NEW WAYS TO CUT FUEL COSTS
The deterrent for the 17 million households who don’t switch providers is the sheer hassle involved, but several new apps and one website promise to make the process easier…
Snapt This is compare the market’s energy comparison app. It was first launched two years ago and is free on apple and iPhone. you open an account, download the app and scan your bill to get a competitive quote.
Voltz As with conventional switching sites, you enter your energy supplier, consumption and tariff, and the Voltz app sets the deals on offer and savings. It also checks your account regularly and sends an alert if a better deal comes up. If you want to switch, it’s done with a press of a button provided the company you choose pays Voltz a commission – about half of them do. Free on iPhone.
Uswitch This was one of the first switching websites but now its app promises to make the process easier. create an account to download the app on android or apple for free, which then allows you to scan the barcode on your electricity or gas bill with your phone so you don’t have to enter any details by hand. it will give you the cheapest tariffs on offer. you can authorise uswitch to swap your supplier and it does it for you while you track the switching process. the app remembers
your details and keeps tracking the market
to alert you of bigger savings in the future.
Try a non-comparison website…
Flipper.community is not a comparison service, but identifies the best deals for you and also does the switching. Flipper doesn’t take commission from the energy suppliers but instead charges a £25 annual subscription, which is only paid if a user gets savings of £50 or more. Flipper’s co-founder
and chief executive talal Fathallah says once customers have signed up, their service takes care of everything. “We pull in your consumption data directly from your energy provider from your online account, or if you don’t have one, we’ll set one up for you. We then find you a quote within one working day.”
MANAGE YOUR FINANCES EASILY
Avoid expensive data charges Find it hard to track how much data your phone uses up each month? Onavo Extend can minimise usage and the pesky extra charges that come with it, by routing all internet-related actions through its servers. There, data is minimised where possible, for example by limiting use of apps that use lots of data, before being sent to your device. Free on IOS and Android.
Make easy payments between friends PayFriendz is a money-sending app, where you can send and request money, via messaging, from your contacts list – eliminating the need for sort codes and account numbers. add money to your account using your debit card. once you’ve added a friend, you can get paid or pay them. Free on IOS and Google Play.
Use storecupboard ingredients The Substitutions app can help you find alternative ingredients for your recipes by listing suitable substitutes. The app will suggest something you’re likely to have lurking in your cupboards – saving you the cost of forking out for more. £2.99 on IOS only.
Keep on top of your finances Daily Budget calculates a personal daily budget, based on your income and fixed costs, like bills and transport. The budget will carry over too – if you spend less one day, you’ll have more for the next. Free on IOS only.
Small businesses accounting intuit Quickbooks online lets you create, send and track invoices and take photos of your receipts to attach to expenses. From these, the app can also estimate your annual taxes, and even generate your hmrc self-assessment form. Free on IOS and android. w&h
