SAVVY savers looking to do a spot of retail therapy as shops reopen this week will want these money saving apps handy to help save cash.
Brits spent roughly £1.5billion – that’s £2.7million a minute -as pubs, shops and hairdressers reopened after being shut for months due to Covid restrictions.
Roughly 24million people will go drinking or shopping in a post-lockdown blow out, but if you’re on a budget, you’ll want to know how to save money.
Downloading cash saving apps is a great way to help you compare prices, spot deals and sales and even put some dosh back in your pocket.
We’ve rounded up seven ones you can use to cut the cost of your grocery bill, shopping haul or takeaway treats:
Hotukdeals app
Deal-sharing website hotukdeals has its own app you can use to find out about sales, discounts and offers at big shops and supermarkets across the UK.
Those who are signed up as members can post and share deals they’ve spotted so others can use them too.
You don't have to sign up as a member in order to view what's on offer though – only if you want to post about one.
Other discounts are also uploaded by the hotukdeals team as well.
It’s free to download from the App Store or Google Play.
B&M scanner
If you download the B&M app, you can use the bargain store’s free barcode scanner to find discounted items before they’ve been reduced by staff.
It’s free to download the app on the App Store or Google Play.
Once you’ve downloaded the app, click on the “scan” button at the bottom of your homepage.
This will then bring up the camera on your smartphone, which you'll need to use to scan barcodes.
When you've found a product you want to scan, simply point your smartphone camera toward its barcode.
The app will then automatically bring up the item's price – this is when you'll know if it is reduced or not.
Mum-of-two Claire Dunwell shared her tips on finding bargains with the app with The Sun – she saved £90 on her haul of electrical goods, soft furnishings and household essentials.
VoucherCodes app
The VoucherCodes app lets you search for online discount codes and high street offers.
You can hunt for deals from big brands like Argos, Amazon, John Lewis and Just Eat.
If you’re heading to the high street, you can find offers and sales in shops nearest to to you based on your location.
You can also use it if you’re shopping online too.
The app shows voucher codes you need for sales and deals when making online purchases – there’s codes you can use to get money off takeaways too.
It’s free to download via the App Store or Google Play.
TopCashback app
Cashback websites are a great way to get money back on your shopping, and some have handy apps you can use.
Cashback websites promise to earn you money on your shopping by agreeing offers with retailers which they pass on to customers.
TopCashback is one app you can use – it’s free to download via the App Store or Google Play.
You can use the app to see what offers are available in participating stores – recently there have been deals you can get from big chains and shops including Domino’s and Cadbury.
How do cashback websites work?
They promise to earn you money on your shopping – but how do cashback websites work?
- Cashback sites agree offers with retailers which they pass on to customers
- This can vary from a set amount of money off whatever you are buying, or a percentage of the cost of your purchase
- The sums range from pennies for groceries to more than £100 for some mobile or broadband contracts
- You have to make your purchases by clicking through from the cashback site
- Because the sites drive traffic to retailers, they earn money from brands they support
- Membership of most sites is free – although some offer premium subscriptions which you pay more for.
You’ll need to buy your items first though, and then you can get your money back after through the app.
Keep your receipt and scan it through the app – shoppers should then get their cashback “in minutes” according to TopCashback app’s website.
Another well-known cashback website worth looking at is Quidco.
It has linked up with over 4,500 retailers offering cashback deals to customers.
Shopmium
Like TopCashback, Shopmium offers money back on your shopping – but it only lists deals and offers you can get at supermarkets.
It’s free to download via the App Store or Google Play.
Before you do your big shop from supermarkets like Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, hunt through the app to see what items you can get cash back on.
You can use the app’s tool to see which offers are nearest to you.
You’ll need to buy your items first – but keep the receipt and scan it in the app.
Shopmium will then automatically send your cash back directly into your bank account or PayPal account.
Honey
If you’re doing a spot of online retail therapy, it’s a good idea to have a browser extension that scans the web for codes you can apply to get money off your hauls.
Honey is one example of a browser extension you can use to get money off your bill – and it has an app too.
You can download the app onto your computer, which works on Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox.
Once you've installed the extension onto your computer, a small "H" icon will appear on the tool bar which will turn orange when it's found a deal.
When you're at the checkout paying for your shopping, it will automatically pop up to tell you discount codes are available.
When you hit "apply discounts" it will run all of the deals through your order to see if a code will get you money off.
Or, you can download the app onto your phone.
Simply click onto the app to see which websites are offering deals.
Then click through to the websites listed and start shopping.
You’ll be able to copy and paste any deals and codes from the Honey app into shop’s promotion and codes box when you get to the online checkout.
Alertr
Alertr is an app you can download onto your computer.
Its a browser extension that helps you track deals at hundreds of retailers including John Lewis and Boots.
It aims to stop shoppers missing out on the best deals at retailers, which can cut prices at any time.
The tool will send you an email when items you’re tracking have dropped in price.
To set up an alert, all you have to do is copy and paste the URL of the product you want to monitor into the Alertr website and enter your email address to create a profile.
It will then start tracking the price and will alert you to when it changes.
After you've created a profile, it will then create a personal dashboard that shows you all of the items you're tracking.
You can also set a target price, meaning you won't receive any emails unless the cost drops that point.
We reveal more of B&M’s best-kept secrets and how to get your hands on top bargains.
Looking for more ways to save money? This mum saves £5,200 a year buying yellow sticker bargains and making "fakeaways".
Here's the best eight apps to save you money, including Chip, ATM finder, Vouchercodes and TopCashback.
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