These apps make managing money a snap
Contributor Jennifer Jolly offers up a handful of smartphone apps that make managing your money a snap.
Jennifer Jolly shares tips on how to save money with finance apps.(Photo: Jennifer Jolly for USA TODAY)
Story Highlights
- Weemba helps you send out loan application
- Check app offers real-time banking alerts
- Google Wallet stores your credit, debit card information
Hey — what's in your wallet? If it's a few hungry moths, wad of lint, or fat lot of nothing, look no further than your very own smartphone to come to the rescue. (That's assuming that fancy-phone didn't put you in the poorhouse in the first place ...) Here are a handful of apps that make managing your hard-earned money – a snap.
MANAGE YOUR DEBT
SaveUp: When was the last time you won a prize for saving money or paying down debt? With SaveUp, smart money moves earn you credits toward rewards. Play your points for a shot at winning a car, a vacation or even a $2 million jackpot. Not many financial services make doing the responsible thing with your money truly fun — this is one that actually does.[1]
Weemba: Broaden your loan options by casting a wider net with Weemba[2], a service that puts your loan application in front of many lenders at once. You control how your personal details are shared; lenders only see general information they can use to determine if your request might be a good match.
PAY YOUR BILLS
The Manilla app is a free online banking and bill organizer(Photo: Manila)
Manilla: The simplest way to stay on top of your bills (and go paperless, too) is Manilla[3], a free online banking and bill organizer. Manilla let you see what's due and when, with automatic reminders that nudge you into action when something is due. It's easy to go paperless because Manilla keeps everything on hand digitally — just log in whenever you need your records.
Check: Here's a nice, simple mobile app that offers real-time alerts about bills due, overdrafts, large or unusual purchases: Check[4], formerly known as Pageonce. Check is leading the charge to open up mobile bill paying too, so if you want to handle your bills on the fly, Check's the app for you.
SHOP AND FIND DEALS
Google Wallet: Keeping track of store loyalty cards can be a pain in the neck.Google Wallet[5] lets you store it all digitally on your smartphone. Use your loyalty cards and even pay at the checkout digitally if you have an NFC-enabled Android device[6]. Google Wallet connects with your Gmail account (you need one to use it) to let you send money as an attachment, much like PayPal; debit and credit card transactions, however, are not free.
The Slice app(Photo: Slice)
Slice: If you do much online shopping, make Slice[7] your personal shopping assistant. Slice can help you track packages, perform easy returns, and store receipts for your online purchases — including your iTunes and Amazon transactions. It will even notify you if something you've recently purchased goes on sale elsewhere so you can recoup the difference. The niftiest part: Slice manages this all automatically by scanning your incoming email for online purchase receipts. Hands-free work with the results at your fingertips!
Hard-working apps that are no work at all? That's what I call money management that pays.
Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech contributor and host of USA TODAY's digital video show TECH NOW. E-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.[8]. Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferJolly[9].
References
- ^ SaveUp (www.saveup.com)
- ^ Weemba (www.weemba.com)
- ^ Manilla (www.manilla.com)
- ^ Check (check.me)
- ^ Google Wallet (www.google.com)
- ^ NFC-enabled Android device (support.google.com)
- ^ Slice (www.slice.com)
- ^ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (rssfeeds.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://twitter.com/jenniferjolly (twitter.com)