I decided to do a Qapital app review after doing a round-up of the best budgeting apps for couples. Among other budgeting and savings apps, the Qapital app stood out because of the now popular micro-saving technique it uses.
This Qapital app review is unique as it focuses mainly on the engineering of the app- all the bells and whistles. If you wish to learn more about the various features that this budgeting and saving app comes with, here you go!
Here’s a quick summary of why Qapital is the best for banking, budgeting, and saving;
- It’s the most accessible
- It’s one of the safest, secured with the latest SSL and TLS encryption standards…
- The basic plan only costs $3 a month, giving you access to budgeting, saving, and spending tools
- It’s the best compared to Acorns if you want to save only, without investing
- Qapital is a legitimate company and the Qapital goals are held in an FDIC-insured bank
In summary, Qapital is a budgeting and saving app that helps you reserve money to achieve your financial goals. It has tools like savings rounds where users can regularly set aside small amounts of money, such as $5 each day or week, so they never forget and always stay on top of it.
You can also track how much you spend in different categories like groceries, utilities, etc., which makes it easy to see where your hard-earned dollars are going!
Qapital Review: How Does This Budgeting App Work?
Qapital has created an app that helps you save more by using your spare change from everyday purchases into something you’ll actually use.
The app rounds up every transaction to the nearest dollar so you can save the extra coins from the round off.
Using this method, the app builds up your savings over time without you having to constantly think about allocating funds to your savings account after every purchase.
Unlike other apps where you save money in a lump sum for a single goal, you can save towards specific goals using the Qapital app. You can use different rules to allocate your savings to specific goals.
You could set up as many goals as you wish for any amount, whether you want to save $300 for a new bike or $4,000 for a gaming setup.
You could assign multiple rules to a single goal, or you could assign one rule to multiple saving goals.
The use of goals and rules in achieving your saving targets is one of the best features that the Qapital app offers its users who want to save money. This way, you’ll make sense out of your savings and set up meaningful saving goals.
You’ll also love that the Qapital app can be adjusted accordingly so that you keep your savings, investing, and spending goals even when you are going through some financial challenges.
The Qapital app has three main features
- Choose a Goal- Saving using the Qapital app requires that you set goals. You can either use the preloaded savings goals on the Qapital app, or you could set up your goals.
- Create a Rule- As a Qapital user, you can create rules that help you manage your saving. Rules are actions that, when you perform, trigger the Qapital app to move money from your linked checking account into the Qapital savings account.
- Link to IFTTT- You can link your Qapital account to your daily activities through IFTTT
IFTTT and The Qapital App
IFTTT (If this, then that) formulas are a technology that allows you to perform various actions. IFTT is a free web service that enables users to create simple “If This Then That” statements that trigger when your usage of some services happens.
Qapital app allows you to link your daily activities to the app through IFTTT. This way, you can set up a rule to save for every time you perform a certain action.
Actions could be such as using social media or shopping on Amazon. For example, you could set a rule for the Qapital app to save money every time you use Gmail.
Qapital App Main Features
1. Qapital’s Savings Rounds
This feature allows you to set aside small amounts of money automatically on a regular basis so that you never forget or run out;
2. The Money Tracker
This feature helps you track how much you’re spending in different categories like groceries or utilities. It also has an investing feature with stocks from companies such as Apple, Facebook, etc.
How to Set Up Qapital App
After you download the app, the first thing you do is link your checking account to the app.
you’ll then choose from three options.
Option 1: Create a savings goal account
A Qapital savings goal account is a way to save for a specific goal, like your wedding or vacation.
The app will automatically withdraw money each time you set up a new savings round and deposit it into that account.
