Columnist Marc Saltzman reviews his favorite apps that find you deals and get you money back on hotels, shopping and gas. Marc Saltzman, USA TODAY
You don’t need to be cash-strapped to appreciate saving money.
In other words, why pay more than you need to?
Both the App Store (for iPhone and iPad) and Google Play (for Android devices) are packed with apps tied to shopping deals, accessing free content, booking affordable travel and accommodations, as well as managing your money and time.
But with so many downloads available, finding a few that truly work could be an overwhelming endeavor.
The following are a handful of my favorites, and why.
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Before you shop online or at retail, consider these free apps.
Ebates
There are a few “cash back” apps available, but one I’ve used for years is Ebates, mostly because of how many online stores and marketplaces are supported – now more than 2,500 – including Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Macy’s, Target, Kohl’s, Best Buy, American Eagle, and Groupon, to name a few.
The premise is simple: open the app before you start shopping (or if you’re a desktop shopper, download the browser plug-in) and once you make a purchase at a supported store, you’ll get a percentage of your purchase credited to your account. It’s typically between 2 and 6 percent, depending on the store, but it can be as high as 40 percent over the holiday season (stores pay Ebates a commission for sending you there, and so they share it with you). Quarterly, you’ll get a check or PayPal deposit.
The app will also notify you of sales and special offers, plus there’s in-store coupons and promo codes, too. As added incentive for signing up for a free account, you’ll get a $10 bonus when you make your first purchase.
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Flipp
Another “must have” mobile companion, especially for retail shopping, is Flipp.
Essentially, this one app delivers local store ads to your phone, tablet or computer – rather than you having to make a mess of your kitchen (and hands) by going through the paper circulars you get each week. Better yet, Flipp makes it easy to search for the best deals on the items you want, rather than merely digitizing the pages.
Just type in your zip code the first time and then it lets you browse or search for deals at stores near you — whether you’re shopping for groceries, household goods, fashion items, or consumer electronics – plus you can find and use coupons for popular brands, too.
Tap and hold to learn more about a product or tap quickly to virtually clip it into your shopping list. In fact, one of my favorite things about the shopping list is that you can add all the items you want to buy – such as chicken breasts for a family barbeque — and the app will show you all of the nearby stores that have it on sale.
The app also holds your loyalty cards, so you don’t have to carry a pocket- (or purse)-full of physical cards with you.
Load up some apps to save money, time and aggravation, while traveling this summer.
Hotels.com
There’s no shortage of apps to save on hotels, but when it comes to discounted rooms and rewards, one of the oldest is still one of the best. Now more than a quarter of a century old (when they were a phone service), Hotels.com enjoys a clean and easy-to-use interface, huge selection of properties to choose from, maps and Uber integration, and support for smartwatches.
More importantly, perhaps, is a “secret price” feature for members, which shows deals on boutique hotels and chains, along with a great loyalty and rewards program (“stay 10 nights and get the next one free”). As for its price guarantee, I recently booked a room in New York City that dropped its rate by $91, and so the app notified me about the change.
To reduce the likelihood of fake reviews, all customers who rate or review a hotel must have stayed there.
Also consider apps like Airbnb for staying in people’s homes.
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GasBuddy
Planning a road trip this summer? As the name suggests, GasBuddy helps sniff out deals on gasoline and diesel in the U.S. and Canada. Using GPS, the app shows you which nearby stations have the lowest prices – for regular, midgrade and premium fuel — and provides maps if you don’t know the area. View gas stations by distance, price, company, or amenities (like car washes, restaurants, and washrooms).
Obviously, this app is more useful when you’re in a big city – as it doesn’t pay to drive a few miles just to save, say, $2 on a fill up – but it does really add up. The app says you can save $340 a year by telling you exactly where and when to buy gas.
Other features include a GasBuddy Trips feature (using your phone’s sensors, the app can show you events that are costing you fuel economy and dollars); price hike alerts so you can fill up before the increase; deals offered by local convenience stores; and an optional GasBuddy points program (and daily prize draw) to save even more.
It’s not just shopping apps that can save you money, but ones that help you manage your purchases and expenses.
Mint
As with the website it’s based upon, Intuit’s Mint.com Personal Finance app helps you set budgets, track expenses and reach financial goals.
After you link up your bank and credit cards, this handy money management tool lets you see what you’re spending (and saving) through color-coded lists, charts and graphs, plus you can track your bank account and credit card balances in real-time, follow investments (including retirement contributions and balances), and even break out your expenditures by category.
As an opt-in feature, receive alerts when it’s time to pay a bill or if you’ve exceeded your budget or face possible late fees (notified via email or text message). A related feature is a weekly summary email of your money, along with a tab that shows the history of your spending, income, and net worth over time.
As with most other personal finance apps, Mint is password-protected, therefore your data is safe even if your device is lost or stolen.
Office Lens
Microsoft’s Office Lens is like having a flatbed scanner in your pocket: snap a pic of a document, whiteboard, receipt or business card, and it’ll be immediately digitized onto your device.
You can trim each document once imported, plus printed and handwritten text will be automatically recognized (using OCR technology), so you can search for words in images and then copy and edit them, and if desired, imported into Office apps (Word, PowerPoint, OneNote), saved to OneDrive or other cloud storage, or converted into PDF.
With receipts, this is ideal for those who need to submit expenses after business travel. Also consider the ExpenseIt app from Concur.
And if you’re looking to avoid long-distance fees while traveling, consider making calls (or video calls) through apps like Skype, Google Duo, WhatsApp, or FaceTime.
Finally, a couple of suggestions for consuming media at no charge.
Libby
Of course, you’re aware you can buy ebooks and audiobooks for your smartphone or tablet. But did you know you can also borrow them from your local library? Yes, for free, and with no late fees.
So long as you have your library card and the Libby app installed on your device, there are tens of thousands of supported libraries worldwide. It’s not just old classics, but many of the newer New York Times bestsellers, too.
Libby also boasts an impressive built-in ebook reader, graphic novel viewer, and audiobook player.
Spotify
Rather than paying for a monthly subscription service or buying music by track, those who are tight on cash might consider the free version of Spotify — a stellar digital music, podcast, and video streaming service — that gives you instant access to millions of songs, and other content.
For use on smartphones, tablets and computers, simply type in the name of the artist, song, genre or playlist you like. Or browse by Charts, Moods, New Releases, Discover, and other sections.
Upgrading to Spotify Premium gives you access to high-quality streaming of more than 35 million tracks, no ads, support for offline play, and more.
Also consider the free TuneIn Radio and iHeartRadio apps.
Surf Report readers, what money-saving apps do you rely on? Feel free to spread the word by sharing your favorites in the Comments section.
Follow Marc on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. E-mail him at tech@marcsaltzman.com