We’re up for anything free.
With price hikes looming all around us, it might just feel like we can’t catch a break. With these 5 apps you can easily download (for free!) on your mobile devices, you can definitely make sure you won’t be straining your wallet while having fun.
1) Klook (For Attractions, Or Even Travel)
Klook offers you a way to save some cash on those must-see tourist attractions so you don’t break the bank while you’re having fun. Founded in Hong Kong by Eric Gnock Fah and Ethan Lin, Klook offers you discounts at venues such as the S.E.A. Aquarium (for $21 instead of $34), Adventure Cove ($22 instead of $38), and even Universal Studios Singapore (for $61 instead of $76).
Outside of Sentosa, you can also enjoy discounts at the Singapore Zoo ($27 instead of $38) or the Jurong Bird Park ($20 instead of $34) before it closes. You’ll be able to play tourist for more than a day or two with these savings.
If you would rather spend your time and money on something a little less “touristy”, try splurging on the Supercar Driving Experience ($241 instead of $255) to drive on the F1 Circuit, or Nature Kayaking ($80 instead of $85) at the mangroves in Pulau Ubin.
Klook’s also available in other countries around the world. Live your Big Apple dreams in New York, visit Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum plus an hour on the canal cruise or go to Lotte World in Seoul. It doesn’t matter where you choose to go, there’s always a deal to grab.
Klook is available on their website, and as an app on Google Play and Apple Store for free.
2) Deja (Scan Receipts For Cashback)
Deja’s an relatively easy-to-use app. All you need to do is scan your receipts after doing your shopping, and you’ll get 5% cash back. They used to have another concept in which you get to style your avatar and compete in mini-competitions, but this is definitely a step up from Deja 1.0. You still get to style your avatar in the “Fitting Room”, of course, except with this new version of Deja, you also get some monetary incentive in return.
Their cash back feature works with major brands like Forever 21, Gap, H&M, and home grown brands like The Closet Lover, The Editor’s Market, and MDS Collections. No matter where you do your shopping, you won’t be left out of this deal. After a whole day of shopping and feeling broke after seeing your wallet at the end of the day, this is a present every girl would love to accept.
Deja only works with women’s brands at the moment, which is great news for the ladies in Singapore. Shop all you want, ladies!
Deja is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play for free.
3) Chug (A Free Drink Everyday For A Subscription Fee)
Here’s something for the ones who love to drink. Chug’s an app which offers you a free (well, pretty much free) drink every single day, for a tiny subscription fee ($19.90 per month, $14.90 per month if you’re an existing subscriber). Not a heavy drinker? You can get Chug Lite, which offers 5 drinks a month at $9.90 per month.
All you need to do is go to one of the establishments they feature on their app, swipe to the drink you want, and tell the waiter you’d like to redeem your drink.
It’s a pretty good deal, if you ask me. Especially if you count how much drinks normally cost in the bars. Chug is curated by the team behind it, so you know you’ll be going to somewhere cool. The app lets you find new places to go to, and sometimes you get extra perks, like getting 10% off your total bill.
Personally, I really enjoy using Chug even though I’m not much of a drinker myself. (I usually give my free drink to someone who drinks.) It brings me to places I don’t normally go to and recommends what they like at the establishment so I feel like an insider too.
Chug is available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for free.
4) HotelQuickly (If You Ever Want A Last Minute Vacation/Staycation)
HotelQuickly is useful for when you can’t take your workload anymore and need a break now. It gives you last minute deals for a room at hotels the night you need somewhere to stay, and they say their prices are the lowest when compared to other listings on other websites. You can now book up to a month in advance, but sometimes booking last minute gives you an extra perk of getting a last minute deal.
You can book boutique hotels such as Hotel Kai, The Daulat, and Naomi Liora, or more traditional hotels such as Oasia Hotel, Mandrin Hotel, or the Royal Plaza on Scotts.
This app is for all the last minute procrastinators (like me), or for those of us who suddenly find ourselves stranded with no place to sleep. It doesn’t just work in Singapore. HotelQuickly is also useful for travelling around Asia (except Japan). So whether you’re a seasoned traveller or a budding nomad, HotelQuickly has a way to save money for you.
HotelQuickly is available on their website, the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for free.
5) 11th Hour (A Last Minute App For Foodies)
Food is such an integral part of every Singaporean’s life. Since what we put in our tummies matter a lot to us, it’s no wonder we are always searching for the best deals (in order to save our wallets). It turns out that these last minute deals with 11th Hour doesn’t just help us consumers save at least 30% of our bill, they also help store owners to reduce food wastage.
The best thing about using 11th Hour is that the founder knew what it’s like to deal with food wastage. It was what inspired founder Tan Jun Yuan to start an app like this. He was a hawker himself, and he not only knew what it was like to throw away bowls of bak kut teh, he also saw how much food was wasted at other stores. After a few years of trial and error, 11th Hour was finally shipped to the world.
11th Hour helps to combat food wastage by letting stores and restaurants set their own promotions during lull periods. If you care about how you impact the world around you, 11th Hour offers an easy way to tackle that through food.
11th Hour is available on the Apple Store and Google Play for free.
6) ShopBack (Getting Cashback for Being a Smarter Shopper)
ShopBack has been around since 2014 as a website that lets you get money back while you shop online. The company started after ShopBack’s founders saw a gap in the online shopping market in South-East Asia, and grew exponentially from a small team of 10 to over a hundred staff regionally. The idea is that all you need to do is go through their website when you want to buy things online from stores like Lazada, Zalora, or Booking.com, and you can get some money back in return.
Nowadays, you can not only go through ShopBack’s website itself, you can also use an extension in your browser or the new app that was released in June last year. With over 500 merchants working with ShopBack Singapore alone, using Shopback really makes it “the smarter way to shop”.
And it’s no wonder – you can get daily necessities and groceries from Honestbee, take a Grab or Uber home from work, dabao some food (they really call it dabao in their app – how cute is that), and watch a movie, all while getting money back into your ShopBack account to be redeemed back into your bank account later.
Pro-Tip: Use Visa for your transactions because you get more money back for online shopping.
ShopBack is available for free on their website, Apple App Store and Google Play.
With the help of all these apps that are popping up on our tiny island, we can all become super savers! Well, maybe only for that moment. We can save that money and then spend it all again. Ultimately, that’s what money’s for, isn’t it? Just remember to save wisely and spend wisely too!
