30+ Money Apps You Need to Use Right Now

Even though you probably have a lot of money apps you’re already using, there are probably many you’re already taking advantage of. So many choices are out there, including really useful money saving tools where it doesn’t take you much effort to save a few bucks.

If you do a quick online search, you’ll probably find a lot of stuff for folks south of the border. Good for them, but what about us Canadians?

Well, no need to fret anymore. There are lots of free money making and saving apps listed below you can start checking out (and using).

Budgeting and Organization

Budgeting doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, there are many apps which you can track your money on the go. That way, you can see exactly how much you left before your next paycheck and there’s literally no excuse. There are lots of free options that link up your accounts so you can see spending in real time. For example, Mint helps you create a budget that works for you. You also get to see what you owe alongside money you actually have in the bank. Wally is another great option, both for iOs and Android and you can even take a picture of your receipt or your records.

Another interesting (paid) budgeting program that can help you stop living the paycheck to paycheck cycle is You Need a Budget. How this app is different is that you budget according to last month’s paycheck, so you’re not spending money you don’t have. You’re also forced to give every dollar a job, meaning that every single dollar needs to do something, either as savings, investments, bills or towards a goal.

If you want to keep records for your business, Wave is a great app that’s for free which can help you with having less clutter. All you need to do is scan your app and it’ll sync to your budgeting app. If you’re juggling expenses among a group of people, Tricount is a great choice. All you and your group has to do is to enter what they paid for and the app will calculate how much you owe each other to keep on track.

Aside from budgeting, you can use a bunch of different apps to pay for goods and services. The most obvious one is Paypal, which you can use at places like eBay and other online shopping portals. If you go to retail stores in person, you can use things like Apple Pay and Google Pay. It’s super convenient because you don’t need to necessarily carry your credit and debit card and your money is safely stored until you authorize the payment.

Keeping track of your credit score should definitely be part of your money management plan, as it’s important to understand where you stand. Mogo is an app that provides you with a free credit score, keep track of possible identity theft and even keep track of your spending. You can also use another app called Amazier that sends a reminder when your bills are due. These money apps for budgeting will help you get your money organized and you can keep track of it 24/7 when you’re on the go.

Travel

Ah, to lie on a beach 365 days of the year. If you can afford to do so, great!

For the rest of us, we can still keep onto our hard earned money with some money saving apps. If you’re looking to drive to your next holiday destination, you don’t need to wander aimlessly risk paying too much for gas (tourist traps anyone?) because Gas Buddy is there at your rescue. You can search in the area you’re in and it’ll give you a list of locations of gas stations as well as their prices. You simply choose best one for your needs. In fact, Gas Buddy is so useful that you can use it even when you’re not travelling.

If you’re flying instead, consider checking out Hopper, which can help you save money. What you do is enter the dates you want to travel, and the app will tell you the best days to fly. It’ll also give you a recommendation on whether to book now or wait until prices go down, though it’ll tell you when is the last possible date you can book before prices really go up. And when you get to your final destination, make sure you check Hotel Tonight, which will search last minute hotel deals so you can score some serious savings. All you have to do is enter your phone number when you get to the site to download the money saving app, do a search and book your hotel from there.

Other great money apps for travel include Groupon and Living Social. You can search for things to do where you’re travelling. Sometimes you can score discount tickets, tours and even hotel rooms. Keep in mind that some your purchase may come with restrictions, so check your fine print. Even if you’re not travelling, you can still check out what there is in your local area using these two apps. Aside from tourist activities, you can find things such as discount services, like facials, oil changes and even teeth cleaning.

If you have a ton of rewards programs and can’t seem to keep track of them all, Award Wallet is a great app you can use. Once you register, all you do is enter in your rewards account and this app will keep track of it for you, as well as all your travel itineraries.

Making Money

Yup, there are some money making apps that are so simple to use. First, if you haven’t considered being an Uber driver yet, this may be the time to do so. You can earn a decent side hustle and the schedule is super flexible. As in you can work whenever you want. When you download the app, you can pick up riders from the map and see how much you’ll make.

Even if you’re not interested in being an Uber driver, you can save money using this app. Instead of trying to catch a taxi, you can save a few bucks using the Uber app. If you want to save even more money, you can share a ride with a few people.

