The more money you save, the more money you’ll have to spend on adventures. Thankfully, budgeting apps make it easy to track your expenses, split costs, save towards travel, and make those big dream trips come true.
Read on for our top picks of budgeting apps to download before your next trip.
1. Splitwise
If you’re travelling with a group, Splitwise is one of the best budgeting apps to handle complicated bill splitting. The free version is comprehensive with features where you can split expenses by percentage or shares, including recurring expenses, and calculate total balances. The app works offline, so you can start adding straightaway. Their pro plan removes ads, allows for receipt scanning, and converts currencies. Gone are the days of keeping a complicated notepad filled with every group member’s contributions.
When we asked over 1,300 Skyscanner employees for their favourite budgeting app for travellers, Splitwise was a frequent mention. Simon Hoskins is a major Splitwise fan who makes use of Splitwise’s simplifying features. He says,
“You can create sub-groups. If, for example, a smaller group went for beers, they could split the cost just between them. Plus, the ‘Simplify’ mechanic at the end means you usually only pay one or two people instead of everyone.”
Simon Hoskins, Principal Copywriter at Skyscanner
Download the app here: iOS | Android
2. Wanderlog
No matter if you’re a traveller who plans your itinerary down to the minute or someone who just wants a glimpse of the basics, Wanderlog comes in handy. Free to download, Wanderlog is primarily a trip planner that’ll help save you money by avoiding last-minute costly bookings.
You’ll be able to collate data from your trip into one place by adding web pages, flight and hotel reservations, and geographical points (the app syncs with Google Maps). One of the best money-saving features is Wanderlog’s route optimiser, which maps out the best route for your road trip, cutting costs on fuel. If you’re travelling with friends and family, add them as collaborators to your trip for syncing and joint trip editing.
Download the app here: iOS | Android
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3. TravelSpend
The perfect budgeting app for travel doesn’t need to be complicated (or expensive). TravelSpend’s main draw is its simplicity. Quickly add your costs to the app, online or offline, in the currency you purchased the good or service in. These expenses can then be converted into AUD. Other highlights include adding photos to each expense, including friends and family members, using it across multiple devices, and splitting costs.
Each expense is categorised, giving you a greater overall picture of your trip budget. Your travel data can be converted into a CSV file and converted into other data apps.
4. Spendee
Spendee is an ideal budgeting app for travellers who want to see all their spending in one place. It connects to your bank account and has a long list of supported banks, like ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, ING, Westpac, and St. George. The free version of the app allows you to have a cash wallet and reveals an overview of your spending. The paid version, starting at 14.99 USD per year, collates your bank accounts and gives you a whole picture of your saving and spending transactions in one place.
This is a great app option if you’d like to have just one budgeting app to use during your travels and in your everyday life. Or, if you have multiple bank accounts you use regularly.
5. NomadWallet
Frequent flyers will enjoy NomadWallet, a sleek expense tracker where you can organise your expenses into trips, dates, or currencies. When you launch the app, you’ll have a rundown of your journey broken down into the total cost, with tracking on how your spending compares day by day or destination by destination. For example, track how much you’ve spent on average per day in Paris versus the same amount of time in Rome.
A convenient calendar shows your month at a glance with daily spending totals on each date. You can spread a cost over multiple dates, like a long-term accommodation rental, to reveal the true price of each day in a destination. Take pictures of your receipts and add them to your entries. Custom categories reveal your overall spending at a glance in an aesthetically pleasing pie chart.
The free version features most of NomadWallet’s bells and whistles. A $5.99 USD one-time fee will give you custom categories and a visual of your overall spending at a glance, multiple currencies, the ability to share with others, and CSV data.
6. Frollo
For a personal finance app that’ll take you through every type of adventure, domestic and international, there’s Frollo. If you’re a bit of an app minimalist and want an icon you can tap on at home and away, this is one of the best. Frollo connects to most of Australia’s major banks and reveals your net worth, spending (sorted into automatic categories), bill tracking, and insights.
One of the most useful features for travellers is the budgeting category tool, where you can see exactly how much you’ve spent so far, how many days are left in the month, and how much of your budget is remaining in each category. For example, if you’d like to have a set amount for dining out, tours and excursions, and souvenir shopping per trip, you can create this through categories.
You can also save for multiple goals simultaneously, like a trip to Bali and a new camera for your travels.
Download: Get the QR code
7. Your bank app
All major Australian banks have their own app, and it’s worth downloading your bank’s app before you travel. This is the most accurate way to see your spending at a glance with budgets, spending categories, and cashflow overviews. You’ll also have a chance to sort out financial issues as they arise. For example, many bank websites require two-factor authorisation to log on, which usually requires access to your Australian phone number. Once you’re overseas, you might not be able to receive messages. Having a backup option, like a PIN generator on your banking app, is a wise choice.
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