Mobile phone apps that save you money

Mobile phone apps that save you money

Check that you're observing these golden rules:

• • Limit the amount of apps you're using to 5 or less, especially if they're costing you money.
  • Make sure you're using them if you're paying for them.
  • Always remember to delete the apps you're not using anymore.

Money saving apps for the iPhone

vouchercloud (free) - Using the iPhone's GPS, vouchercloud works out your location and finds you the best deals in your area. Show your phone to the retailer to get your discount. Vouchers can also be browsed by category, such as restaurants, dining, shopping and entertainment.

Nosey Parker (£1.79) - Nosey Parker finds the best parking spots near you. This appears to be the only app that offers specific car park locations and prices. It also tells you about any restrictions and from what time parking becomes free.

Mobile Allowance (£0.59) - With Mobile Allowance O2, Orange and Vodafone phone users can now easily keep track of how many minutes and texts they have left to use. Talk time is also displayed in hours and minutes, so you know how much time you have left

Skype (free) - Skype's iPhone App uses Wi-Fi, allowing you to make Skype-to-Skype calls for free, or to call and text phones and mobiles at Skype's low rates. You can also us it to send and receive instant messages on the move.

Meter readings (free) - Meter Readings is an easy to use app that allows you to track your household utility meters. Your usage or costs are displayed in easy to visualise graphs, so you can keep track of how much you're spending.

0870 (free) - This app saved its 92,000 users a total of more than £250,000 in just a fortnight.  It converts premium rate 0870, 0845 numbers (and 0800 which are free for landlines but not mobiles) to low-cost numbers starting with 01 and 02. This could save you as much as 35p per minute.

AceBudget App (£0.65) - AceBudget app helps you track your expenses and income easily. You can create budgets for unlimited categories, schedule recurring transactions, set reminders, view graphs, compare historical data, and much more.

Grocery Gadget (£3.25) - Save money and time by preparing reusable lists that are always at your fingertips when you go shopping with Grocery Gadget.  Easily arrange list items and even take pictures of the items in the supermarket - especially useful when you want to send someone to do your shopping for you.

Money saving apps for Android phones

Loot (free) - the Loot app helps you to keep track of the money you have, and logs everything you spend. Enter your initial bank balance, and then log any bill you pay and any purchases made. In this way you can keep track of what your actual account balance is.

ShopSavvy (free) - the ShopSavvy app is good for price comparison. It allows you to use your phone as a portable barcode scanner. Scan any barcode using your phone's camera and it will give you information about how much you can get it for online and/or from nearby stores.

WiFi Finder (free) - This app claims to know of 200,000 free hotspots over 135 countries, and can search for the nearest one to you - so it's a great app for avoiding hefty network charges whilst abroad.

NetCounter (free) - Stay up-to-date on how much of your data allowance you've gobbled up. Synchronise the counter's monthly start date to coincide with the start of your data plan and set an alert which notifies you when you're near your "Fair Use" limit.

Piggybank Droid (free) - The app tells you how much you need to save to reach your money-making goals. Input how much you want to save, a date and the frequency of your goals. This app is great for getting rid of bad habits like smoking, alcohol or sweets in a fun way. Track all the money you saved by skipping that beer or pack of cigarettes. Once it's full, get yourself something you've been saving up for.

Money saving apps for Blackberry 

Simple Budget 2 (£2.60) - Keep track of your budget with as little work as possible. This app keeps track of spending, with an easy-to-use interface that allows for quick entry. This one is perfect for active people who don't want to obsess over spending details.

Mortgage Calculator Pro (£5.65) - Keep an eye on your home loan by calculating monthly costs, how much you have repaid and how much of this has gone on interest payments. It's pricey, but anything that helps you stay on top of your mortgage payments pays dividends. 

ATM Hunter (£1.79) - Find cash machines located around the world with your BlackBerry GPS. The ATM Hunter lets you tailor your search on what you want to do. If you need to make a deposit or want to use your own bank to avoid fees, you can search for your specific bank's ATMs.

Personal Assistant (Free) - Keep track of all your spending by listing the status of all your online accounts on one page. This app combines several management applications, including credit card balances, bank account status, investment portfolio, mobile minute tracker, frequent flyer miles, travel itineraries, shopping and bill management. A premium version (£6.99) is available that has no adverts and allows you as many accounts as you want.