What are the best money-saving apps to help with debts?

Which mobile phone apps can help with better money management?

Dealing with debt can be overwhelming at times. It’s very easy for debts to escalate given the high rates of interest and charges applied by lenders, and it often feels like an endless struggle.

Coronavirus has greatly exacerbated debt problems for people in Scotland and around the UK. Even though financiers are expected to support borrowers who are struggling to repay, without a financial ‘plan’ to escape debt, it’s often difficult to find a way out.

The good news is that a range of money-saving apps exist that can help you with debts. So how do these apps work, and how can they support your efforts to escape debt?

How do money-saving apps help with debts?

Money-saving apps help you take better control of your finances as a whole. They provide a wider picture of your financial situation, and many use ‘open banking’ to bring all the relevant information together.

Open banking allows you to connect your bank accounts within an app. You can see all your bank and credit card balances in one place, and allocate money to different areas such as paying off debt or saving.

These apps analyse the information you input, as well as your spending habits, and make suggestions for cutting costs or saving more money. So which are the best money-saving apps to help you with your debts?

Emma

Emma provides a list of recurring payments, and helps you track and cancel unwanted subscriptions that you may have forgotten about. The app syncs your budget to your payday, counting down the days until you’re paid so you can reduce spending if necessary.

Emma also provides useful reports on where you’re spending your money, so you can see whether any extra is available to contribute towards debt repayments. The ‘basic’ Emma app is free, but there’s a paid-for version called Emma Pro, which offers you cash back on some purchases.

Yolt

Yolt analyses your spending habits and makes suggestions on where to save money. The app allows you to budget reliably based on the information you input, and track/analyse your actual spending against the budgeted amount.

You can compare insurance and energy providers to make sure you’re not overspending on utilities and other day-to-day bills, using any cash saved to reduce your debts. The budgeting feature, in particular, helps you deal with your debt situation more effectively.

Money Dashboard

Money Dashboard lets you set multiple budgets and financial goals, such as paying down debt or saving for a special event. As the name suggests, the app’s comprehensive dashboard is a key feature that provides a holistic view of your financial position.

In turn, this helps you control your spending, save money, and release more cash to pay off debt. The app also offers suggestions for third party financial firms that might be of interest to you.

Snoop

Snoop is designed to prevent you overspending on everyday bills and utilities by noticing when a bill is higher than average, and helping you compare/switch to a lower-priced provider.

The app also informs you if any voucher codes are available from the stores you commonly use, so you can save money and pay down debt faster. Furthermore, it can identify opportunities to gain more rewards on your shopping via your store/rewards cards.

If you would like more information on these money-saving apps, or professional guidance on dealing with debt, Scotland Debt Solutions can help. We’ve been supporting Scottish residents to escape debt since 1989, and can offer you a free, same-day meeting from our network of offices across the country.