Money saving apps are an excellent way to shop without breaking your budget. I love shopping, but it can be really hard to stay within my budget. Even with apps, I challenge you to spend money within your monthly budget. Just because something is on sale, doesn’t mean you need to buy it.
I wish these apps were available when I was in college. Don’t get me wrong! I’m not *that* old. I had a smartphone with apps, but somehow the only money saving app for shopping I can recall is the Target Cartwheel app, which doesn’t even exist anymore!
Thankfully, there are now plenty of apps we can use to save money when we buy things like groceries or new clothes.
If you need help saving money, here are some helpful articles:
21 Essential Tips to Show You How to Save Money Every Month
14 Life-Changing Tips Showing You How to Make a Savings Plan
Check out the list below for some of the best money saving apps for shopping
1. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is an interesting app that offers “Swagbucks” in exchange for completing surveys and interacting with their app. Then, the points are then used to redeem free gift cards!]
Each survey only takes a few minutes and they are a really easy way to earn Swagbucks. You’ll have lots of Swagbucks in no time at all!
2. Honey
I’ve been using Honey for several years and I love it!
Honey is a browser extension that you turn on whenever you plan to shop. Basically, when are making an online purchase, Honey will search for deals or coupons that can be applied to your online purchase. The app doesn’t always find a coupon, but when it does, it’s amazing! It’s a very easy way to quickly search for money saving coupons online.
You can also earn rewards points, called Honey Gold, which can be redeemed for gift cards. You earn Honey Gold by signing up for accounts with certain websites or referring your friends to Honey.
3. Shopkick
This is another fun and easy way to earn rewards points while shopping. Simply download the app onto your phone. While you’re shopping at participating stores, take photos of barcodes of purchased items and your receipts. In some cases, you get points just for walking into the store! Just make sure the app is open.
When you collect enough reward points (a.k.a. kicks), you can redeem them for gift cards. 250 kicks are equivalent to about $1, but considering that you don’t necessarily need to buy anything to get some kicks, it’s definitely worth it! There are some people who have purchased tickets to Disneyland or expensive jewelry by saving up their kicks.
4. Capital One Shopping
This is also a browser extension that searches for discounts while you are online shopping. It conveniently compares all kinds of deals for the items you are shopping for and syncs to your smartphone so, all the deals in your browser also appear on your phone.
You also receive rewards to unlock special offers. If you shop at certain stores with a Capital One card, you may also get deals if the card is linked to your account.
One of the best parts is that there are no fees associated with this app!
5. CamelCamelCamel
CamelCamelCamel is a free Amazon price tracker that alerts you when prices drop. This is an amazing price tracking app if there is something you need to buy on Amazon.
The browser extension is really simple to use. All you need to do is go to an Amazon product page. Then click the Camelizer extension. The extension will show you pricing information over the past 1-6 months. It also allows you to set up the desired price alert.
For example, if you are trying to buy a product that currently costs $45 and you see in the history that this product was recently on sale for $38, you can set your price alert to $40 and click “save.” If the price ever drops to $40 or less, the app will send you an alert email.
6. Ibotta
If you use the Ibotta app or browser extension to purchase items, you will instantly get cashback on those purchases. This app is pretty simple to use. All you need to do is select a retailed, add offers to your account and submit your receipt after you make your purchases. Then you can expect to get cashback in about 24 hours.
You can also receive discounts on gift cards purchased through the app. So, if you are considering buying a gift card as a present, you may as well buy the gift card through Ibotta to take advantage of their discount program.
7. Rakuten (formerly Ebates)
Rakuten is an affiliate marketing website that works by directing buyers to Rakuten’s partners. If you purchase items through Rakuten, the company will receive a commission off the sale from the seller and sends a portion of that commission back to the buyer once a quarter.
This is an easy and free app that you can use to save money today!
8. SnipSnap
This coupon app allows users to take photos of coupons to find digital copies or create digital copies of that coupon. The coupons can then be used in the store and shared with other SnipSnap users.
Users can also report whether coupons worked. Keep in mind that some coupons are limited to specific stores, so coupons may not always work at your location.
This app helps eliminate the need to cut out coupons and bring them to the store with you.
10. Checkout 51
This is an app that will give you cashback on items that you purchase in-store. Every Thursday, the app is updated with new offers that you can browse and favorite. After you purchase those items in-store, take a photo of your receipt, and the app will scan the photo and give you cashback! You can redeem your money once you collect at least $20.
This is a very simple way to find deals on items that you would be purchasing anyway!
11. ShopSavvy
This app allows you to scan barcodes on any item. Then, the app will search for online comparison prices, product reviews, and deals. There is also a browser extension that you can use for online shopping with your computer. This app helps simplify comparison shopping by searching prices for you and displaying them on a user-friendly interface.
We have discussed 11 of the best money saving apps for shopping! I hope this help you save money on items you would purchase anyway! By using tools like these amazing money saving apps for shopping, you can easily find deals and discounts that will help you stay within your budget!
Let me know which of these apps are your favorite!