If you have a car and don’t feel like driving people around, you can think about renting it out via Turo. This is great for those who don’t use their car a lot, and it’s a great way to earn some money on the side. All you have to do is list your car, and you can keep track on the app when someone requests to rent your car. If you want to rent a car yourself, you can also use the app to find a car for much cheaper than a standard rental car company.

On that same vein, renting out your home (or part of it) can be another great way to earn some extra cash. You can list your room or home for short term rentals on AirBnb. You can keep track of vacancies, feedback and your listing via the app. Otherwise, you can always stay at an AirBnb listing, since it’s usually much cheaper than a hotel.

Another way to earn some money is through investing. Passive income anyone? If you don’t know what it is already, robo advisors are companies that help you automatically invest your money in a portfolio that aligns with the risk tolerance you choose. These money apps are great for those who are looking to invest their money and don’t want to spend a ton of time to do so.

Two great companies you can look into are Wealthsimple and Questrade. They each have different types of accounts which you can look into. For example, Questrade has an option where you do your investing independently or have someone help you out. There are many other options so you can find the best choice for you. If you like investing in businesses, you can look at Lending Loop, which is a peer to peer lending platform where you can invest in businesses and you earn interest on your loan.

In addition to any of those apps, another to consider is Mylo, which rounds up your daily purchases and invests the spare change in a portfolio. Once you download the app, you just link your credit and debit cards and the app will track your spending to determine how much to invest.

Money Saving Apps for Shopping

Who loves paying bills? I certainly don’t. However, Paytm actually rewards you for paying your bills on time. Once you download the app (use referral code PTM6504663), you can see all your bills in one place. They link up with over 5000 companies, so you’re bound to find yours. When you do, you can choose to either pay in cash, bank transfer or with a credit card. You’ll be reminded when they’re due so you’ll never forget. Once you do, you earn points in which you can redeem for cashback offers.

As for other types of expenses, groceries can be really expensive. Yes, you may not have time to flip through flyers to see grocery store specials and even digging for coupons. Well, you can just download some great apps so you can get an overview of all the stores near you. For example, Flipp, Rebee and Save.ca are great apps you can download to view flyers and sync specials with your shopping list. All you do is enter in your location and the app will pull up all the stores near you. Save.com even has a section where you can search for coupons, saving you even more money.

Speaking of coupons, there are some apps that can help you save time when it comes to clipping coupons. As in, you don’t need a pair of scissors to do your heavy lifting. With these couponing apps, all you need to do is to look at what coupons you want and save it on the app. Then you scan your receipt once you purchase the item and you’ll get cash back. Once you reach a certain threshold, you can then withdraw the money via Paypal. So check out Checkout 51, Caddle and Zweet to see what goodies you can score.

Rewards App

If you’re drooling at the cashback options from grocery shopping, where there are more ways to earn rewards with these apps. Those who like to go online shopping will love Drop which is a super convenient way to earn rewards for the shopping you already do. All you need to do is link your credit or debit card to the app and go shopping as usual. Whenever you use your linked card at any participating retailer, you earn points for that purchase. You can then use these points towards gift cards. If you happen to be a loyal Starbucks customer or you certain grocery stores (like ones that offer the PC Optimum program), then stack those rewards together!

Speaking of gift cards, have you signed up for Swagbucks yet? You earn points simply for doing things like fill out simple surveys, watching videos, doing online searches and even playing games. Once you have enough points, you then redeem them for gift cards or merchandise.

Another app to consider is called Carrot Rewards. This app actually rewards you for making healthy choices like walking a certain number of steps. You can recruit friends to do the same and you can earn more points collectively if you complete challenges within the app. These points can then be redeemed towards other rewards programs such as Aeroplan, Drop and Petro Canada.

For those who rather get plain cash back, Ebates is a good choice. All you need to is great a free account and log in before shopping at any online retailer. Find the store you plan on shopping at, and click on the link via Ebates. You’ll then earn cash back and then can redeem it after a certain threshold.

If you have any recurring subscription, Butter is another great app to consider. Once you download the app, you can then link up all your subscription services in one place. You can then keep track of what you paid, and Butter will reward you with 1% cash back, as well as exclusive deals only members can access.

Which of These Money Apps Will You Use?

It seems like there are a lot of options to choose from, and that’s because there is! Knowing that, not all of these apps are totally appropriate for your situation or your lifestyle and that’s ok. Even if you want to try all of them out, it’s probably a good idea to download a few at a time and then get more as you go along. After all, there’s only so much room on your smartphone, right?