Christmas is perhaps the best time of the year – but not for your finances. The holiday season is notoriously hard on personal budgets and every year your bank account usually takes a hard hit during the period.
To avoid all that in 2018, you’ll need to try to plan ahead and do as much bargain shopping as you can. With this in mind, we’ve gathered up ten great Android apps to help you save money while Christmas shopping.
Shopkick
What it is:
An app which lets you earn points (called kicks) as you shop for the items you need. You can cash the kicks in for gift cards that can be used at a wide range of retailers.
Why we like it:
- Shopkick includes four simple ways to earn kicks: walk-ins, scans, receipts, or linked card. For example, when the app detects your location (let’s say Walmart) you’ll automatically receive 25 kicks at the entrance. Scanning recipients can earn you 100 to 500 kicks while scanning items will get you 10 to 50 kicks. Link your credit card and you can earn up to 200 kicks.
- Fun fact: you don’t have to actually buy the products you scan. Simply walk in the store and scan items for kicks.
- Users can quickly redeem their points by clicking on the balance number.
- The app also allows users to earn money by shopping online. Although the process is a bit different here. This time around, you’ll be awarded kicks for every dollar you spend. Tap the Offers icon in the app, to see the online kick offers.
- Need more kicks? Simply refer a friend. This can earn you up to 2,500 kicks.
- Shopkick allows you to earn gift cards to shop at popular retailers like Walmart, Target, Sephora, Nike, HomeGoods and so on.
Flipp
What it is:
One of the best coupon apps around that gives you access to thousands of discounts on products from every category.
Why we like it:
- The app lets you search deals and coupons by item, brand or category. So you can easily find the products you want to acquire with a discount.
- Flipp matches local flyer deals with coupons from brands for even bigger savings.
- You can also use the app to create and share their shopping list.
- US users can simply add their loyalty cards to Flipp and then clip coupon deals to their cards to get instant savings at checkout.
- The app sends reminders about expiration dates, new offers and more.
ShopSavvy
What it is:
A money saving app that comes with a built-in barcode scanner which allows you to quickly scan barcodes in order to compare prices.
Why we like it:
- ShopSavvy displays other prices associated with a product including online options when you scan a certain item. This way you can get the product at the lowest price.
- Read and compare real reviews for every product you’re thinking of buying.
- The app will serve up some of the best deals for this shopping season at major retailers including Walmart, Best Buy or Target.
RetailMeNot
What it is:
An award-winning app that lets you access thousands of nearby deals from your favorites stores, as well as restaurants.
Why we like it:
- App unlocks deals on everything from electronics and beauty products to clothing and food (in case you need help in the kitchen this Christmas) from retailers you love like Kohl’s, Bath&Body Works or JCPenny.
- Find discounts near your location. The app includes a handy mall map.
- The app notifies you when new deals nearby become available.
- Redeem your coupons directly from the app, including discount gift cards and in-store Cash Back Offers.
Ibotta
What it is:
Don’t want Christmas dinner to cost a fortune this year? Ibotta is an app that offers cash rebates for grocery (and more) purchases throughout more than 80 stores.
Why we like it:
- Ibotta uses your location to display the best and nearest rebates you can get on grocery items.
- But the app also has rebates on things that are harder to save on like wine or diapers.
- You can earn cash back simply by scanning your receipt barcode and using your favorite shopping apps.
- Get cash back via PayPal or Venmo or a pick from a variety of gift cards.
- You can get rebates in-store, as well as online.
Ebates
What it is:
It’s never too early to start planning for Christmas. Which is why you should totally take advantage of the Black Friday shopping holiday for gift shopping purposes. And with the Ebates app, you can do just that.
Why we like it:
- Contains a section dedicated to the Black Friday 2018 event. Use the app to save money with deals and coupons or get cash back at eBay, Walmart, Amazon and more (online or otherwise)
- Need help carrying all the gifts you just bought? Ebates lets you cash back on Lyft rides. You can get $1 cash back on every ride.
- Get paid via PayPal or check.
- Get $25 for every friend who signs up and shops using Ebates.
Squirrel
What is it:
We’re two months removed from Christmas, so it might be time to do some saving up. Better late than never, right? The Squirrel app helps you that.
Why we like it:
- We know how hard is to put money aside. But Squirrel is a powerful tool which basically handles your paycheck. To use it you will have to agree to get your salary paid into a separate account, which is handled by Barclays.
- The app will gradually release money back into your usual account, so you don’t spend it all at once.
- You can tell the app when bills are due and disposable income is handed off in weekly installments.
- Great app if you want to make sure you’ve put some money aside for Christmas shopping.
Note: The app has a month subscription fee of £3.99 / $5.22.
Mint
What it is:
A free personal finance app that helps you stay on top of your budget, and save some money in the process too.
Why we like it:
- The app lets you view the status of all your bank account at a glance, track your spending, create budgets, as well as set saving goals.
- Since Christmas is such a crazy time for everyone, the app will remind you when bills are due, so you don’t fall behind your payments.
- Mint is a very secure app that uses multi-factor authentication to keep your financial information private.
Christmas Gift List
What it is:
A simple app that makes setting up Christmas gift lists a breeze. Never buy a last-minute gift ever again.
Why we like it:
- Buying gifts last minute is a lot more expensive, so if you want to make sure you save some money this holiday season, you better try and do your Christmas shopping in advance. The Christmas Gift List app will help you do that, by allowing you easily set up shopping lists for ALL your family members and friends.
- Each gift entry contains a picture, personalized note and link, as well as the budget allotted to it.
- The app also displays useful stats like money spent so far and the total budget.
LetGo
What it is:
Need money to beef up your Christmas budget? LetGo is a useful app that lets you easily sell second-hand stuff locally.
Why we like it:
- A very easy to use app that allows you to have your items up and for sale in just a few minutes.
- Simply take a picture of what you’d like to sell, set a price and choose a category for it. You can also add some additional details to make the offer more attractive. Don’t forget to set your location, so local buyers can find you.
- Potential buyers can contact you through the app’s chat feature.
So with Christmas just around the corner, which of these apps would you like to try first?