Steps:
- Pick the date of when you want to reach your goal – say September 2021
- Enter an amount of how much you want in this account by then. That could be $1000
- Set up recurring rounds with Qapital every week/month etc., until the fund is reached. Every dollar saved earns interest, so there’s no risk here! You can even change your mind on what savings goals are tracked if anything changes during those months as they’re flexible and fit around life’s unpredictable moments. Once the balance reaches one month
Option 2: Create an Investment Goal Account
Qapital Invest account is where you can monitor your investments and build wealth over time. As if that’s not enough, they also have no minimum balance requirements! It’s a long-term investment plan that allows you to save for things such as retirement, college fund, or down payment for a house.
Just like in the savings goal account, you will add similar rules to help you achieve your investment goals.
Option 3: Create a Spending Goal Account
This account is for those who want to monitor their spending and keep a budget on what they are making, spending, and saving. They can set goals in categories such as groceries or cell phone bills, so when the balance reaches one month, there will be some money left over!
What are Rules in the Qapital App?
This is where you’ll be able to set a rule for your account such as “don’t spend more than $200 on groceries.”
The purpose of setting rules and goals in Qapital is so that it will help you achieve your personal finance targets easily.
1. Set and Forget Rule
You can set the rule to automatically move money to another account or for a certain date. When you have this automated, it will help make reaching your goals much easier!
2. Payday Rule
This rule helps you pay bills by taking money from your checking account on payday and then transferring it to your savings.
You can set the ratio of how much goes into each type of account. For example: if you have $500 in your checking account, this rule might take out $250 for a 75/25 split between saving and paying bills.
3. Guilty Pleasure Rule
This guilty pleasure rule is hilarious but a well-thought strategy of helping you save when buying stuff you are trying to resist. The idea of this rule is to help you manage impulsive and unwanted purchases but still allow you some leeway to spend a little.
For example, if there’s $100 in your checking account and it’s been two months since you saved anything, this rule might allow you to spend up to $75 on any given purchase, with the rest going to savings.
4. Roundup Rule
Every time you buy something with your linked account, Qapital rounds up any cents to the next dollar and puts that amount into your savings account.
So if you buy something for $0.41, the app will round up to a whole dollar ($1) and put 59 cents in savings!
This rule is perfect for people who want to save with every purchase but don’t want to have too many small transactions.
5. Freelance Rules
Qapital has a rule to help you set aside taxes for your freelance work.
If you do any extra work on the side, the amount automatically gets allocated to your “Freelance” category.
The rule is set up so that 20% of every transaction goes to taxes for freelance work.
6. IFTTT Rules
The “If this, then that” rule is perfect for those who want to automate their savings if you perform specific activities you’ve set, such as riding an Uber.
7. 52 Week Rule
Qapital has a rule that helps you start saving for your goals with 52 week routine.
This is perfect if you’re looking to save up for something like a car or house and don’t want to have to think about it every day!
For example, you can save $2 in week 1, $4 in week 2, $6 in week 3, and so on up to week 52.
If you want to stay on track, the app will notify you when it’s time for your next transfer.
8. Spend Less Rule
This rule helps you to continuously reduce your budget for something on a weekly basis.
For instance, if you have $100 left for groceries this week and want to spend less than that next week, this rule will help you keep on cutting by, say, $25 each week.
This rule is perfect if you are on a tight budget and gradually want to save money by cutting back your expenses.
Using Qapital For Budgeting
Qapital has two main features and two main rules that can help you achieve your budgeting goals.
The two main budgeting features are the Sweet Spending Spot, and the Payday Divvy.
The Spending Sweet Spot
The spending sweet spot feature is a tool to help you save money by showing the most often purchased items, and it also connects with your online accounts such as Amazon or Target.
This feature helps you to see where you are spending your money and how much. This then gives you a chance to see areas where you can save money for your financial goals.
The Payday Divvy
The payday divvy feature is perfect if you have tight budgets and need a little help breaking up your paycheck into different categories.
The feature will help you split your paycheck into percentages of how much you allocate to various spending categories such as groceries, utilities, and other categories.
Budgeting Rules
The two budgeting rules on Qapital are; the Spend Less Rule, and the Save More Rule.
The Spend Less rule will automatically reduce your budget each week with more than one saving goal (ex. school tuition).
