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10 Free Money-Saving Apps to Download Right Now

Tools for shopping smarter, sticking to a budget, and avoiding late fees

September 21, 2012 RSS Feed Print
Mobile apps can help college students successfully manage their academic schedules.

Looking for the closest ATM? There's an app for that. Need a cheap gas station? There's an app for that, too. There's even an app for finding last-minute deals on five-star hotels at up to 70 percent off.

With a glut of mobile apps on the market, saving money while on the go has never been easier—and, perhaps, never more confusing. With so many to choose from, how do you know which ones to use? We've sifted through the clutter and identified the 10 best money-saving apps, both new and old. The best part? They're all free.

Expensify

Easily track your spending with Expensify, an app that allows you to sync your credit cards and bank accounts so you can follow all of your purchases. Everything you input will be filtered into a user-friendly expense report online. You can also take a picture of receipts to file them into the electronic record. This app is particularly useful during tax season.

Available on: iPhone, Android, Blackberry

Chase Mobile

If you're a Chase customer, this app lets you deposit a check with ease: Simply snap a photo of the front and back of the check with your phone's camera. You can also pay bills and credit cards, transfer money between Chase accounts, and receive notifications for account balances all from your phone.

Available on: iPhone, Android, Blackberry

ATM Hunter

This app, operated by Mastercard, pinpoints your location and finds nearby ATMs. If you want to avoid paying fees, you can program the app to find ATMs for your specific bank, or filter the results to ones that have certain features, such as drive-through access, 24-hour service, or wheelchair accessibility. It also provides driving directions to the ATM.

Available on: iPhone, Android, Blackberry

Gas Buddy

With the price of gas per gallon hovering around $3.87 (as of September 17), finding the cheapest gas station is crucial. Here's how the app works: Gas Buddy has more than 22 million drivers who report the price of gas when they fill up at the pump. The app then uses the data and your location to tell you what gas stations are nearby, along with the price per gallon and directions on how to get there.

Available on: iPhone, Android, Blackberry

Mint.com

Since 2005, Mint.com has been helping consumers track their budgets online across all of their financial accounts—and its mobile app is no different. Simply add your accounts—checking, savings, credit cards, investments, and retirement—and the app automatically logs your transactions, and provides detailed reports on where you're spending and where you can save.

Available on: iPhone, Android

Pageonce Money & Bills

Similar to Mint's app, this budgeting tool compiles all of your financial information into one place, but it also lets you include things like cell phone bills, rewards card points, and frequent-flyer miles. You can then use the app to pay your bills directly from your phone. With reminders on when each bill is due, you'll never have to miss another payment again.

Available on: iPhone, Android, Blackberry

Grocery IQ

Operated by Coupons.com, one of the oldest and largest couponing websites, this app makes grocery shopping easy and cost-efficient. To assemble your grocery list, scan the barcodes of the products you want at home and the app will generate the list, categorizing the items by food group. It also shows if there are any coupons available. If your spouse is the one doing the shopping, you can email him or her the list so they don't forget anything.

Tags:
technology,
personal finance

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