15 Apps and Websites to Help You Save Money at Checkout
Shopping—whether online or in-store—need not put an unnecessary strain on your hard-earned finances.
Apps and websites are an easy approach for savvy shoppers to spend less: from discovering deep discounts to redeeming dollars in the form of cold-hard cash or gift cards.
Read on to learn more about the best cash-saving apps and sites to keep as much cash as possible in your pocket when you next reach the checkout.
Shoppers should remember just one cashback program can work per purchase, meaning consumers should best select just one and stick with it.
Ibotta (iOS and Android)
Ibotta is the popular app promising to generate cashback on groceries, clothes, travel and so much more.
The app allows shoppers to earn real money every time they complete a "task".
These can range from sharing items of interest on Facebook, participating in a poll, to simply watching a clip online.
Any pending cash is then transferred to your bank account, which can be accessed once a product is purchased from one of Ibotta's 50 retail partners.
Shopkick (iOS and Android)
Described on its site as "the fun and easy way to earn free gift cards for shopping," Shopkick is suitable for shopping both online and in-store.
This popular money-saving app allows users to earn reward points, or "Kicks," from several activities.
Best of all, some of these options you do anyway; from visiting a physical store, buying eligible items and watching clips online.
Completing straightforward tasks can save a few bucks through gift cards to discounts for retailers including Amazon, Starbucks and Target.
Capital One Shopping (Chrome and Firefox)
Capital One Shopping is the popular plugin app that automatically applies coupon codes for free.
Android and Apple users can also download a mobile version of the application.
But Capital One Shopping stands out from the competition because it offers supercharged saving features beyond simply coupons.
Navigating to the intuitive-to-use website offers options to shop by store or purchase the product for savings and points to be redeemed for gift cards on a wide range of products.
Honey (iOS and Android)
Honey bills itself as the site for saving both time and money by helping users discover coupon codes from more than 30,000 websites.
Once the add-on is installed as a web browser, Honey can then automatically apply relevant coupons to a cart at checkout.
As a result, this will save much of your valuable time searching the web to simply save a buck.
And arguably Honey's best feature is when shopping on Amazon, the app can inform users whether a seller elsewhere offers the item cheaper.
CamelCamelCamel (iOS and Android)
CamelCamelCamel is the peerless price tracking tool for online retail giant Amazon.com.
Via the CamelCamelCamel site or browser extension, users receive access to charts and details of price history for almost every single product available for sale.
Because Amazon prices can frequently fluctuate, the ability to compare up-to-date prices offers obvious advantages to getting a great deal today.
Rakuten (iOS and Android)
Rakuten is considered one of the most popular shopping portals around because the site offers up to 40 percent cashback on purchases at thousands of partner stores.
There are no complicated points to worry about, just a simple percentage cashback program on any eligible purchases.
Rakuten offers a browser extension, eliminating the need for users to remember which stores work for which discounts.
Cashback Monitor (iOS and Android)
This site tracks cashback rates for a wide range of cashback programs.
Consequently, savvy shoppers should certainly consider visiting this app prior to completing any purchase, to maximise their chance of making some significant savings and rewards.
RetailMeNot (iOS and Android)
RetailMeNot app users can enjoy more than 200,000 offers—including more than 19,000 in-store coupons and 24,000 deals on restaurants.
Billed as the "easy way to save on the go," the money-saving app allows users to browse coupons and deals on an incurable range of popular retailers.
RetailMeNot saves the coupons you wish to use for easy access and users will also receive notifications for coupon expiration dates.
There is also no need to concern yourself with actually printing the coupons—simply show your phone at checkout.
SnipSnap (iOS and Android)
Coupon app SnipSnap removes the need to ever again arrive at a store armed with a book of discount vouchers.
But what sets SnipSnap apart from the competition is how the app allows users to photograph physical coupons from several retailers.
This nifty trick lets SnipSnap digitise these pictures into mobile-friendly versions.
And users can also peruse the online directory and discover which coupons friends have "snipped".
Grocery iQ (iOS and Android)
Grocery iQ offers those who download the app to stay on-task and avoid impulse purchases.
The amazingly detailed grocery shopping list platform allows users to both build grocery lists by searching through the millions of products in Grocery iQ's database and use both voice recognition or barcode scanning.
Grocery iQ also boasts a store locator feature that offers coupons.
This app is therefore particularly useful for time-poor people or those simply wishing to rein-in their grocery budget.
Groupon (iOS and Android)
This popular app allows users to search, purchase and redeem Groupons directly from their smartphone.
Incredible Groupon deals can see users save as much as 90 percent on everything—from restaurants to stores and hotels.
Users can search by location to discover diverse deals nearby, meaning Groupon is excellent for those stuck in a rut and wishing to try out new things.
LivingSocial (iOS and Android)
LivingSocial lets app users gain hand-held access to a surprisingly wide range of great deals.
Simply search for amazing discounts in your area to receive alerts on exciting local events.
The app is also an easy way of saving cash on hotels, restaurants and many more places and events.
Such discounts are not only great ideas for gifts; users can receive an event for free if a discount is shared via social media.
Amazon Local (iOS, Android and Kindle Fire)
This app is an incredible way to discover Amazon-level deals while on the move.
One of the best features about Amazon Local is the app's ability to search for deals, allowing users to buy them directly from their smartphone at the touch of a button.
Amazon Local also lets users set specific preferences, allowing the app to understand what offerings you are most likely interested in purchasing.
And as an added incentive to download the app, there is zero need to print coupons or vouchers—saving time and any unnecessary paperwork in the process.
Military Cost Cutters (iOS and Android)
Military Cost Cutters is the must-have app for members of the U.S. military and their families.
This free application allows veterans to find military-friendly businesses in their area offering discounts for their service to the nation.
Military Cost Cutter users can search by city, state, and zip code for the best results.
And another of the app's helpful features is the ability to leave comments on the experience.
BestParking (iOS, Android and Blackberry)
Spotting affordable parking, especially when travelling from out-of-town to shop in-store, is both notoriously stressful and can hit you hard in the pocket.
BestParking will help you avoid parking garage rip-offs by suggesting the closest and cheapest parking options available.
And in line with their promise for accuracy, any inaccurate pricing report can be remunerated with a $5 Starbucks gift card.
GameFly
Gamefly is widely recognised by gamers around the world as an excellent money-saving resource.
Users of the app-to-use app can browse, rent, pre-order, or purchase their favourite games at competitive prices.
And in addition to learning the latest in video games news, users can even earn GameFly rewards and use coupons to save extra cash.
One of the most popular features is Game Of The Day, which highlights a free or discounted game every day.
