Using technology and the latest online services available is a great way to help you plan ahead, spend less on monthly essentials, and find great deals that can help you take your budget even further.
In this list, we’ve rounded up five apps that are useful in various ways – from budgeting, to investing, managing debt, finding great deals, and offering affordable insurance.
Spendee – Manage your money
Spendee is a free budgeting app which helps its users keep an eye on their budgets, make meaningful changes to their spending, and analyse their financial habits.
Users can employ Spendee to monitor their cash flow and plan their budget, and further see detailed breakdowns of their habits and expenses. Further, users can even securely connect their investment accounts to track their profits or losses over time to keep a holistic picture of their net worth.
Maintaining an accurate budget is vital to understanding your financial situation and planning ahead – and making use of a budgeting app is a great way to have a nearly ‘real-time’ view of your financial affairs.
Download Spendee: iOS | Android
EasyEquities – Invest in stocks and ETFs
EasyEquities is a mobile and web application which allows its users to invest in a variety of stocks and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
By registering an account and declaring their source(s) of income, users can invest in a variety of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) or participate in a firm’s Initial Public Offering (which is when a private company commences the process of selling shares that are open to purchase by the public).
Among newer features offered by the app, users can further buy baskets or bundles of stocks or assets as moderated by professionals, or start their own retirement annuity.
Download EasyEquities: iOS | Android
ClearScore – Get a free credit reports
While South African law provides citizens with the right to check their credit report free of charge once a year, ClearScore is an mobile and web app which enables users to review their credit score at any time they like, where they can see a monthly update on their credit report as well as useful suggestions to improve their credit score.
ClearScore calculates credit scores out of 705, and each month users will be able to see what factors have contributed to their scores either increasing or decreasing over time. The app further provides users with a breakdown of their payment histories towards various credit accounts that they may have as well as a running balance of their debt owed on accounts such as for their credit card or for their telecom account.
Download ClearScore: iOS | Android
The Entertainer – Get budget-friendly deals
The Entertainer is an annual subscription service which users can register for, and thereafter receive deals and discounts for both dining as well as a variety of experiences.
Based on their location, interest, or travel habits, the Entertainer can also suggest relevant places nearby to claim discounts or otherwise participate in special sales – which is useful when you had already committed to an expense and had budgeted for it in advance.
The Entertainer hosts thousands of deals food, drinks, beauty and fitness sales, as well as tourism and leisure offers throughout South Africa.
Download The Entertainer: iOS | Android
Pineapple – short-term insurance coverage
Pineapple is an insurance app that allows you to quickly register new assets for short-term insurance coverage.
While many of us might simply register a prized asset (such as jewelry, a computer, camera, or hobby equipment) as a specified item under our household insurance, using a separate short-term insurance provider can actually help reduce your coverage expenses.
By using a separate provider, you can also manage your coverage conveniently and can add or remove items as and when you require.
Pineapple enables its users to create an account and specify the items that they’d like to cover by taking a photo, after which the app will help users set a coverage value and can then specify a monthly insurance premium before users confirm and begin their insurance plan.
The app now also provides motor vehicle insurance, where users can similarly enroll their vehicle for competitive short-term cover.
Download Pineapple: iOS | Android
Disclaimer:
The above article in no way constitutes wholesale endorsement of products or is intended as purchase or investment advice. Wonga accepts no liability for their use. For independent investment advice, we recommend the services of a licensed financial advisor.
More from our blog:
- Learn more about our short term loans
- Apply for an urgent cash loan here
- Download our budget template
