Round-up apps are the modern-day coin jar. For younger readers who aren’t as familiar: Tossing spare coins into a jar used to be one of the most popular forms of saving. It stopped your pockets from jingling, you didn't miss the money, and once the jar was full, you could exchange all of the money at the bank or a coin machine. Assuming you weren't living paycheck to paycheck, this was “fun” money you could spend however you wanted—you might head out to a restaurant or pick up a new pair of shoes. Paying with cash is becoming less common by the year, however, as people increasingly use more convenient methods: credit cards, debit cards, and money apps. Plastic and digital spending are in … and jingling pockets are out. But that doesn’t mean “spare change” is gone completely—it, like spending, has simply evolved, becoming the “round-up.” Read on as we explain how these work, and then we’ll look at the best round-up apps you can use as your own digital coin jar. What Are Round-Ups? With round-ups, your purchase prices are rounded up to the nearest dollar. If this sounds familiar, that’s because you see it all the time at grocery stores and other retailers. The cashier will ask you if you’d like to round up your total, say, to donate to a charity. But this kind of roundup involves a financial app rounding up your purchase, with the “spare change” put into a savings account or invested for you. How Do Round-Ups Work? Let’s say you’re heading to work, and you decide to grab breakfast. You get a coffee and a sandwich, and it sets you back $9.69. You go to pay with a normal debit or credit card or money app, you pay the $9.69, and the transaction is over. However, now let’s say you have a card or app with a round-up feature. Instead, your card is charged for $10, then the extra 31 cents is added to a spillover fund like a savings account or investing account. And this happens with every purchase you make with the card or app—a seamless process that makes saving automatic. But which app does it the best? Round-Up Apps—Our Top Picks Best Round-Up Apps 1. Acorns (Best for Using Round-Ups to Invest) Function(s): Saving, spending, investing Available: Sign up here Acorns is an investing app geared toward minors, young adults, and millennials, that pioneered round-up capabilities. Acorns’ Round-Ups feature rounds up purchases made on linked
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