apps for the college student budget

In the era of mobile technology, college students can use apps to help them conveniently keep their budget in order. From apps that send reminders about bill due dates to apps that organize expenses to apps that find the best deals on textbooks, you can be sure to find useful application software for your financial needs. Check out this list of top apps for the college student budget.
 

Bill Pay Apps

With your busy college schedule, it can be easy to forget to pay your phone or credit card bill. Bill pay apps can help you avoid late fees and ensure that all of your bills are paid on time.

• BillTracker Lite – The BillTracker Lite app allows you to track information about each bill including due date, amount date, whether the bill has been paid, confirmation numbers for payments, and more.
• Prism – The Prism app allows you to track and pay all of your bills anytime and anywhere. This app will notify you as new bills arrive or if anything is amiss.

Budgeting Apps

As a student with limited income, you know the importance of staying on budget. A good budgeting app can help you keep track of your finances and help you identify areas where you can cut back.

• Mint – The Mint app allows you to track your spending, create a budget, and save more money. It securely connects to your bank account and automatically categorizes transactions so you can see where your money is going.
• Toshl Finance – The Toshl app offers a simple interface that allows you to organize expenses, set up budgets, and stay on top of bills. The simplicity of the app makes it highly popular among students.

Coupon Apps

Learning how to be frugal with your money will only benefit your financial wellbeing. Coupon apps will help you live frugally during your time in college and beyond.

• The Coupons App – The Coupons App offers savings and shopping deals at retail stores, restaurants, and gas stations. It also offers a price comparison shopping tool and the option to share coupons with your friends and family.
• Groupon – The Groupon app features deals for 50-70% off. The app allows you to buy and redeem entertainment, shopping, and travel deals directly from your mobile device and allows you to track your purchased vouchers by location and expiration date.

Easy Cash Apps

How many times have you tried to figure out the best way to split the costs for a meal or a trip with a group of your friends? Or how often are you in an unfamiliar area and need cash from an ATM? These easy cash apps will make these situations much simpler.

• Tricount – The Tricount app allows you to create a group expense report on your phone that tracks spending by person and then it splits up how much each individual owes or is owed from the total balance. The app sends each person a link to Tricount's site to review the data, which helps ensure that everyone will pay their part.
• ATM Hunter – The ATM Hunter app shows you where ATMs are located based on your current location. This app will allow you to filter to find your own bank's ATM in order to avoid an extra surcharge from using a foreign ATM.

Textbook Apps

Textbooks are one of the most expensive aspects of the college experience. Textbook apps can help you find and compare the lowest prices on the books you need. Some apps can even save you money by allowing you to rent the needed textbook on your mobile device instead of paying for a new copy.

• Direct Textbook – The Direct Textbook app lets you quickly compare textbook prices at all the online stores. Just enter the textbook title, author, or ISBN and the app will give you a list of prices for each online location.
• Amazon Kindle – The Amazon Kindle app allows you to rent textbooks from Amazon. Kindle Textbook Rental is a flexible and affordable way to read and study textbooks. You can rent a textbook for the minimum length of time and save up to 80% off the print list price.

Travel Apps

Whether you are going home for the weekend or planning a spring break getaway, travel apps can help you find the best deals.

• Getaround – The Getaround app gives you a list of people nearby from whom you can rent a personal car. Getaround ensures that the rentals are in good shape and fully protected under insurance. This is an affordable car rental option for students who need a car for a weekend trip.
• Hopper – The Hopper app tracks flight and hotel prices and predicts if prices will go up or down. It pushes real-time alerts to your phone when prices drop, allowing you to book when prices are the lowest.

Because of mobile technology, you now have the ability to easily stay on top of your budget while on the go. For more information about budgeting as a student, check out the articles in college budgets 101.