Saving money is just an app away

As college students, we are always looking for ways to save money – whether it’s by taking advantage of drink specials at the bar, clipping coupons or only shopping when there’s a sale.

With all the other issues and priorities college students face on a day-to-day basis, trying to save money can turn into a hassle. Thanks to our society’s rapid technological advances, saving money can be as easy as turning on your smartphone.

Shopkick  

Shopkick makes saving money easy because it gives you rewards just for walking into certain stores. The application is based on a point system called “kicks.”

When you download Shopkick, you are given a list of rewards that range from gift cards to vacations that you can work toward by earning the kicks. They can be earned by simply entering any one of the stores that Shopkick is partnered with such as Target, Best Buy and American Eagle.

While you are shopping, the app shows you deals and you can earn more points by scanning QR codes of different items and making purchases.

Pros: Shopkick works at a variety of stores and the free rewards incentive will motivate you to move the money.

Cons: The application only registers that you have entered into a store if you are already synced with the store’s wifi.

Snap by Groupon

Snap gives you cash back on everyday grocery purchases. It shows you a list of items that you are eligible to get cash back on. If you buy any of the listed items on your shopping trip you can take a photo of your receipt and Snap will calculate the money you saved. When you earn a minimum of $20, you can request a check and Snap will send you money.

Pros: Snap offers cash back on a wide variety of products and the app is redeemable at any store.

Cons: The cash back values are relatively small ranging from 25 cents to $3, so it will take serious shopping before you earn the $20. Also, the effort of taking pictures of every receipt can be just as much of a hassle as clipping coupons.

Spring 

Spring is a must-have app for any fashionista. It lets you follow a wide variety of designer fashion brands and alerts you about new products you can purchase immediately on your phone.

Pros: Having designer goods at your fingertips and being able to browse different product categories has never been easier.

Cons: The designer goods come at designer prices – and limited quantities and sizes. Also, the application comes preprogrammed with designers to follow, which makes it a bit more tedious to customize your preferences.

RetailMeNot

RetailMeNot provides you with all the savings from your favorite retailers without having to go through the effort of cutting coupons. The application alerts you of savings from all different stores and you can customize a list of your favorites and ones that are in your areas.

Pros: Offers both in-store and online savings

Cons: There are many terms and conditions involved in the savings, so paying attention to any exceptions and loopholes is essential. Also, some coupons are only redeemable at specific locations.

Wish

Wish allows you to browse products based on collections of items so the application can get a sense of your personal style. Then, the app recommends products it thinks you will like. Similar to the Spring app, all of the products have limited quantities, but overall the products are more affordable and the app shows you the markdowns.

Pros: Cute clothes at amazing prices right on your phone.

Cons: To gain access to certain items and lower prices, the app makes you do certain things like adding items to a wish list or inviting friends to download the application as well. The quality of products is also unknown and not every product is a name brand.