different types of apps to save money or make money

I have downloaded and explored over 80 apps to my phone to save money or make money. Here are the different types of money-saving or money-making apps, and my honest thoughts on if they are worth the time. Some of them are awesome and everybody should try it out. Others are not worth the time it takes. Here are 16 different types of apps to save money or make money.
 

• Gas station reward cards

This is so easy everyone should do it. It’s free. All you do is swipe your card or put in your phone number at the pump. A lot of companies offer you several cents off each gallon just for being a member. It may be anywhere from 3 cents off to 10 cents off each gallon.

• Gas price comparison

This is quick and easy. If you have more than one gas station near you, you should compare prices before you go. Gas Buddy is my go-to app for this. You can load the map where you are or save your favorite stations to get a quick glance at the prices near you.

• Cash back on gas

There are a few apps that will give you cash back on gasoline. It’s a bit of a hassle, but worth looking at the offers. There is also the Gas Buddy card that connects to your bank account and gives you from 2 to 25 cents back right away.
 
To learn more about different apps for saving on gasoline, read this blog.

• Grocery store accounts/apps

It almost seems odd to create an account with a grocery store. I remember the days of paper bags and cash only. This is what we’re doing nowadays though. These apps come with savings. Get coupons. Earn points. Some even let you earn points for fuel discounts.
 
To learn more about apps for saving on groceries, read this blog.

• Couponing

I remember the days of coupons only being paper. I was baffled when Kroger came out with digital coupons you had to scan a plastic card for. Nowadays, most coupons are coming from apps. If you want to coupon, you’ll need to download apps to your phone.
 
To learn more about where to find coupons, read this blog.

• Rebates
  

I’ll be honest. I find the rebate apps to be stressful. I don’t enjoy using them. I will look at them though if money is tight. There’s a lot of fine print and reasons it won’t work. I don’t like trying to use the rebate apps.
 
To learn more about rebate apps, read this blog.

• Receipt scanning
  

This is my favorite type of app to make money. I actually have fun with this. It’s so easy. All you do is open the app and take a picture of your receipt. I use a couple different ones. You can scan the same receipt one time with each app.
 
To learn more about receipt apps, read this blog.

• Food/restaurants
  

If you’re going to eat out, you’ll earn points and save money with the apps. Some of them even have freebies. I’m old-fashioned and prefer to order the traditional way, but I’m also on a budget. I need to get in the habit of ordering through the apps.

• Online deals

If you are someone who likes to shop online, consider looking at apps that show you where the deals are at this week.

• Third party app shopping

Again for online shoppers, get deals and cash back by shopping through third party apps.
 
To learn more about apps to save money on retail shopping, read this blog.

• Brand feedback

There are apps out there doing marketing research who will give you points for giving them feedback on different brands.

• Opinions 

Want to give your opinion? Get points that turn into gift cards. I have tried a few of these. For the amount of time it takes, it’s not worth the investment for a small amount of money that takes forever to earn.

• Surveys

I tried at least 7 different survey apps. Some were easier than others. All of them were a waste of time. They were mostly asking the same questions. They asked about income, education, demographics, and political alignment. For the amount of time these surveys take, it’s nowhere near worth it.

• Games

I did not try any gaming apps. I don’t play video games or any kind of games on my phone. I did notice that many of the other types of apps try to get you to play games. I had the feeling that some of these apps are leading to gambling, but I never explored that path. If you are someone who likes to play video games, consider trying out apps that let you earn points. If you’re going to play games anyway, might as well make a little money at it. If you wouldn’t otherwise be playing games, I don’t think it’s worth the time.

• Health/fitness

There are a few apps out there that let you earn points for exercising. I considered trying one app that gives you points for walking, but was afraid it would drain my battery.

• Prescriptions

GoodRx is something I use every month. It saves me a lot of money as someone who pays out of pocket for healthcare. If you do not have health insurance, you should absolutely use GoodRx. Even if you do have health insurance, it may be cheaper to use these coupons for prescriptions than to use your private pay insurance.

Conclusions

I have tried a lot of apps to save money or make money. Some of these I was already using. Others were new to me as I researched for the blog series. There are a lot of apps that are a waste of time and there are apps that are luring you into shopping more, but there are also apps that are absolutely money-savers.
 
Prescription medication – out of pocket should use GoodRx
 
Gas station apps – everybody should do this
 
Gas price comparison – if you have more than one option, use this
 
Grocery store accounts – get those coupons and deals
 
Receipt apps – it takes a few minutes, but it’s worth the gift cards

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