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Money-saving apps make it easy for you to pinch your pennies. They offer a range of tools and strategies to take the hard work out of setting savings goals, managing your spending and setting money aside. So if you find the right money-saving app for your needs, you can grow a bigger bank balance with minimal effort.
In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at 34 money-saving apps in Canada across five categories. — including the five best overall money-saving apps, the 10 best money-saving apps for groceries, the 10 best money-saving apps for cash back, the three best month-saving apps for travel, and the six best money-saving apps for frequent travellers to the US.
Best overall money-saving app: Mint
Mint is a free budget tracker and planner with tens of thousands of five-star user reviews. It’s easy to see why it’s been so well received by consumers, as Mint offers a user-friendly interface and lots of useful tools to help you manage your money. You can use the app to create custom budgets, track your spending and get personalized insights on how you can make your money go further. And with the ability to create and track custom financial goals, there are lots of good reasons why Mint should be the next app you download to your smartphone.
Best money app to transfer to an investment account: Moka
If you’re searching for a round-up app like Acorns to help you grow your savings balance without lifting a finger, we recommend checking out Moka. Whenever you make a purchase, Moka rounds up the amount to the nearest dollar and invests the change in an ETF portfolio chosen based on your risk tolerance and financial goals. It’s easy to use and you might be surprised just how quickly your investment balance will grow.
Best money-saving app for automated savings: Wealthsimple
If you’re looking for a money-saving app that can take the hassle out of saving, Wealthsimple fits the bill. This popular saving and investing app rewards you for automating deposits into your account. While it pays a standard interest rate of 1% on balances, you can earn 3% if you direct deposit over $500 of your paycheque.
Add in other perks like $0 account fees, up to $300,000 worth of CDIC coverage and cash back on purchases, and it’s easy to see why Wealthsimple is well worth checking out.
With the rising cost of living, paying for essential purchases like gas is becoming increasingly expensive. That’s where a money-saving app like GasBuddy can help. This app makes it simple to track down the cheapest gas prices near you, saving you the hassle of driving around searching for the best price. It’s easy to search for the type of fuel you want, while in-app driving analysis can provide tips and advice on how to be a more fuel-efficient driver.
Best money-saving app for free credit score: Borrowell
Borrowell is a Canadian company that assesses your credit history and then matches you with suitable financial products from its partners. As part of its service, it allows you to access free credit scores and reports from Equifax. This makes it easy for you to assess your financial situation and your ability to qualify for loans, credit cards and other products, while there’s no obligation to apply for a product recommended by Borrowell.
10 best money-saving apps for cash back
Neo
Neo Financial offers a high interest making it a great account to park your cash, but you also get the benefits of a chequing account with easy, unlimited access to your funds along with cashback perks on spending. With a Neo Money Account and Neo Money Card, you get 2.25% interest on your balance, and you can earn an average of 5% cash back at over 10,000 Canadian retailers. There’s no limit on the cash back you can earn and no monthly fees to worry about. Even better, managing your account is a breeze with the Neo Financial app.
Online bank KOHO offers a range of free and paid accounts that come with a linked reloadable prepaid KOHO Mastercard. Depending on the account you choose, you can earn 1% to 2% cash back on groceries and varying rates of cashback across categories like eating & drinking and transportation. You can also earn between 0.5% and 4% interest on your balance, and you get a virtual and a physical card to pay for all your purchases.
Ampli is a Canadian cashback app from Avion Rewards. You can earn automatic cash back when you shop at over 50 participating retailers, including brands like WestJet, Sephora, Petro-Canada and Best Buy. Your rewards are added to your account within five business days. Once your balance reaches $15, it’s quick and easy to cash out via Interac e-Transfer.
Swagbucks rewards you with points when you shop online, complete surveys, browse the web and take advantage of shopping deals. You can then redeem those points for cash back from PayPal or for gift cards at retailers like Walmart and Amazon. The app has decent user ratings and has been downloaded millions of times, so check it out if you’re looking for more ways to be rewarded for your spending.
Rakuten
Rakuten, formerly known as Ebates, is a popular cashback app, website and browser extension. It’s quick and easy to sign up, and you can then get cash back when you shop at over 3,500 stores. You can cash out via cheque or PayPal and also access coupons through the app to help you save even more money.
PayPal Honey
PayPal Honey is a mobile app and browser extension that can help you find coupons on over 30,000 online shopping sites in Canada and around the world. Simply do your online shopping, and Honey finds the coupon code with the biggest savings and automatically applies it to your cart. It takes the hard work out of hunting for promo codes and discounts, so this is one very handy addition to your money-saving arsenal.
Drop
Drop is a free rewards app where you can earn Drop Points when you shop at a host of major brands. After you download the app, link your debit or credit card and start shopping. You can cash in your points for gift cards and other rewards, plus take advantage of special offers to earn extra points.
