With a starting price of $349, the Apple Watch is anything but cheap. Money-saving apps available on the latest smartwatch, however, can help recoup some of the cost. From budget tracking to discounted hotel reservations, here are 13 ways Apple Watch apps can save you money. All but one free to download and use.
Grocery shopping on an empty stomach is a sure way to overspend on food. Keep shopping lists organized and on hand (or wrist) with the Buy Me a Pie app. Create multiple lists for different meals and check off items once they're in your basket.
An empty hotel room is wasted space and a lost opportunity for hotel owners. Hotel Tonight offers last-minute bookings at discounted rates, making it easier to cut down on travel costs or enjoy a staycation on a budget.
Programmable thermostats can be big money savers and smart thermostats provide the highest level of control. Ecobee, Sensi, and Honeywell produce thermostats that can be controlled by Apple Watch apps. Change the temperature, turn the fan on and off, and tell the system that you're home or away with the press of a button.
A calculator watch is a sure sign of a geek, but who doesn't want to be a high-tech nerd these days? The Calcbot app turns an Apple Watch into a high-end calculator that offers advanced features like unit conversion (helpful when comparing prices at a grocery store) and tip calculation.
If you're looking for a simple tip-calculating tool, Gratuity is the app for you. Users can choose from six types of service settings, including lunch, dinner, and pizza delivery. The designers used a dark red theme to make sure you don't ruin the atmosphere at a romantic restaurant.
Working out at home is a sure money saver. The Quick Fit 7 (99 cents) app guides you through a strength- and metabolism-boosting workout that's only 7 minutes long. There's also a 7-minute ab workout and a 15-minute yoga routine. A sister app called Quick 4 Minute Workout (free) guides you through a short, full-body tabata workout.
Like many budget apps, Personal Capital lets you set budgeting goals and track your spending. The app and associated website also let you link all your accounts to provide an overview of your complete financial situation. Weekly emails update your net worth and evaluate your investments against popular stock indexes.
It doesn't steal from the rich and give to the poor, but the Robinhood app does let you buy and sell stocks without any trading fees. You can also place stop-loss, stop-limit, and good-til-canceled orders. It's an app-only trading platform without in-depth research functions, but free trades are hard to beat.
Mint.com is a free personal finance platform that lets users create budgets and automatically import data from bank and credit card accounts to make tracking spending easier. The Mint app for Apple Watch lets users quickly review different spending categories (i.e., food) and change budgeting goals, and it sends alerts when bills are due.
The Citibank app for Apple Watch gives users quick and easy access to their accounts. Customers can review their five most recent transactions, check account balances, and be notified about new transactions.
With the ShopSavvy app on your wrist, it's hard to miss out on a sale or forget to give the cashier a coupon code. Set alerts based on the deals, products, or categories of goods you're interested in, and the app will automatically notify you when a store you're in or near has a sale or coupon available.
This money-saving app displays discounts and coupons at nearby stores. In some cases, the codes can be scanned right off your wrist. Users with a Coupons.com account can also link their credit cards to their account and receive discounts or cash back automatically when they use the card to make a purchase.