What if that little smartphone you carry around all day could help you keep a little more money in your pocket?
Free Apps can do a surprising number of things for us today. Some offer cash back on purchases we’re already making. Others provide rewards for shopping, help us save on gas or make it easier to send money to family and friends.
None of that requires turning your life upside down. You may simply be adding an app before buying something you were going to buy anyway.
A few dollars here and a little cash back there may not sound terribly exciting at first. But those savings can add up — and keeping more of your own money should sound pretty good to you!
Cash Back, Rewards and Everyday Shopping
A good place to begin is with purchases you are already making.
Groceries. Clothes. Household supplies. Gifts. Maybe that little something you absolutely did not need but somehow followed you home anyway. 😂
Several Free Apps offer cash back or rewards when you shop, and each works a little differently. You don’t need every app on this page. The idea is to find the ones that fit the way you already shop.
Fetch — Turn Everyday Purchases Into Rewards
If you buy groceries and everyday household products, Fetch may be one of the easiest Free Apps to understand.
You can earn points by submitting eligible receipts and through other offers within the app. Then those points can be redeemed for available rewards. Depending on what is currently offered, that can include gift cards for places such as Amazon, Target, Walmart and Starbucks.
So those grocery receipts that normally end up crumpled in your purse or tossed into the trash may actually be worth something!
Ibotta — Cash Back on Things You Buy
Ibotta offers cash-back opportunities connected with participating stores and products.
Check the available offers when you’re making your shopping list and see whether something you were already planning to buy qualifies.
Those small amounts of cash back can accumulate. Ibotta currently allows eligible users to withdraw earnings once the account meets its cash-out requirements.
Rakuten — Another Way to Earn Cash Back While Shopping
If you shop online, you may already recognize the Rakuten name.
Rakuten partners with participating retailers and offers cash back on eligible purchases. Depending on the retailer and current offer, opportunities may be available online, through the app or at participating stores.
The process begins by checking Rakuten before you make the purchase.
If the store where you were already planning to shop has an eligible cash-back offer, why leave that money sitting on the table?
TopCashback — Compare Another Cash-Back Option
TopCashback gives us another reason not to assume that the first price or cash-back opportunity we find is necessarily the only one available.
It offers cash back from participating retailers when you begin an eligible purchase through TopCashback’s website or app.
And here’s where having several Free Apps available can become useful.
Before making a larger purchase, you may want to see which of your cash-back apps currently has the better eligible offer.
You don’t have to turn shopping into a research project. But taking another minute to compare could put a little more money back into your pocket.
Save on Gas, Dining and Everyday Spending
Upside — Because You’re Going to Need Gas Anyway
Unless someone has invented a car that runs on fresh air while we weren’t looking, most of us are going to keep buying gas. 😂
Upside provides cash-back opportunities at participating gas stations and also includes eligible offers for other everyday spending such as dining and groceries in participating areas.
Open the app, see what offers are available near you, and decide whether one fits where you were already headed.
One little reminder as you explore these Free Apps: the goal isn’t to spend more money just because an app offers cash back or rewards. Look for savings on purchases you were already planning to make. That’s when a few dollars here and a little cash back there can really begin to work in your favor.
Sending Money Around the World
Sometimes saving money isn’t about shopping at all. Sometimes we simply need a convenient way to get money from here to there — especially when “there” happens to be another country.
Remitly — Send Money Internationally
Remitly provides a way to send money internationally. Depending on where you are sending from, money can be transferred to many countries around the world.
Before making a transfer, check the current exchange rate, fees, delivery options and estimated arrival time so you know what the transaction will cost.
Wise — Another Way to Move Money Internationally
Wise is another service for sending and receiving money internationally.
If you deal with different currencies — perhaps because of family, travel, business or online work — Wise gives you another option to compare.
And compare is the important word here.
Exchange rates, fees and available services can vary, so take a minute to see what your transfer will actually cost before you send it.
[LINK: Explore Wise]
Banking and Financial Services
SoFi — More Than Just Another App
SoFi is different from the cash-back and shopping apps we’ve been talking about.
It offers a range of financial services, including banking, investing, loans and other financial products.
Promotions change, eligibility requirements matter, and the particular referral offer available today may not be the same one available when you read this page.
If you’re interested in SoFi, look at its current services, fees, rates and any available offers. Then compare them with the financial services you already use.
Changing where you keep or invest your money deserves considerably more thought than deciding whether to download a shopping app.
Something Completely Different — Earn Crypto
Nodle — Put Your Smartphone to Work
And now we’re going in a completely different direction!
Nodle is not a shopping or cash-back app. It is part of a decentralized digital network, and its app allows users to earn NODL through participation using their smartphones.
The Nodle app has changed considerably since the original version of this page was written, so this is one where you especially want to look at the current information before deciding whether it interests you.
And remember: cryptocurrency is different from cash back or a gift card. Its value can change, and earning a digital token does not mean you are guaranteed a particular dollar value.
Want Even More Ways to Save? Start FREE!
The Free Apps on this page aren’t the only ways we’ve found to stretch a dollar.
Fun Saver Network offers a FREE membership with no monthly membership charge. You can join, look around and begin exploring the shopping and savings opportunities without becoming a PRO member.
If you later decide you want more, PRO is an optional upgrade with additional savings benefits and programs.
But you don’t have to start there.
Start FREE. Explore. Compare. Then decide what makes sense for you.
Discover Fun Saver Network by clicking HERE!
A Little Savings Here and a Little Cash Back There
There isn’t one App on this page that’s going to be right for everybody.
You may love the idea of turning grocery receipts into rewards but have absolutely no need to transfer money internationally. Someone else may travel frequently and find Wise useful but have no interest whatsoever in earning crypto.
That’s perfectly fine.
Choose the Apps that fit the way you live, shop and spend.
The real opportunity isn’t about filling your smartphone with apps. It’s about finding a few useful tools that can help you earn rewards, receive cash back or find savings on things you were already going to do.
And if one app saves you a little on gas, another gives you cash back on shopping and those old grocery receipts turn into a reward…
Well, maybe that little smartphone really can help keep a little more money in your pocket