When it comes to saving money, I am unrelenting, meaning , like almost every mom, I am always on a lookout for ways to save. Money-saving apps are high on my list of money-saving techniques. Below are six apps that you can use when shopping in-store and online and get rewarded for your purchases.
For those who don’t know, money apps are little pieces of software that you can download on your phone or use on the web to save money on the things you buy every month like gas, groceries, clothes, books, etc. Most money-saving apps are available for download on i-Phones and Androids.
Rakuten (formerly Ebates) money-saving app
Rakuten is the biggest money-saving app for online shopping. It has partnered with 750 stores in Canada and over 3000 in the United States. You can sign up with Rakuten Canada and, if you shop at US-based stores, with Rakuten-US. The app will store the two accounts separately and it will track the cash back separately, too.
It is easy to sign up with Rakuten. You can simply download their app on your phone or access it on your computer. They also have a Google Chrome extension that makes cash back even faster and easier.
If you want to buy something, simple go to the Rakuten app, and look for the store(s) you want to buy an item from. If the store is a partner with Rakuten, they will display the current cash back offered by that store. Click on the store, and make your purchases as usual.
After you buy a product, you should get credit to your account with your cash back within 48 hours. You get paid quarterly by Rakuten, provided you have a credit for at least $5.01. If your balance is less that that, it gets carried over to the next pay period.
You can get paid in three ways:
- By getting a cheque in the mail to the address provided
- By getting cash deposited to your PayPal account
- By having your cash back sent to a charity of your choice
Getting cash back is not the only way to make money on Rakuten. You can also get extra cash by referring a friend ( you get $30 when a friend signs up and makes a purchase through Rakuten) and through advertised coupons.
Ampli money-saving app
Ampli is a Canadian cash back app protected by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), so it is safe. You can download it here.
Ampli is great, because instead of accumulating points, it gives you real cash. However, the payout amount is higher than for Rakuten. You need to accumulate $15 to get your money back.
When shopping you can pay both by your debit and credit card after you connect them on your app. After making a purchase, the cash back is added back to your account within 5 business days. You can also request a payout (after you have accumulated $15) via Interac e-Transfer.
You can use the Ampli app when shopping at a physical store. Participating stores include The Home Depot, Petro Canada, Boston Pizza, HelloFresh, Rexall, Indigo, etc.
When comparing Ampli with Rakuten, Rakuten has many more advantages (it parters with more stores, it offers a higher sign-up bonus, and a referral bonus), but you can use both apps depending whether you shop online or in-store. You can also compare rates to see which platform offers a better deal.
Checkout 51 money-saving app
This app is great when shopping for groceries. Instead of clipping coupons, you use the app to get cash back on items bought online and in-store. Every week, Checkout 51 has a plethora of grocery items that offer cash back deals worth anywhere from 50 cents to $1.50. You can even get some money back on items such as wine, beer and baby and pharmacy products. Right now they also offer cash back on gas.
To start earning your cash back, you need to download the app via Apple Store or Play Store and create an account. There are new offers coming up every Thursday, so just browse the offers and add the items you are interested in to your shopping list. After you are done shopping, tap “Redeem” and check off the items you bought on your physical receipt. This tells the system what to look for. Then, make a photo of your receipt with the app’s built-in camera. When the receipt is approved and after you have accumulated $20 in your account, Checkout 51 sends you a cheque by mail.
Checkout 51 has one disadvantage. If you buy something online, you need a packing slip as a proof of purchase. Many online stores, like Amazon, for example, do not include such slips, so purchases from their sites are not eligible for cash back. What a shame!
Caddle money-saving app
Caddle is another free cash back app that helps Canadians save money on groceries.
In addition to cash back rebates, Caddle offers its users additional ways to earn money. You can take short surveys, watch video advertisements, write reviews, and refer friends.
To start using Caddle:
- Download the app.
- Browse the weekly cash back offers.
- Shop online or in-store to get your groceries.
- Scan and upload your receipt using the app.
- Earn cash back.
- Cash out your earnings when your balance reaches $20.
You can earn back anywhere from 50 cents to $10 per offer. The surveys are short (take a few seconds) and pay between 5 and 50 cents each.
Flipp
Flipp is a money-saving app that also saves you a ton of time. Forget the times when you had to go through store flyers looking for best deals on groceries and electronics. It keeps all the greatest deals on one easy-to-use site. With this app, you can access more than 1,000 Flipp flyers from your local stores all in one place. The company claims that the coupons available on the app can lead to savings of 20% to 70% on your weekly purchases.
The Flipp app also shows you the best deals on an item and lets you set notifications for offers that are soon to expire. It has the “list” feature that lets you make a shopping list and then shows you the leading deals in your area for the items on your list.
To use the Flipp App:
- Download Flipp on your cellphone and set it to your location.
- Search for products to see what deals are available.
- Clip items you need to your shopping list on the app.
- Shop in-store and save money.
Except for groceries, you can save money on things like electronics, clothes and accessories, home and garden, health and beauty, and toys.
Flipp is well-liked by consumers and is worth adding to your list of best money-saving apps in Canada.
Award Wallet
AwardWallet is one a money-saving app that is very popular with people who frequently fly. It keeps all your loyalty card point balances and information in one place. The app started out mainly as a way to track the accumulation of airline and reward points and to make sure people’s balances didn’t expire (many airline points programs expire, if you don’t use them often enough). When your points are about to expire, you get a warning from AwardWallet to use your loyalty card at participating stores to keep your points from expiring. Such warnings alone can potentially save you hundreds of dollars you could use on flight tickets.
The app isn’t just for frequent travellers. You can use it at Starbucks, PetSmart, and many hotels to earn reward points.
Maximizing cash back apps
To save even more money, you can combine Checkout 51, Caddle and Flipp, unless otherwise stated on the offer.
For example, if there are similar offers for the week on Checkout 51 and Caddle, you can upload one receipt on both platforms. You can also search for the cheapest store to buy the item using Flipp.
If you have a cash back credit card on top of that, you could get an additional 2-4% cash back on your purchases.
