This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Kelly Xiong. Find her on Instagram at @k.3lly. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Being a student in this day and age is often associated with having little money. “Balling on a budget” as some may say. With the prices of everything always increasing and our already limited funds, spending money as a student can be super tricky. If you’re paying your own rent or utilities as a student, budgeting and having any leftover spending money is tough. But fear not, there are many apps and web browser extensions for students that are designed to help you save some money. I have used all of these and can say they definitely are super helpful when you have limited funds.
Dosh
Dosh is an app that helps you find cashback deals. I’ve found that it’s the most helpful tool for eating out. Dosh has a nearby feature so you can see which stores or restaurants offer cashback — usually 5% — when you spend money there. My nearby list is almost all restaurants or bars, which makes it a handy app to have and check out when my friends want to go out to eat or have a drink.
The app used to have more retail stores you can earn cashback from such as Sephora, Aerie and American Eagle but those have unfortunately gone due to, what I’m assuming, an end of a partnership between the app and the retail companies. There are however still some retail brands that Dosh can offer you cashback at such as Men’s Warehouse, Too Faced Cosmetics, Aldo and Crocs.
Dosh also offers cashback to some subscription services like Disney+ and Blue Apron. The point is, Dosh offers numerous options for you to spend money and get some cash back. All you need to do is link your credit or debit card. Unfortunately do not accept Discover credit cards. One thing to note if you’re ever using your debit card is to swipe it as a credit card in order to receive the cashback reward. The rewards, once processed, will go to your Dosh wallet. Once you’ve reached $15 worth of cashback rewards in your wallet, you can then transfer that balance to your Venmo or PayPal account. After this, it’s your choice if you want to keep it in those apps or to transfer that to your bank account.
Rakuten
Many of us have probably heard of Rakuten by now. It has become widely popular in the last few years and rightfully so. This is a browser extension that will offer you some sort of cashback in hundreds of stores and websites. The cashback rates of certain stores and websites change so keep an eye out and try to maximize how much money you can get back. For example, two days ago I was shopping for Mother’s Day gifts on the Macy’s website. My Rakuten extension alerted me that they had 20% cashback. However, the next day, when I went back to the website to check, it went down to 2%. So, be sure to check for deals around any holiday or gift gifting days as cashback amounts may increase during those times.
Rakuten also has an app. It allows you to check for any in-store cashback opportunities. The in-store cashback offers are sorted by distance, so the closest stores will be at the top of the page. You can ‘add’ the offer the stores have and use the card you have linked to your Rakuten account.
This is definitely my favorite way to save money while spending it. Rakuten has cashback on so many places it makes it very easy for those rewards to stack up. I use it when I book flights on Expedia and anytime I’m ordering anything online — including Grubhub. Buying online has become my preferred choice of purchase because I get to save a few dollars. The redeemed cashback rewards will sit in your Rakuten wallet and you will get the payout either through physical check or PayPal — your choice — every three months.
Unidays & Student Beans
Unidays and Student Beans are apps that will give you student discount codes you can use at all your favorite retailers. Both require you to verify that you’re a student at the college or university you say you attend. The easiest way to do so in my opinion is through your school email.
Both apps offer similar discounts at many of the same retailers such as Aerie, PacSun, UGG and Tarte Cosmetics. I found it helpful to check both apps and see which one has the better deal before getting my student discount code.
Some in-person stores will also accept the Unidays or Student Beans student discount if you show them the offer on the app. However, I’ve come to realize that sometimes it’s very random and it depends on the store and the employee. There have been times when one Aerie store takes the discount while another says they take it. There have also been a few instances where I go to the Aerie store at my mall and one employee will give me the discount and the next time I go in to use it, I’m told that they don’t accept the discount. Using the student discount in-store is very Russian Roulette-esque, which is why I prefer using them online, where I know the code will be accepted. You can also stack the Rakuten cashback offer on top of this so you can save even more money.
Being a student in this day and age is often associated with having little money. “Balling on a budget” as some may say. With the prices of everything always increasing and our already limited funds, spending money as a student can be super tricky. If you’re paying your own rent or utilities as a student, budgeting and having any leftover spending money is tough. But fear not, there are many apps and web browser extensions for students that are designed to help you save some money. I have used all of these and can say they definitely are super helpful when you have limited funds.
Fetch
Fetch is an app that rewards you for spending money. You use the app to scan your receipts — yes it works with online orders too — and you are then rewarded points. Each receipt scan will reward you with a minimum of 25 points. There are certain offers Fetch has that will reward you with more points. This typically requires you to buy certain products or shop at certain stores. For example, right now if you spend $10 on Old Spice body wash, you will earn 1000 points. The points you earn can be exchanged for gift cards once you’ve reached a certain amount. Some of the gift card choices are Amazon, Starbucks, Ulta, Domino’s Pizza, Olive Garden and Lululemon.
The best part about all these apps and extensions is that you can stack them. This will save you so much money in the long run. Who doesn’t love that? Let us know in the comments below if you’ve ever tried any of these apps and browser extensions for students.
Do you have any favorite browser extensions for students? Let us know!
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