5 Great Shopping Apps That Will Save You Money

Arming your smartphone with the right apps can save you time, money and frustration.

Not all shopping apps work the same way, but we’ve compiled a list of our favourites for Canadian shoppers.

Here are five worthy picks for both iOS and Android devices.

1. Flipp

Consider Flipp the ultimate flyer aggregator. Available for smartphones and tablets, simply use your fingertip to select what retailers matter to you – whether it’s an electronics store, clothing chain or supermarket, and so on – and you’ll be able to see the latest flyers that showcase new products and sales around you. Clip favourites, add items to your shopping list, see discounted items and much more.

2. Rakuten

It’s one thing to save money while shopping smartly, but what about earning money? The free Rakuten app pays members cash back every time you shop online through participating retailers. Here’s how it works: sign up for a free account and then every time you shop at one of the supported stores (and there are many), you’ll start earning cash that can be sent to you via cheque or deposited into a PayPal account.

3. RetailMeNot

One of the most popular coupon sites and apps, RetailMeNot offers more than 500,000 coupons that can be redeemed at more than 50,000 retail and online stores in North America, so chances are you’ll find what you’re looking for after typing in a product name in the search window. Each coupon shows you when it was used last, user comments and more. Also consider apps from Shop.ca, Save.ca and RedFlagDeals.

4. ShopSavvy

If you’re hoping to find a bargain while shopping at retail, ShopSavvy takes advantage of your smartphone’s camera by letting you scan barcodes of products in front of you. Within a second or two, you’ll see how much the same product costs online or nearby at a competing store via the phone’s GPS – including the option for directions to the stores that have the product cheaper. As you can surmise, retailers don’t really like this one.

5. Marketplaces

While shopping at retail is fine, don’t forget about online marketplaces such as eBay, Kijiji and even Amazon. Contrary to popular belief, not all goods on eBay are “previously enjoyed” (more than half are brand new) and, if you don’t want to bid for something, many items can be purchased outright. Owned by eBay is Kijiji, Canada’s No. 1 most popular online classifieds site that also lets you meet up to buy or sell in person.

A version of this article appeared in the March 2018 issue with the headline, “5 Great Shopping Apps to Save You Money,” p. 52.