With the average person now spending more time on their smartphone than sleeping, it’s time to put your much-loved gadget to good use and load it up with these useful money saving apps.
Inflation is only just beginning to fall, with some way to go before the Government target of 2% is met, and the cost of groceries, electronics, holidays and travel is continuing to rise. So these handy apps can really make a difference when it comes to making your money go that little bit further. And as these money-saving apps are free, you've got nothing to lose!
Money-saving apps to check out
Trolley.co.uk
Seen as a replacement to the popular MySupermarket app, which closed in 2020 after 14 years, Trolley.co.uk claims to be the UK's fastest-growing grocery price comparison app. It searches supermarket brands such as Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Boots, Aldi, Waitrose and B&M and highlights deals where there are savings to be made.
Customers can search for Daily Deals at specific stores, such as a 40p reduction on McVitie's Milk Chocolate Digestives at Asda, or £1 off Gillette shaving gel at Waitrose. There is also a Today's Top Deals section showing savings on the same product across many different retailers, such as Nivea Q10 Anti-Wrinkle serum – £15 at Sainsbury's but £8 from Amazon at the time of writing. The app is available via Google Play or Apple's App Store – you can find the same information on the Trolley.co.uk website.
LatestDeals.co.uk
Available on app via Google Play or Apple's App Store, or on its website, Latest Deals says it has three million members looking for bargains, vouchers, freebies and competitions. Founded in 2016 by Deepak Tailor, Tom Kelsey and Tom Church, Latest Deals looks at offers across many different shopping categories, including books, fashion, food and drink, travel, music and technology.
There's a handy browser extension to search out the latest retailer discount codes as well as an Amazon discount finder, and you can create Deal Alerts to be the first to find out about discounts and offers.
CheckoutSmart
Get cashback on your in-store grocery shopping with this app. All you have to do is buy a product that is featured on the app, snap a copy of your receipt and get money back, paid directly into your bank or via PayPal. The app features cashback on plenty of everyday products from popular supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, ASDA, Waitrose, Co-op, Ocado, Boots, Iceland, Spar, Superdrug, Marks & Spencer, Aldi and Lidl.
At the time of writing, offers on the website include £2 cashbask on Illy coffee at Tesco, a free Peperami Chicken at Asda and Sainsbury's and a free Rockstar strawberry and lime drink at Co-op.
Where cashback is available on a specific product, you have to buy it at the stores stated on the app to be able to claim it. Apply this to your shopping basket every week, and you’ll be amazed at just how much your rewards could add up to – you could save hundreds of pounds a year simply by shopping smarter. Available on Google Play or Apple's App Store.
PriceSpy
PriceSpy compares the price of electricals, beauty products, toys or computers from 6,100 retailers. You can search for an item you want to buy and it will find you the cheapest retailer. For example, if you’re looking to buy running shoes, PriceSpy shows at the time of writing that a pair of Asics Women's Kayano 30 trainers is currently £86.40 at Amazon but available at Runner's Need for the full price of £180, a saving of almost £100. Meanwhile, a Gtech Air Ram Mk2 cordless vacuum cleaner is £229.99 at Gtech but just £179 at Currys, a saving of just over £50.
Sometimes the price difference of products can be significant, so this really is a handy money saving app. You can also set up product alerts, and maybe buy from your wish list when there is a price drop. Available on app via App Store or Google Play or on the PriceSpy website.
Vouchercloud
One of the oldest money-savings app around, Vouchercloud has been sharing vouchers and discount codes with its customers since 2009. The range of retailers is impressive, across travel, transport, home furnishing, fashion and hospitality, including TUI, AA, Morrisons, Currys, easyJet, Dunhelm, UberEats and John Lewis. The app provides users with voucher codes for various retailers and restaurants, allowing you money off or meal deals.
You simply find an offer and show the code on your phone to staff, so you don't have to worry about printing off vouchers before you head out for a meal or worry about missing discounts when not shopping online.
If you’re eating out, the app features discounts at popular chains such as Pizza Hut, Prezzo and Domino's – current offers include 50 per cent off Domino's and 2 for 1 on meals with Ask. If you put location settings on, it will show you nearby deals, which is handy if you don’t know the local area well. The app, available on App Store or Google Play, also features offers for online shopping.
