How online and social technology helps us save and make money
Signing up for a few social media websites and downloading some top apps can help you track down deals and bargains far more easily.
The growth of online and, in particular, mobile technology has made it so much easier to take advantage of deals wherever and whenever you are.
The explosion of mobile apps means whether you’re shopping or fancy a bite to eat you can easily see if there are deals or offers around there and then.
If you’re more organised or don’t have a smartphone, you can research your options online. As well as company websites and apps, if you really want to have deals and offers at your fingertips you should look at social media and more general apps.
Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter make it far easier to track down deals and offers, and to share them with family and friends.
For their part, companies have got wise to this and make sure that they have a strong social media presence. The instantaneous interactivity also means they can attempt to build more of a rapport with their customers, while for us on the other side it’s much easier to get quick answers to questions and, often, quicker resolutions to problems.
Social media sites to look at
Facebook: the granddaddy of social media sites, you’ll have to sign up if you want to access exclusive offers, vouchers and codes.
Twitter: you can browse Twitter without signing up, although you’ll get more out of it if you do register and ‘follow’ the brands you care about. You can create Lists to make it easier to see at a glance what’s on offer, for example a list of your favourite restaurants and bars.
Foursquare: this location-based site and app shows you what and who’s around you, including any deals and offers that are available. All you then need to do is ‘check in’ to the relevant place via your Foursquare account.
American Express, for example, has a partnership with Foursquare where you can earn cashback at certain retailers if you ‘sync’ your credit or charge card to your Foursquare account, check in and then pay with your synced American Express card. For more on this, read American Express and Foursquare offer new cashback deals at high street shops and restaurants.
Apps to download
As well as apps for all of the above, so you can use them on the move, you should also look at some other phone apps.
The likes of VoucherCodes, Vouchercloud, My Voucher Codes and Savoo all offer apps with vouchers you can simply access and show on your phone to get a discount.
You can also use your phone to compare prices when you’re in a shop to see if something is really the bargain it seems to be. Both idealo and RedLaser (owned by eBay) get decent reviews.
If you like earning cashback then the Quidco app (iPhone and Android) has in-store cashback deals for when you’re out and about, as well as ClickSnap, which allows you to earn money back on certain items by sending in a photo of your supermarket receipt.
TopCashback (iPhone and Android) offers similar in-store offers and supermarket cashback via its Snap & Save section, while Shopitize also offers supermarket cashback when you scan your receipt.
If you don’t want to carry loads of loyalty cards around with you, Loyalli (on iPhone and Android) lets you store them on your phone. It uses a QR code to record your purchases and ‘stamp’ your cards. It can also point out potential deals in the local area.
And don’t forget an app from your bank or building society can stop you from overspending by telling you at a glance just how much money you have.
Do you have any good apps to recommend? Let us know in the Comments box below.
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