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Student loan debt can be a major burden for college graduates and takes an average of 20 years to pay off, according to the Cengage Student Opportunity Index. Fortunately, there are several apps that can help graduates expedite the process and pay off student loans faster. For instance, some help you manage and save your money, while others help you earn money and get cash back. Here are 10 particular apps that can help you get out of student loan debt.
ChangEd
“Student loan repayment made effortless” is the motto of this innovative app. Here’s how it works:
Every time you make a purchase, ChangEd rounds it up to the next dollar, and that money goes toward your student loan. Say you pay $3.50 for a coffee. The remaining $0.50 automatically goes into your ChangEd account, and the money is deposited once you hit your chosen threshold, which can be as low as $5. Learn how it works.
Cost: $1 per month
Quicken
Quicken is a budgeting software that allows you to create a budget to track your spending. You can connect your accounts and automatically categorize your spending. Create a personalized budget and manage your spending.
Creating a budget can help you pay off student loans faster. If you’re able to identity monthly costs you can trim, or realize you’re spending a little too much on a certain area, you can free up extra money to pay down debt.
Fidelity Spire
Fidelity Spire is a free app designed to help young adults achieve their short- and long-term money goals. Users can track the progress of their financial goals after linking an account. The app allows access to Fidelity’s Student Debt Tool, which offers tips to pay down the debt.
Since one of the most common goals is to pay off student loan debt, Fidelity is giving three app users a chance at winning $30,000 to help pay down their student loan debt. You can increase your chance of winning by referring friends to the app.
PocketSmith
In order to knock out student loans quicker, it’s essential to stay on top of your finances. PocketSmith gives you a bird’s eye view of what’s happening at all times to accelerate your progress.
With this app, you can see:
- All of your balances and transactions from different accounts in a single dashboard
- Live bank feeds
- Income and expenses
- Financial forecasts
- Your net worth
That way you always know how much you’re spending and the specific actions you can take to improve your finances.
Cost: Basic plan is free
EveryDollar
If budgeting isn’t your strong suit, this is definitely an app worth checking out. Designed by financial expert Dave Ramsey, it allows you to create a monthly budget and ensure you save the money needed to reach your student loan financial goals.
All you have to do is add your monthly income, plan your expenses and track your spending. EveryDollar does the rest, helping you set a realistic budget and aggressively work toward paying off your student loans.
It’s similar to the Mint app but offers an added level of simplicity and flexibility that many users enjoy.
Cost: Basic version is free
Undebt.it
This app revolves around the debt “snowball” method, where you pay student loans with the highest balance first and the “avalanche” method, where you pay student loans with the highest interest rates first.
Simply choose which strategy you prefer, and alternate any time you like. Undebt.it offers easy to use calculators and keeps track of your payments, debt balances and due dates. This way you can see the projected payoff dates and how much interest you can expect to pay.
Using it is a breeze and a great way to keep your student loans in check.
Cost: Free
Thriv
This app is a digital piggy bank that helps you define and obtain your savings goals. Set a goal, plan your budget and track your progress. It’s that easy.
Thriv helps you develop a savings routine and sends you reminders to streamline the process. View your progress from a user-friendly chart, and develop better saving habits.
If you struggle with setting aside money to repay your student loan, Thriv offers an excellent framework for helping you stay in control.
Cost: Basic version is free
Survey Junkie
Today’s brands value the opinion of consumers, and many are willing to pay to obtain unbiased feedback. Survey Junkie is an app where you earn points by completing surveys, which you can later redeem for cash on PayPal, popular e-giftcards or a direct bank transfer.
While you won’t get rich, Survey Junkie is a legitimate money-making platform, where you can earn extra cash on the side and chip away at your student loan.
Cost: Free
Google Opinion Rewards
This revolves around the same premise as Survey Junkie, where you complete opinion polls, merchant satisfaction surveys and hotel reviews to earn money.
Google Opinion Rewards notifies you whenever there’s a survey available. It has an intuitive interface and is a nice way to make cash whenever you have extra time. You can redeem your earnings either through PayPal or Google Play.
Cost: Free
Ibotta
Here’s an app that lets you earn cash back on items you buy normally from over 300 retailers like Target, Walmart, Albertson’s and Lowe’s. Simply add offers and upload pictures of your receipts, and receive cash through payment platforms like PayPal and Venmo.
Ibotta also has opportunities to earn bonuses by redeeming offers and referring friends or family. There were over 35 million app downloads as of mid-2019, and over $500 million has been paid back to savers.
Cost: Free
Dosh
This is another cash back app that’s similar to Ibotta but is completely effortless to use. Here’s how it works:
- Connect your credit or debit card to Dosh
- Make purchases from thousands of participating stores
- Get up to 10 percent cash back in your Dosh wallet
- Transfer your earnings to your bank account or PayPal
You also receive $5 any time you refer someone to Dosh. It’s incredibly easy to use and is a great way to pull in some extra cash to put toward paying off your student loans.
Cost: Free
At Savingforcollege.com, our goal is to help you make smart decisions about saving and paying for education. Some of the products featured in this article are from our partners, but this doesn’t influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own.