Paymi
Next on our list of the best money-saving apps in Canada is Paymi, which aims to make cashback rewards easy. You can earn cash back rewards in-store and online when you make everyday purchases at partner retailers, plus access to special offers and discounts. Track your earnings through the app, and withdraw your cash whenever you want.
Save.ca
The Save.ca app helps you find and compare the best shopping offers and discounts near you. You can check out the latest deals, enjoy extra savings with coupons, and put together a shopping list to make sure you fill your cart with all the essentials you need. You can also keep all your loyalty cards in the app, ensuring you can earn maximum rewards every time you shop.
Mr. Rebates
Mr. Rebates connects you with cashback rewards at over 3,000 stores. This free money-saving app makes it easy to search for deals and special offers, plus access coupons for additional savings. You can also keep track of your cash back earnings, and when you’re ready to cash out, you can do so via cheque, PayPal or Amazon gift card.
10 best money-saving apps to save on groceries
Caddle
Rising prices have seen the cost of a weekly grocery shop skyrocket in recent times, so a money-saving app like Caddle makes a handy addition to any smartphone. This free app lets you earn cash back on your everyday grocery purchases, eating out and other spending. Simply download the app, browse the weekly offers, select the one you like and start shopping. Once your cashback balance reaches $20, you can cash out and be rewarded for your spending.
Checkout 51
Promising to let you save on the brands you love, Checkout 51 offers cash back on your gas and grocery purchases. Simply download the app and view the latest offers, with cashback available when you buy specific products. You then upload photos of your receipts to provide proof of purchase, and the cashback is then paid into your account. And when your balance reaches $20, you can cash out at any time.
FlashFood
FlashFood is a money-saving app that offers easy access to discounts on meat, fruit, vegetables and other fresh food items that are nearing their expiration date. Simply open the app to browse deals and savings available at grocery stores near you, with discounts of up to 50% on offer. Choose the deal you want, pay for it in the app, then head to the store to pick up your order. Not only do you get to save money, but you also stop fresh food from going to waste.
MyPoints
MyPoints is a rewards app that lets you earn points you can redeem for gift cards. You can earn points when you buy groceries and shop online, plus be rewarded for completing surveys and playing games. The app also offers access to sales, coupons and promo codes at thousands of retailers. You can then redeem your points for gift cards at retailers like eBay, Amazon and many more.
Great Canadian Rebates
Great Canadian Rebates is a cashback website and app that allows you to discounts and cashback offers from hundreds of merchants. It’s easy to browse the latest coupons and offers in the app, then make your purchases and get cash back paid directly into your account.
RebatesMe
Rebates Me is another great money-saving app for grocery shopping. It provides easy access to up to 40% cash back when you shop online at over 6,000 partner stores. You can use the app to browse the latest deals and check out exclusive offers for new members, then shop for a host of great bargains.
Flip
Flip rewards you when you shop for beauty products. You can download the app to watch video reviews from other customers and shop for products. Once you receive and use the product, share your video review on Flip, and you can then earn money from video views and sales resulting from your post. You can also earn rewards by inviting friends to the app and voting for other shoppers, then use your rewards to access discounts of up to 30%.
Flipp
Formerly known as ReeBee, Flipp lets you save money when you shop at over 2,000 stores. Its app brings you the latest savings, deals and coupons from retailers near you across categories, including groceries, home & garden, pharmacy and more. You can also add your loyalty cards directly to the app and sync shopping lists across your devices, making it even easier to save money on your everyday purchases.
PC Optimum
PC Optimum is a customer loyalty program that offers rewards tailored to your shopping needs. It lets you earn points when you buy food and make other regular purchases and has partnerships with stores like Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix as well as Esso and Mobil gas stations. You can also access personalized offers through the app, ensuring that you’re rewarded for the type of spending you want to do.
TopCashBack
TopCashBack is a money-saving app that offers cash back on your everyday spending. You can earn cash back when you shop at thousands of partner retailers, including at big Canadian names like Best Buy, Walmart Canada and Staples Canada. The app is easy to use and highly rated by users, so check out the cashback deals you can access today.
3 best money-saving apps for travel
Agoda
Agoda is well known for its accommodation, flights and travel deals. But did you know that you can also find deals on the Agoda mobile app that aren’t listed on the website? Savings of up to 80% are available from a host of special deals, while you can also search flights from over 200 airlines and find accommodation options at more than two million venues around the world.
Hopper
Hopper is a mobile travel app where you can find exclusive deals on popular hotels. This free app has special offers on flights, hotels, rental cars and more, and it’s easy to browse the latest offers from your phone. Every time you book, you can also earn Carrot Cash with Hopper’s rewards and discounts program, helping you save even more money on your travel expenses.
