CASH IN
How to save £1,500 in 2025 without noticing with clever apps that track your spending
Some apps also offer cashback
IF you want to save more cash in 2025 instead of frittering money away, clever apps can help you meet your goal.
Many of us start the New Year wanting to pull together a cash lump sum.
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A savings pot could be for a big summer holiday, new car or even to buy a home.
One of the easiest ways to save up cash is by regularly putting away small amounts which gradually buildup.
The use of physical cash has declined meaning it's harder to put away spare change into a jar or piggy bank.
But fortunately there are plenty of apps and features that can help you digitally put away small amounts of cash regularly.
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By the end of the year this can mean you'll have a cash pot worth hundreds of pounds with very little effort.
Many do this by 'rounding up' each time you spend and putting the difference into a savings pot.
Andrew Hagger, founder of advice website Moneycomms, says: "Say you purchase coffee for £2.40, the transaction will be rounded up to £3.00 with the 60 pence difference automatically being credited to your chosen savings account.
"The pros of this arrangement is that you’re squirrelling away money without realising it and your balance steadily grows as you spend.
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"The con – albeit a small one is that your current account balance will reduce more quickly, particularly if you’re someone who makes a lot of small value debit card purchases."
However, it’s usually a very flexible option and you can always withdraw the money back into your bank account if you need to.
Many banks offer this option but there are also specialist apps that offer more ways such as a 'savings challenges' and other options to help you easily put away cash.
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MONZO
Monzo is running a savings challenge which is open to both new and existing customers to help them save £667.95 over 2025.
The app automates daily savings, moving small amounts from customers' personal or joint accounts into a Challenge Pot.
On day one of the challenge 1p is taken, 2p on day two, and so on building up throughout the year to last 365 days from when you save your first penny.
You can withdraw your savings or pause or stop your challenge anytime and you have until January 31 2025 to participate in the Challenge.
Monzo customers can also use its automated round-ups feature which helped customers put away a collective £229m in 2024.
You'll earn interest on your savings, but you may find that you could get better rates elsewhere.
Savings with Monzo are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000 meaning that if it went bust you be compensated.
PLUM
Plum is an app that uses technology to work out how much you can afford to save and then automatically sets the cash aside for you.
You can also opt in to round up your purchases to the nearest pound and save the difference.
There are different plans available when you sign up for Plum. The premium paid-for features offer more options for savings such as the 1p Savings challenge or you can invest money rather than keeping it in cash savings.
However, the free Plum Basic option allows you to save automatically using the AI algorithm, with unlimited withdrawals and deposits.
You can choose from five different auto saver 'rules' including the round ups and weekly savers.
Savings with Plum are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000.
Again, you may find that you can get better savings rates elsewhere.
SNOOP
Connect Snoop to your bank account and credit cards and you'll then be notified about where you can make potential savings.
For example if you can make a saving by switching your broadband provider.
Snoop says a typical user can save £1,500 in a year by using the app and some people will find the figure is even higher.
You can also review your spending by category to see which areas you might be spending more than you'd like.
Then make budgets for your monthly spend and any category spending you want to track
You can get alerts to help you stop overspending and will also spot if and give a warning if your bills may not be covered.
Snoop can be downloaded for free onto your smartphone but there are also additional features available through a Snoop Plus subscription which costs £4.99 a month, which includes unlimited spending alerts.
EMMA
Emma is an app that shows all your bank and savings accounts in one place helping you to track spending across different categories.
You can connect two bank accounts, earn interest on cash pots, invest and request and send payments for free.
But there also paid-for plans that offer more advance features and cost up to £14.99 a month.
Features such as budgeting and recurring payments, mean paying at least £4.99 a month for Emma Plus.
You're also given more bank logins and other benefits such as bill reminders and cash back.
You can also set up autosaves and create cash pots that earn interest.
These are free on paid-for plans Emma Pro and Ultimate but they have a £0.50 fee on Emma Free and Emma Plus.
You can set budgets, work out how you can save and receive regular bill and spending updates.
The app is best for someone who is looking to get on top their overall finances and managing more than just savings.
HYPERJAR
If you've heard of cash stuffing, Hyperjar offers a digital version allowing you to stay in control of your budget and save.
You divide money into virtual jars depending on your budget. For example, you can choose categories such as food and petrol as well as longer term occasions such as future holidays.
You can spend money directly from these jars and lock them to certain retailers using a linked card. For example, setting your food pot to Sainsburys and Tesco meaning you won't spend money designated for groceries elsewhere.
Or you can also set up vouchers which are essentially a way to save money to use with selected retailers. You'll earn interest on money put in selected vouchers until you spend it.
For example, if you get your petrol from Shell you can buy a Shell voucher and the value of the voucher will start to grow before you use it.
However, you may be able to earn more interest on your cash by keeping it in a higher paying easy access savings account.
Also bear in mind that any cash you deposit with Hyperjar isn't protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
Instead, HyperJar says it keeps your funds in accounts governed by the e-money regulations of the FCA, similar to PayPal and Transferwise.
BANK APPS
You may find that your own bank already offers options to help get you into the saving habit.
Some divide your spending into categories, so you can see exactly where your money is going, and where you need to cut back.
The free Natwest app, for example, has a spending and budget tracker that categories your spending and lets you set a budget to help you keep track of your outgoings.
And many offer the option to round up and save spending.
With Starling bank you can save faster with the option to multiply your spare change savings by two, by five or by 10 times.
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Rachel Springall, expert at Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, said: “As the past few years have demonstrated, having an emergency fund by saving a bit of money each month can make a huge difference.
"The right savings account will depend on someone’s circumstances, for example an easy access account can be much more flexible than a regular savings account, ideal for those who have their good intentions change down the line where they can only spare a little bit of cash to save.”
How you can find the best savings rates
If you are trying to find the best savings rate there are websites you can use that can show you the best rates available.
Doing some research on websites such as MoneyFacts and price comparison sites including Compare the Market and Go Compare will quickly show you what's out there.
These websites let you tailor your searches to an account type that suits you.
There are three types of savings accounts fixed, easy access, and regular saver.
A fixed-rate savings account offers some of the highest interest rates but comes at the cost of being unable to withdraw your cash within the agreed term.
This means that your money is locked in, so even if interest rates increase you are unable to move your money and switch to a better account.
Some providers give the option to withdraw but it comes with a hefty fee.
An easy-access account does what it says on the tin and usually allow unlimited cash withdrawals.
These accounts do tend to come with lower returns but are a good option if you want the freedom to move your money without being charged a penalty fee.
Lastly is a regular saver account, these accounts generate decent returns but only on the basis that you pay a set amount in each month.
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