There are so many ways that a Windows Phone, or any smartphone for that matter, can save you serious cash. Let’s take a look at a few of the easy ways to get the most money from your Windows Phone, and what Apps you will need to do it.
Groupon – Love it or hate it, Groupon is a great way to save money on things you need, or maybe just want daily. The local feature on the mobile App will locate you, find deals at restaurants in the area and let you purchase the “cyber coupon: for the location from the parking lot. Most of these deals will save you between $5-20 on a lunch or dinner.
Foursquare (4th & Mayor) – Both of these Apps have the same advantage, they allow you to check in at local places, say Burger King for example, and take advantage of specials offered only to Foursquare users. Many times these deals can be as simple as a free fry with sandwich purchase, but others can be completely free items, like a free stuffed animal at the Woodland Park Zoo. We list both Foursquare and 4th & Mayor since any Foursquare App will get these specials.
Hotels.com (Orbitz) (Trip Advisor) – If you are a frequent traveller, sites like Hotels.com and Orbitz have great Apps to save you money on those hotel reservations. Many times the discounts are no better than walking in off the street and asking for the best rate, but even just knowing about the deal before you get there can mean staying at a 3 star hotel instead of a flea bag motel. Typically, the discounts ranged from $20-85 a night depending on hotel quality and locations. Trip Advisor saved us about $20 a day at Disneyland when we booked our hotel through Disney Vacations – because we found a lower rate they matched.
Gas Buddy – This is our favorite gas price location App. It takes your GPS position and tells you the fuel prices at the stations around you. It seems to be updated often and is about 95% accurate. Overall, that $.20 a gallon it saves will add up over the course of time. It also gives users the option to report prices in their area, which can only make the App more accurate, so play long if you can,
Now how about a few to get more from your Windows Phone, and get better services as well…
If you aren’t on an unlimited texting plan, GoVoice and MetroTalk will both link to a Google Voice number to allow free texting over WiFi. The cool part about this is that you can give other people you know your Google number and not be passing out that precious cell number to those that you may not want to have full access to you at all times. Google Voice also provides free visual voicemail and quite a few other services. The low cost international long distance is another bonus offered from Google.
Navigation: Turn By Turn allows for offline mapping, something that Windows Phone 8 allows for, but if you aren’t ready for that upgrade yet, or just don’t see enough enhancements to make the jump this early, Navigation is a great mapping solution for those that need one. This can save you serious cash on that capped data plan over those busy months if you download the maps you use the most often.
