GUIDE TO THE BEST FINANCIAL APPS

Key to saving money post-Covid is already in your pocket,

IT’S more than two months since Ireland started to slowly emerge from lockdown. As most of us have got out and about more since then, we have had to adjust to living our lives differently to the way we did before the Covid-19 crisis first kicked off. In many parts of Ireland, it’s now normal to see a queue outside a chemist, chipper or grocery store. Rarely do you see someone pay for something in cash today — as most people now pay by card. Many of us have ditched our foreign summer holiday plans and are holidaying at home instead. A lot of us are shopping online more. Many of us are still out of work and are struggling with — and worried about — our finances.

Earlier this month, a million people downloaded the Covid Tracker app within two days of its launch. For those interested in apps which could be handy financially — or which could help you save money — as you navigate the post-lockdown days, here are some to consider.

ZAZU

For anyone keen to eat out or get on the social scene again, this app should make it easier and quicker for you to pay for your drinks at a bar — or to settle your restaurant bill.

Zazu essentially allows you to book a table at a venue and will then send you a message when your table becomes free. Since last month, contactless ordering was added to the app, which means you can pay the bill you run up at a restaurant or pub from your phone without having to use the venue’s card machine.

There are two ways you can pay a bill through Zazu in a venue: by pay-as-you-go or by tab. “With pay-as-you-go, every time you order, you pay via the app,” said Ivano Cafolla, founder of Zazu. “This is designed for bar and nightclub environments.” The tab option is suitable for those eating in restaurants. “With the tab option, consumers order via the Zazu app and simply pay the bill when they are done,” said Cafolla.

The Zazu app also allows you to split bills equally or unequally, a useful feature for those out socialising or dining with groups.

The app also allows you to pre-pay into nightclubs and to skip the queue by paying a bit extra, features likely to appeal to night-time revellers when nightclubs reopen here.

With social distancing and queues for entry to various venues set to be with us for some time, the app may appeal to those who dislike queuing outside pubs, restaurants and other venues, particularly in inclement weather. “Winter is never too far away in Ireland,” said Cafolla.

You can only use the Zazu app in venues which have signed up to it. Some of the Dublin venues which have already signed up to Zazu include Marco Pierre White, the Exchequer gastropub, Asador, the Wild Goose Grill, the Living Room and the Well Dublin. A number of venues in Cork, Limerick and Co Clare have also signed up to the app, including Lahinch Golf Club. “Golfers can use Zazu to pre-order their lunch or dinner and a drink and when they finish their round, it will be ready for them,” said Cafolla.

You can download the app — which is free for consumers — on zazuentertainment.com.

ORDEE

The Ordee app should make it easier for you to pay your restaurant and pub bills — and to tip your waiter.

As the app allows you to check how much space a venue has and to book a table in a restaurant or pub or an appointment in a shop, based on availability, it also helps with social distancing.

For those using Ordee to go to a restaurant, you can use the app to join a bathroom queue, to make an order, to see what promotions the venue is running, to tip your waiter or waitress and to pay for your order. The app gives you the option to pay for your order through the app or in person at the venue.

A lot of the venues which have signed up to date are restaurants, bars and shops. Although it is a countrywide app, it is largely Cork venues which have so far signed up, or are about to sign up, to it, including the Blackrock Hurling Club, Leahy’s Open Farm, Crawford & Co and Ali’s Kitchen, according to Anthony Cronin, co-founder of Ordee. A number of Dungarvan venues have also signed up.

The Ordee app is free to consumers and it can be downloaded from the Apple and Google Play app stores or through ordee.ie.

FLEXIWAGE

For those who are still under pressure financially as a result of the emergency, Flexiwage is an app which could prove handy — particularly if you struggle to budget or you tend to blow your entire monthly pay packet at the start of the month.

The app — which was also founded by Ordee’s Cronin — allows workers to stagger their pay across the month if they wish to do so, so it is paid across up to four or five pay dates. The app also gives an employee the option to get paid all of their wages at the start or end of the month.

“The app can be set up for the employee to decide whether they want to be paid weekly, fortnightly or monthly and they can decide this any time in advance of the first pay date,” said Cronin. “It also has savings modules whereby employees can set targets and save each month towards them.”

This is a free app for employees but your employer must offer it to you if you wish to use it. “Flexiwage is used by more than 20,000 staff between the UK and Ireland,” said Cronin.

For more information on the app, visit flexiwage.com.

OLIVIA

For anyone who needs to rein in on their spending and save money post-Covid, this could be a useful app.

Launched in Ireland last month, Olivia uses artificial intelligence to find out about your individual spending habits, predict what you’ll spend your money on and recommend ways that you could make greater savings. It will tell you if you have spent more than you normally do in a given month and alerts you to discounts on things you would usually buy.

This free app supports AIB, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and Permanent TSB, along with Revolut. It allows you to view all of your bank accounts in the one place. The app can notify you of your upcoming bills and determine whether you will have enough in your account to pay those bills, thereby prompting you to adjust your spending so you can pay your bills on time.

This app can be downloaded on olivia.ai/ie.

GROUPON

Many of us returning to restaurants and shops after lockdown will be doing so with less money in our pockets, particularly those of us who have lost jobs or taken pay cuts.

All the more important therefore to keep up to date on deals and discounts from restaurants, retailers and so on — and Groupon is an app which can help you to do so. Given staycations are on the cards for most people in the coming months, you can also find out about deals on Irish hotel stays on this app. You can download this app for free on groupon.ie/mobile.

BEZZU

As Bezzu provides online shoppers with access to independent stores, this free app is useful for those who would prefer to spend their money in independent local shops rather than in international online retailers. There are more than 600 independent Irish retailers on Bezzu, including Fishers department store in Co Wicklow, Neola in Malahide, Dublin, Les Jumelles in Galway and Place in Wexford.

“Less than 20pc of all independent Irish retailers have their own e-commerce websites,” said Lauren Murphy, senior communications manager with Bezzu.

“That’s one of the main reasons Bezzu was created — to give local Irish independent retailers a marketplace where they could sell and compete against online fashion giants. A few of the retailers on Bezzu do have their own online stores.”

Shoppers can buy items from shops through Bezzu and the app also allows people to chat directly to the shop owner. One of the appeals of Bezzu is that shoppers can buy fashion from Irish-owned boutiques, according to Murphy. “Now more than ever, everyone is aware of the importance to shop locally to help us through the oncoming recession,” she said. You can download the app on bezzu.com.