MoneyMagpie Editor and financial expert Vicky Parry shares the apps you need to stick to your money resolutions in 2026
If you’ve started 2026 with the intention to be better with your money, learn about investing, or simply meet a savings goal, there’s an app for that.
Financial apps have come on leaps and bounds in recent years, thanks to tech that allows open banking, linking your accounts between platforms for greater visibility and control of your finances.
Setting financial goals should be part of your monthly aim, not just for January. These apps will help you get into good habits to save money this year, even when the cost-of-living crisis seems to be relentless in attacking our bank balances.
Apps to make saving easy
The first change to make is within your own bank account app. Set up a standing order to pay yourself a small amount into your savings on your payday. Whether it’s £50, £50, or £500, saving first each month is much easier than scraping together what’s left at the end of it.
Other apps can do this when they connect to your bank, too. For example, if you have a Moneybox Stocks and Shares ISA, you can sweep roundups of your spending into it each week.
You can set the roundup, to make sure you sweep what you can afford. A roundup works by taking the difference between what you spend and the roundup amount, and putting that in savings. For example, if you spend £4.50 and your roundup is £5, then 50p is swept to Moneybox so your total spend is £5.
Discount and cashback apps to save more
Saving starts with spending, so find out where you can get discounts whenever you buy something. Use loyalty cards and schemes for supermarkets and independent local shops, or group buying sites like Wowcher and Groupon for good deals.
Look for cards and apps like Totum, too. This used to be only for students, but now a much broader group of people can apply, such as apprentices and any professional that’s a member of a registered union or trade body.
Make sure you sign up to a cashback site like Topcashback and Swagbucks, too. They have browser extensions that automatically look for compatible discounts, and you get a small percentage cashback on anything you purchase. This includes some rather generous bonuses for things like comparing and buying a new insurance policy or broadband contract.
Save on days out
Saving doesn’t need to mean sacrifice. You can still enjoy days out and trips with family and friends, if you look at how to do it on a budget.
For example, download the Lidl Plus app, which is free, and access deals like a free 90-day Tastecard trial. This gives you two-for-one and 50% off offers across restaurants, cinemas, cafes and more. Until January 21st, you can also claim a free Day Out with the Kids trial, giving you discounted access to hundreds of attractions around the UK.
Make sure you invest in a railcard, too. There are lots of different types, so make sure you opt for the correct one based on your age and circumstances. They’ll save you a third on rail fares (and some like the Disabled Person’s Railcard, include a third off a companion fare, too). But there are also loads of offers available to people travelling by train – just check out National Rail’s Days Out Guide for up to half price entry to major attractions and more.
Learn to invest
Investing seems scary to most of us, but it’s a case of starting small and building up. You can start investing with as little as £1 a week to start seeing a difference in the future. Remember: investing is a long-term game.
Use banking savings apps and roundups to sweep money into a Stocks and Shares ISA with a pre-selected portfolio to make it easy to invest your spare change and let it grow for the future.
Or, learn to invest with online courses for beginners that will introduce you to the different ways you can invest even on a tight budget. This will help you learn more about diversifying your investments, which means spreading the risk, to counter any market ups and downs.
Scrub your subscriptions
Do you know every single subscription you pay for? What about those free trials that have quietly rolled to a paid membership?
It’s very easy to let subscriptions roll over, especially when they are ‘only’ £8.99 or so a month. But that’s almost £100 wasted a year on one forgotten subscription.
Apps like Emma are useful for finding and cancelling forgotten subscriptions to easily save money every month. You can also use them to analyse your spending and create a budget, to see where you might be able to save more each month.
Apps to reduce, reuse, and recycle to save cash
Try a no-spend or low-spend week each month and see how much you can save. Apps like Olio and TooGoodToGo are great for nabbing cheap or free food, while some Tesco stores offer free yellow stickered items after 9pm every day.
If you need new clothes or home items, try second hand like local community Whatsapp and Facebook groups, or apps like Vinted and eBay. These can also be useful apps to sell your unwanted clutter to make raise extra cash for your savings goal, too.
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