AwardWallet
If you’re having trouble keeping track of all the different rewards programs you’re a member of, AwardWallet can help. This handy app lets you keep track of all your frequent flyer miles, dining rewards, hotel loyalty points and more all in one place. It supports 660 loyalty programs in total, while extra features like credit card spending analysis and management of your travel reservations are an added bonus.
6 best money-saving apps for frequent travellers to the US
Coupons.com
Formerly SavingsStar, Coupons.com offers free grocery cashback offers and digital coupons at a host of major US stores. Cashback is paid into your PayPal account, and this popular app boasts tens of thousands of happy customers.
Ibotta
Ibotta offers an app and browser extension so you can get cash back when you shop in-store and online. Up to 30% cash back is available at thousands of retailers, and the user-friendly app makes it easy to track your earnings.
Acorns
Acorns is a well-known saving and investing app that rounds up your purchases and invests the spare change. It’s also been downloaded over 20 million times and has thousands of positive customer reviews, so this app is definitely worth a closer look.
Intuit Credit Karma
Credit Karma lets you check your credit scores for free and also provides chequing and savings account features, credit card offers and more. Plus, if you want to find out more about what the app has to offer, there are literally millions of customer reviews for you to cast an eye over.
To find the best money-saving apps, we consider a few critical factors such as ease of use, cost, in-app features, as well as perks and rewards. We examine information found in the marketplace and use details provided to Finder by our partner providers. This list of best money-saving apps does not represent the entire saving and investing app marketplace. No single money-saving app is the best choice for everyone, so compare all your options before selecting and opening a money-saving app.
Why you should use a money-saving app
There are lots of good reasons why you should use a money-saving app to make your money go further:
Automate your savings. Whether you choose an app that rounds up your spare change or set up a direct deposit to your savings account, money-saving apps take the hassle out of putting money aside.
Take advantage of discounts. From sales and coupon codes to discounts off everyday and special purchases, money-saving apps can help you pay less for the purchases you want to make.
Get cash back. There are myriad cash back apps and websites in Canada that reward you for your spending. If you use them when you make essential purchases, you can earn money back simply by shopping as you normally would.
Save money. No matter whether you’re a billionaire or just starting your savings journey, keeping more money in your pocket is a major win. With a money-saving app, you’re a step closer to achieving your financial goals — no matter whether that means attaining a higher level of financial security for your family or having some extra money set aside for when you feel like treating yourself.
How to use money-saving apps
The best money-saving apps are easy to use, offering user-friendly interfaces to help streamline your spending and saving. To get started, head to the app store for your phone, search for the app you want, download and install it.
The next step is to create an account by providing some personal information, and depending on the type of app, you may also need to link it to your debit/credit card or bank account.
Then you can start spending and saving while you let the money-saving app do its thing, which could be:
Investing your spare change
Paying cash back when you shop at partner retailers
Providing access to coupons, discounts and deals
Offering spending analysis and budgeting tips
Why is saving money important?
Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can sure make a lot of things a whole lot easier. As the cost of living continues to rise, anything can do to make every dollar stretch that little bit further can make a big difference. It means you’ll have more money in your pocket to pay for the things you and your family need, as well as the things you want — like that tropical vacation you’ve been dreaming of.
Whether you’re saving money on your weekly grocery shop, managing your budget to cut back on unnecessary expenses or saving for a specific financial goal, even simple changes can provide a big boost to your bottom line. Money-saving apps are an extremely useful way to help you take control of your finances, and if you pair the right app with a savings account that pays a competitive rate of interest, you can sit back and watch your balance grow.
Bottom line
Money savings apps come in a variety of styles. Some invest your spare change, some offer cash back on purchases, and some provide easy access to coupons, promo codes and discounts. The best money-saving app for you depends on your financial goals and how you spend your money, so compare a range of apps and start your savings journey today.
FAQs for money-saving apps
Moka, formerly Mylo, is a saving and investing app that automatically rounds up and invests the spare change from your everyday purchases. For example, if you buy a coffee for $5.50, Moka rounds the purchase up to $6.00 and invests the remaining $0.50 in a portfolio of ETFs chosen based on your financial goals and risk appetite.
Piggy Goals: Money Saving is an Android and iOS app designed to encourage you to save money. It offers a piggy bank where you can stash cash at any time, plus the ability to set daily, weekly or monthly goals. You can then monitor your progress through the Piggy Goals app.
No. You do not need to have a good credit score to use a money-saving app. These apps are typically available to everyone, and many are free to download.
Tim Falk is a freelance writer for Finder. Over the course of his 15-year writing career, he has reported on a wide range of personal finance topics. Whether you're investing in stocks and ETFs, comparing savings accounts or choosing a credit card, Tim wants to make it easier for you to understand. When he’s not staring at his computer, you can usually find him exploring the great outdoors.
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