While we often think about the fun and convenience that smartphones offer, we don’t always consider how they can help us save money. If you’re looking for easy ways to save cash without sacrificing your lifestyle, consider a few of these top suggestions.
Find the Cheapest Gas Near You
Image via Flickr by futureatlas.com
If you’re like plenty of other people in this country, you spend a good amount of money filling up your vehicle. In fact, the average American will likely spend over $1,500 on gas in 2017. As oil prices continue to climb, this number is only going to go up, even if you don’t drive any more than you already do.
If you always pick the closest gas station, you might be missing out on a cheaper price just a few blocks away. Of course, you also don’t want to venture too far out of your way because then the gas you use to get there will eat into your savings. That’s when an app that shows you gas prices for nearby stations can come in handy. Saving a few cents at every fill-up can add up to significant money over time.
Find Cheap Parking
Along with gas, parking can also eat away at your budget. However, there are several apps out there that can help you find cheap parking spaces. Whether you’re always looking for parking during the work week or when you head out on the weekend, the money you save on parking can quickly add up. While most of these apps are targeted toward people visiting a new city, there’s no reason you can’t use them to find cheap parking in your own city.
Discover Fee-Free ATMs
Using an ATM outside of your bank’s network to withdraw money now costs an average of $4.69, and it’s only getting higher. You can easily avoid these high fees by using your smartphone to look for fee-free ATMs. Most major banks have their own apps that will let you search for nearby ATMs. Even if your bank doesn’t offer an app, you can still bookmark your bank’s ATM locator page and use the web browser on your smartphone to look it up when you need an ATM.
Immediately Compare Prices
You’re in a brick and mortar store, and you see a product you’ve had your eye on at what seems like a good price. But is it the best deal out there? By using your smartphone, you can instantly compare prices for the same product at online stores and other nearby brick and mortar stores to find the best price possible. Plus, when you use an advanced smartphone such as T-Mobile’s iPhone 8 on its fast 4G LTE network, you can perform this money-saving task in a matter of seconds.
Find Digital Coupons
Coupons are a great way to save money — when you actually remember to cut them out and bring them with you to the store. With a coupon app on your smartphone, you never have to worry about forgetting your coupons at home. That’s because these apps offer you a large database of digital coupons available for various stores.
On many apps, you simply scan the UPC code on the item and show the cashier the digital coupon. Other coupon apps can alert you to good deals when you’re out shopping, so you know you’ll never miss an opportunity to save money on items you purchase regularly anyway.
Get Apps From Your Favorite Retailers
Along with digital coupon apps, you should also consider looking for apps from your favorite retailers. Not only will many retailers offer exclusive deals and coupons through their apps, some will also let you store a digital version of your loyalty card so the cashier can quickly scan it when you’re checking out. You should also consider using your smartphone to follow your favorite retailers on their social media channels. Many companies will offer exclusive savings to their social media followers.
From finding cheap gas to comparing prices on the spot, your smartphone has several uses that can help you save money.