondering how much it costs – it’s free.
Automate Cash Back
Freebird
Freebird is an Android and Apple app where you can earn cash back for taking rides with Lyft and Uber. If you already frequently use these platforms, you could earn up to $0.50 per ride.
When you download the app, you can connect your Lyft and Uber accounts. You can then order your rides using the Freebird app. You’ll earn approximately 250 points for each ride you take.
After you accumulate 5,000 points, you can redeem your earnings for a $10 reward. Freebird also partners with restaurants and bars. So, if you take an Uber or Lyft to one of these places, you can earn a bonus of up to $5.
Qapital
Qapital can help you to make the most of your money and make wise saving decisions. The app allows you to set goals and rules, with innovative features like Payday Divvy, where you can divide your funds between saving and spending.
You can also participate in fun challenges or “money missions”, which can help you to gain insight to make smart investments. Qapital also has pre built investment portfolios.
Qapital provides a debit card, which you can use for online purchases for free.
The app is not free. There are three subscription levels; $3, $6 or 12. However, you should be able to save far more than the subscription cost to make overall gains.
Home Insurance (Lemonade)
Another potentially costly area where you could save money is your home insurance coverage. Lemonade takes a new approach to insurance with super low rates and a transparent insurance model.
Lemonade offers homeowners and renters insurance, with policies for coops and condos.
Basic policies have coverage for:
- Theft,
- Damage,
- Personal liability
- Loss of use.
This company is completely digital with a fast and transparent platform. Users have reported up to 85% savings by switching to Lemonade.
Life Insurance (Gerber Life)
Life insurance provides financial reassurance should anything happen to you or your loved ones. However, you don’t need to break the bank to pay for your coverage. Gerber Life offers life insurance for adults and children with short term and whole life coverage.
The main benefit of Gerber Life is that you can check if you’re overpaying with your current provider. This will allow you to check how much you can save.
Gerber Life has an agent app, which can provide quick quotes for insurance professionals to help save you money right now.
What Benefits Do Money – Saving Apps Provide?
Money-saving apps automate the saving process and make it much easier to manage.
The main benefits of money-saving apps include:
- Cutting subscriptions you don’t use.
- Paying bills regularly, thus saving time.
- Negotiating the best deals on your bills.
- Applying coupons when you shop.
- Negotiating refunds after purchases.
- Compensating for late deliveries.
- Giving cold, hard cashback.
- Investing your spare change.
- Budgeting your income and expenses.
- Saving money for retirement.
Which Money – Saving App is For You?
I suggest downloading most from 27 apps, as they all provide different features and benefits. The only choice you will need to make is between Acorns and Betterment. But, then again, both apps are great for starting your money-saving journey.
Let me know in the comments below which app is your favorite. Do you have any other suggestions?