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SALT LAKE CITY — Smart phones can add quite a bit to your monthly bill, but less than you might think. With these 5 tips, they can help you save money in other areas of your life.
Price match
Find yourself with a cartfull of goodies and realize you're in for a big bill? Time to consider price matching. Many stores will match a competitors lower price.
With a smart phone, finding other retail prices for an item has never been easier. There are myriad apps available that allow you to scan an item's bar code and see where else that product is sold and for how much.
Some of the more popular apps for barcode scanning are Redlaser, Shopsavvy, Google Shopper and Amazon Mobile (iOS, Android).
Try out some of these barcode scanner apps. You might be surprised at the price difference between where you are shopping and another nearby store. The person at the cash register wants your business, and will usually match a competitor's price.
All of these apps have many other features too. They allow you to check for that item at local stores, as well as online. Some retailers (such as Target) will even match online prices. The above apps will even find an item by showing it to your phone's camera, no barcode needed.
Find cheap gas
While gas prices in Utah are below the national average, it doesn't hurt to make sure you're getting the lowest prices avaliable. Gas prices vary from store to store and neighborhood to neighborhood. Five or ten cents a gallon difference can add up to a lot of savings.
A number of apps are available to search for the cheapest gas near you. Most of these apps are crowdsourced, meaning the app's users are the ones who update gas prices as they change. Because of this, the app that has the most users will have the most accurate and up-to-date prices.
In Utah, one of the most accurate gas-finding apps is GasBuddy. Their mobile apps make it easy to compare prices near you. They also allow you to update prices as you see them, and offer rewards for doing so.
"Check-in" for deals
This tip is mostly for small or locally owned stores, but can be used at some national chains as well — particularly restaurants.
Foursquare is a service with apps for all platforms that let you "check-in" wherever you go. When you open the Foursquare app, it will identify what business you are visiting and allow you to check in.
Checking in has a few benefits. Some stores offer coupons for simply checking in with them. Check-in discounts may be a free appetizer at a restaurant, or a percentage off your purchase at your local merchant. They are able to offer these deals because Foursquare lets your friends see where you have checked in, giving the store free publicity.
Related:
5 ways your smartphone can make your life easier
We use our smartphones to make calls, send text messages, check our social networks and play games, but your phone can do so much more. With these five time-saving tips, your smartphone can help make your life easier.Foursquare also offers a number of partnerships. For example, they could donate to your local (participating) school when you check in as a volunteer. Foursquare has a deal with American Express, giving you as much as $5 back on purchases as little as $10 when you use your AmEx card at a place where you have checked-in. You can check for partnerships here, or by asking at the places you visit.
Seek store-specific discounts
Many large businesses, and some malls, have their own app. Check for ads, usually on the entrance to these places, advertising that app. A number of places will offer incentives for you to download the app.
For example, the Tanger Outlets in Park City has an app (Android and iOS. They frequently have deals where you can download the app and take it in to show customer service for a $15 gift card. Within the app you can also find coupons.
This tip works for anyone with a cell phone — no smartphone required. Many retail locations have a once or twice monthly text message they send out, usually a product promotion or deal. If you sign up to receive a company's text messages while at the register you can usually get a couple of dollars off your purchase.
If you have already signed up for a few of these kind of text messages and are getting tired of them, you can almost always reply with the word "STOP" to stop them from coming.
Find couponsThe time-proven method of using coupons to save money is still very applicable today. And with our smartphones, it's never been easier.
One of the simplest ways to find coupons is a quick Google search. Before you check out a search for "(store name) coupons" will show you if there are any offers you can take advantage of.
This process can be made even easier with apps like RetailMeNot. RetailMeNot has apps available for Android and iOS. The app has an easy to use interface, and quickly finds what stores are near you.
If you've never used RetailMeNot, go ahead and take a look around their website. It's another crowdsourced app, so the more people that use it, the better it becomes.
Put that expensive smartphone in your hand to work. With minimal efforts you will be able to save at least a little money. Your wallet will thank you.
Do you use your phone to save money? What other great methods are you there? Let us know in the comments.
Taylor Wilson is an IT professional at a small Utah company. He has a passion for helping people with technology. Email: taylorwilson@testonetwo.com Online: www.testonetwo.com
