Cashing it in: Personal finance apps – the best and the rest

Snapt

Developer Albion was shortlisted in the 2014 UK Mobile and App Design Awards for its work on Snapt, an app devised to cut utility bills with ease. Currently on iOS, we're told an Android version is in the works.

Research from Ofgem reveals that only one in five Brits shop around for their gas and electricity, but energy shopping should be a yearly ritual, as switching supplier can save households around £200. Yet even with that financial incentive, evidently most are lax to switch due to the perceived hassle.

To solve this problem, Comparethemarket.com took the initiative with Snapt to make the process of energy supplier switching faff-free, with only a paper bill and smartphone required. The app uses the smartphone camera to take a snapshot of the bill with the info captured by Compare the market’s customer service team, which then provides an energy cost quote within 10 minutes.

Time to switch? On iOS for now but Android is coming soon

All information is securely transferred from the app with contact data such as email, phone, names, and addresses are only used to provide a quote.

Price comparison websites have been under scrutiny lately, and we wouldn’t want to lead you down the garden path reader. So we contacted Comparethemarket.com which was at pains to point out that, “In under five minutes consumers can compare more than 100 tariffs…” which is certainly handy. Adding that, “Suppliers can stipulate which tariffs they wish to sell on price comparison websites, however regulation requires comparison sites to show all products unlike some collective switching sites which do not use Ofgem accredited services.”

The company went on to describe how you can see all tariffs on its web site, even those unavailable to Comparethemarket.com. You simply select the Refine Results tab then click on Other Options and tick the box that says 'Show tariffs I can't switch to now' and then click Update Results. Reassuringly, the differences with the cheapest unavailable tariffs is typically negligible.

For those that are already bill-savvy, Snapt makes the process easier and for the majority who haven’t switched the savings will be worth doing it. And yes, a free meerkat toy is thrown in if you switch.

UK Salary Tax Calculator 2014-15

This uncomplicated app by James Still is extremely useful for prising out the essentials in what income tax and NI (National Insurance) you pay. Given how complicated the UK Tax system is, if you’re thinking about changing jobs or due a salary change, this app makes it easy to find out exactly what your take-home pay will be after the government takes its cut.

Discover where your money's going and what you'll have left

Salary can be calculated from annual, daily, hourly or monthly wage. It can also take into account NI payments, student loan payments, variable tax-free allowances, and pension contributions. The usefulness of this app should not to be sniffed at and it is one of the most popular finance apps around – the only irritating part being the advertisement running along the bottom.

Price Free
More info UK Salary Tax Calculator 2014-15