If you haven’t put your phone to work saving you money, what are you waiting for? Hundreds of apps are available to help you deal with everyday expenses such as groceries and utilities. You can even use your phone to sweep up the pennies and dimes you’d otherwise lose on simple transactions and invest them for you. Don’t merely use your smartphone or tablet to post social media updates or browse the internet; use it to keep a little more cash in your pocket. Here are five great ideas for an app to save money on bills.
1. Ibotta
Ibotta is available for both iOS and Android, and it can help you save real money when you’re shopping at grocery or retail stores or hunting for bargains online. You can use Ibotta to save real money whenever you’re buying things such as food items, clothing, electronics, or even wine and beer. When you’re shopping in stores, you can earn instant savings or cash back on thousands of common items. You’re usually required to use the Ibotta app to take a photo of your receipt and scan the item’s barcode to get the process going. If you shop online, you can do so through the app and earn instant savings and cash back there as well.
2. Acorns
How often do you lose track of the change you throw into your pocket after purchasing something at the convenience store? Well, if you download the Acorns app onto your iOS or Android device, you can put the loose change to work making money for you. Acorns links to your debit card or cards; whenever you use those cards to make a purchase, the app rounds the transaction up to the nearest dollar and transfers the remaining change into an investment account. You can choose from a variety of account types, depending upon your investment goals and risk tolerance. Instead of accumulating beneath your sofa cushions, your spare change can start earning you a healthy return.
3. Mint
One of the best ways to save money on bills is by paying closer attention to your finances, and Mint can help. Mint, available on Android and iOS, makes it simple to keep track of everything you’re spending, saving, and investing. The app links to all your financial accounts, such as your checking, savings, and credit cards, and then pulls the data from these accounts into an easy-to-understand visual dashboard. You can use the app to gain a greater understanding of the money you have, as well as how you’re allocating it. You can also use Mint for budgeting your money and keeping track of your savings goals better. Mint will track your bills as well as when they’re due. You can even use Mint to keep track of your credit score.
4. Qapital
If you need some sort of fun incentive to help you save money and get your bills paid, you’ll like Qapital. This app, which is available on both iOS and Android devices, helps turn saving money into a game. You can set saving goals and then triggers for saving for them based on simple tasks or activities you do each day. For example, if you’re saving for a new electric vehicle, you can set Qapital to transfer a small amount of money into a savings or investment account every time you fill up your current car with gas. As you become more adept at using Qapital to meet your financial goals, you can “level up” and take on challenges set by the app’s money experts to improve your financial situation.
5. Twine
Twine is a good app to help save money on bills because it allows you to collaborate with your significant other. This innovative app, which is available only for iOS devices, allows you to set a financial goal with someone else, and then let’s both of you work together to achieve it. For example, you could both decide to save your money for something, such as buying a car or making a property tax payment. Then, you can both allocate money on your own into a designated account to start saving towards that goal. You have a few different types of accounts to choose from based on the type of yield you’d like to achieve. Twine also lets you both track how much you’re each contributing towards the goal and how close you are to meeting it.
Get Your Finances in Line
Your phone and other mobile devices can be powerful tools to help you improve your financial situation, especially if you download these useful apps. Each app to save money on bills listed here can help you save money on bills and gain greater situational awareness on where all your money is going. Some of these apps even make dealing with your finances fun. Download these apps when you get a chance and see if they can work for you.
