Saving money never goes out of style, and discount shopping apps can help keep cash in your wallet.
The best shopping apps to save money include a mix of options that provide digital coupons, deal alerts, cash back and other perks.
To maximize savings, you could also use a rewards credit card to get additional cash back, points or miles. Just be sure to pay off your balance each month to avoid pricey interest charges.
Here are some of the best discount shopping apps available today:
— Your favorite store’s app
— The Krazy Coupon Lady
— CouponCabin
— Flipp
— RetailMeNot
— Honey
— Keepa
— Fetch
— Ibotta
— Dosh
— TopCashBack
— Raise
1. Your Favorite Store’s App
If one is available, you should download the app for whatever store you shop at most often. Many major grocery chains, such as Meijer, Kroger and Publix, have mobile apps that make it easy to clip digital coupons, earn points for rewards and browse sale items. Discount apps aren’t limited to grocery stores though, so check for money-saving apps from any of your go-to retailers.
— Best feature: Might offer customized coupons based on your shopping habits
— Best used for: Groceries and household goods
— Platform: Typically Android and iOS
2. The Krazy Coupon Lady
If you aren’t loyal to a specific store, The Krazy Coupon Lady app can help you find the best deals on the products you love. The app allows users to set up alerts for favorite brands and products, and includes information about rebates, coupons and other promotions. The shopping list feature will save deals by store to make them easy to track and retrieve.
— Best feature: Customizable deal alerts
— Best used for: Deals on favorite products and brands
— Platform: Android, iOS, desktop
3. CouponCabin
CouponCabin can be used to find deals online and in stores. “This is ideal for anyone who primarily orders from their mobile device,” says money-saving expert Andrea Woroch.
The app can find online promo codes or be used to download in-store coupons that can be scanned at the register. Online shoppers can also get cash back from their online purchases at eligible retailers, and the app offers higher rates than competitors.
CouponCabin also says that, for some retailers, it credits cash back to user accounts weeks sooner than other discount apps.
— Best feature: Exclusive offers for additional cash back from specific retailers
— Best used for: Online shopping
— Platform: Android, iOS, Chrome browser extension, desktop
[READ: Best Online Outlet Stores That Save You Money.]
4. Flipp
Weekly runs to the grocery store may be easier with the use of Flipp. The app lets you browse the ads of more than 2,000 stores, load coupons to your loyalty cards and create digital shopping lists. It may be the ideal solution for those who enjoy hunting for deals but want to streamline the process.
“Flipp is one of my No. 1 editor picks as a go-to shopping app…for finding weekly shopping deals,” says Jeanel Alvarado, editor in chief of website RetailBoss. She says the app also makes it easy to access loyalty cards at checkout for additional savings.
— Best feature: Ability to add store loyalty cards
— Best used for: Managing shopping lists for multiple stores
— Platform: Android, iOS, desktop
5. RetailMeNot
RetailMeNot started out as a website where people could share and search for coupon codes, but it has since expanded to offer a browser extension and mobile app as well. Its discount app includes exclusive offers and the best deals from the site.
Regardless of how you access RetailMeNot, the company provides a simple way to find deals and even earn cash back. At any given time, there are more than 200,000 money-saving offers available, the company says, including ones for in-store purchases and restaurants.
Unlike some cash back sites, you can stack promo codes with cash-back offers on RetailMeNot. The company also says you could save as much as $25 per order when using the Deal Finder browser extension.
— Best feature: Automatic application of coupon codes and cash back offers with browser extension
— Best used for: Online shopping
— Platform: Android, iOS, Chrome browser extension, desktop
6. Honey
Another option for online shopping discounts is Honey, which is owned by PayPal. It will automatically search for coupon codes and other discounts at more than 30,000 online retailers. On Amazon, the discount app will notify shoppers if an item is cheaper from another seller. If a product isn’t priced right, Honey can add it to a droplist and notify you when the price goes down. Eligible purchases also earn PayPal Rewards you can redeem for cash.
— Best feature: Droplist to save items and track prices
— Best used for: Online shopping
— Platform: Android, iOS, browser extension, desktop
[Is Food Eating Up Too Much of Your Income? Here’s What to Do]
7. Keepa
Keepa is one of the best discount apps for Amazon deals. Available as a browser extension as well as a mobile app, it can provide the price history of products listed on Amazon so you know whether now is the time to buy. It lists the latest deals, and users can also create a watchlist that will send notifications when a price drops.
Keepa is a powerful app for tracking prices, although its website doesn’t necessarily have the same user-friendly feel as some of the other apps on this list.
— Best feature: Top Amazon deals
— Best used for: Amazon shopping
— Platform: Android, iOS, browser extension
8. Fetch
There are several money-saving apps that allow users to scan receipts in order to earn cash back and rewards. Among them, Fetch may be the easiest to use. Simply sign up and scan receipts from any store to earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards. Purchasing specific brands, referring friends or redeeming special offers can all provide additional points.
“Check the special deals section to see which brands, products and stores will earn you the most points to rack up free gift cards faster,” Woroch says.
— Best feature: Can upload both physical and digital receipts
— Best used for: Brand-name purchases
— Platform: Android, iOS.
9. Ibotta
Originally an app that only provided rebates on in-store purchases, Ibotta now offers cash back for online shopping as well. Shoppers can choose from thousands of offers available at more than 2,000 retailers. They include grocery stores, travel providers, specialty shops and more. You can link Ibotta to loyalty accounts, or you can upload receipts to claim rebates.
— Best feature: Alerts that notify you of deals in nearby stores
— Best used for: Cash back from retail and grocery purchases
— Platform: Android, iOS, Chrome browser extension
[READ: The Best Time to Buy Everything.]
10. Dosh
With Dosh, you simply link your credit card in the app and cash back will automatically be applied to eligible purchases. There’s no need to save offers on your phone or account first. Shoppers can earn cash back at more than 10,000 retailers and restaurants, and the company advertises cash back on stays at more than 600,000 hotels globally.
— Best feature: Links to credit card for hassle-free savings
— Best used for: Everyday purchases and hotel stays
— Platform: Android, iOS
11. TopCashBack
TopCashBack offers a simple way to earn cash back on online purchases. Free to download and use, its mobile app provides money back on purchases from more than 7,000 retailers. Users can also receive cash back on digital gift card purchases from retailers such as Target and The Home Depot. Payouts can be delivered via a bank transfer, PayPal or gift cards, and TopCashBack says users can earn more than $450 a year when using its discount app.
— Best feature: Cash back for gift card purchases
— Best used for: Online shopping
— Platform: Android, iOS, browser extension
12. Raise
Using a discounted gift card to pay for a purchase can be an overlooked money-saving strategy, but Raise makes it easy to put into practice.
The website and mobile app can be used to search for discounted gift cards from more than 4,000 brands, including big names like Lowe’s, Old Navy and Target. If a discounted gift card is not available, you may be able to earn cash back for the purchase of a gift card at face value from more than 150 retail partners.
— Best feature: Ability to store gift card in app
— Best used for: Purchases for which other discounts might not be available
— Platform: Android, iOS, desktop
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12 Best Discount Shopping Apps originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 05/15/24: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
