Magazine

The Top 5 Money Saving Apps of 2020

Posted on the 04 November 2020 by Suprabhat Mondal @moneygossips
The Top 5 Money Saving Apps of 2020

Unless you have a lot of stock in a hand sanitizer corporation and/or GrubHub, there is a good chance that COVID-19 hasn't been particularly kind to your wallet. You're certainly not alone. According to Forbes predictions, the coronavirus pandemic will cost the U.S. economy upwards of $8 trillion.

There is never a bad time to save some extra money, but given the personal finance woes of most of the country, the time to really dig in and find some ways to pinch pennies is right now. Apps have been responsible for many, many "new normal" upgrades, from ordering food at your favorite restaurant to tracking COVID cases in a given area, and using them to save a few bucks is a great idea! Here are 5 money-saving apps we think you should check out this year.

Joy

How many times have you pulled a pair of pants out of the laundry and found a dollar in the pocket? Few things result in the same amount of unexpected joy as that bonus pocket cash, and that's right where the Joy app gets its name. The free app can be easily set up in unison with your credit cards and bank accounts to track your spending, and more often than not, the app will find unspent money that you can, in turn, add to a savings account every month (or spend now, if you need to help combat the coronavirus shortcomings). You can also set up an external account and have the app automatically transfer your money every time it reaches a certain threshold.

Qapital

Qapital takes a bit more initiative than Joy, but it's still an app developed to help you save money without really changing up your habits or daily budget. Qapital has a few different mechanisms that you can utilize, but their most popular is the function in which users can program the app to automatically round up any transactions under a given amount, and save the amount that was rounded up into an account that can be transferred. All transactions on the app are insured by the FDIC.

Tip Yourself

Just as your company uses business analytics to boost its revenue, this passive money saver is based on an analysis of your own habits, and you "pay" yourself for good ones. For example, you can make goals trackable by your phone that are as silly and simple as calling grandma, setting an alarm 20 minutes earlier than normal, or timing how long you played basketball or danced, and, if programmed as such, the app will start to draw money (your own, of course) as you continue to do your everyday tasks. A good motivator and a good way to save some money.

Acorns

This app is similar to Tip Yourself, in the sense that the investments are always very small, but they do, indeed, add up. It also offers a round-up feature like Qapital, meaning you can watch your small investments grow pretty quickly. Where Acorns separates itself from those others mentioned, however, is in its partnerships. A couple (of many) examples of Acorns partnerships include percentages that get added back to your Acorns account any time you AirBnb, or "free money" from Blue Apron when you sign up to invest via money in your Acorn account.

Digit

Digit is the app on this list for the slightly more polished savers, but with the good that it offers, it does utilize a subscription business mode l, but most monthly plans start as low as $5. Well worth it, by most peoples' accounts, and here is what that $5 gets you: an algorithm that calculates your spending habits and income, and a separate checking account insured by the FDIC. Similar to a "real" savings account, your Digit account also accrues a 1% annual bonus paid out every three months.

Add Them Up!

Though a couple of these apps are a bit similar, all (and others not mentioned) offer slightly different perks, and depending on your habits, income, and desire to save, there is definitely something that can help you start saving tomorrow. And for many, 2 or more of these tools make it even easier and more efficient.


Back to Featured Articles on Logo Paperblog