This way, you’ll be able to gradually increase savings while cutting back on spending at the same time! Payday Divvy is another allotment of cash from your checking account into different budgets such as groceries, utilities, gas, etc., based on percentages allotted by user preference.
The two main rules are Qapital’s clever ways to help you stay within budgeting without feeling like it’s an impossible task.
Qapital Invest
Qapital Invest is a platform created by Qapital to help you invest in the stock market.
It’s a conservative investment where you can start investing with as little as $50. After 30 days, Qapital will have invested your money into different stocks that they believe are profitable for long-term gains.
Qapital Invest places all your investment goal funds in a portfolio based on ETFs, which are funds invested in different stocks.
Qapital Invest also has a feature called “Invest Now.” This investment tool allows you to invest in the stock market without incurring any fees or waiting periods. It puts your money into an account that is specifically for investing, not checking.
You can start investing with as little as $50 but be careful because Qapital Invest charges a commission of about 0.25% per trade made.
This investment option makes it easier to start investing in the stock market and is a great way to get started with Qapital Investing.
This saves you money on fees, which can be as much as $495 for mutual funds or ETFs with many brokers- all while helping you stay within budget constraints!
Other Features to Appreciate on Qapital Budgeting App
1. Dream Team
Dream Team is a feature to help couples or roommates stay on the same page.
This feature allows you to share your budget with a loved one and also has notifications for when budgets are out of balance so that you can fix them before it becomes too difficult.
You get a single overview of the combined finances and you can decide what the other person sees.
With PayDay Divvy, you can also decide which account settles particular shared expenses. The feature also allows you to transfer funds to each other automatically.
2. Money Missions
People have different reasons for saving and Qapital has a mission that helps to motivate the user.
These missions are based on what you want to save up for or accomplish with your money, such as “I saved $300 this week.”
Deposits and Withdrawals on Qapital
There is no minimum amount to deposit on Qapital.
You can click the “+” button and start saving from your checking account or debit card, which are both connected directly with the app.
Deposits usually take one business day for transactions to reach your balance. Withdrawals may require a couple of days because they need to process through banks before arriving in Qapital’s system.
The withdrawal time can vary by bank and location, so it is best to consult your financial institution first about timing details.
Anytime you withdraw money, there will be an automatic 24-hour wait where future deposits cannot occur until that timer has passed.
For example, if you have $500 in pending funds, after withdrawing $100, then any deposits will not be made until the timer has passed, at which point your account balance is $400.
The app also provides a number of useful features such as:
- Automatic notifications for new deposits and scheduled withdrawals
- The ability to set budgets with multiple categories on the fly so that you can easily track where your money goes each month. For example, if you wanted to add an “Emergency Fund” category, type in its name and click save! You’ll get instant access to this money when you need it most without having to make changes anywhere else in the system.
- History displays all transactions, including dates, amounts, and how many days are left before they expire or become pending funds automatically after withdrawal. This is a great way to see where your money is going and how much you have left in the next month or year.
- A more detailed breakdown of each category, including all pending transactions, current balance, and the amount available
- The ability to set notifications when funds are coming up on their expiration date so that you can make sure they get deposited before time runs out!
- No monthly fees – this is one app with no hidden costs!
Signing up on the Qapital app is easy: You will only need to enter your email and fill any other security questions for authentication. You’ll then answer some basic information for account setup, then click “Sign Up & Get Started.”
Qapital Pricing Plans and Fees
The app is free to download in the App Store or Google Play.
For any plan you sign up for, Qapital gives you up to 30 days of testing to see if the app is right for you. After the 30 days, billing is done monthly based on the plan you choose.
Qapital app has 3 monthly fee plans that you can choose from.
Basic plan: The basic plan costs $3/ month and you get access to saving, spending, and budgeting tools.
Complete Plan: The complete plan costs $6/ month and gives access to all of the basic plan tools and investing tools.
Master Plan: The Master Plan costs $12/ month and gives you all tools from the basic and complete plan plus webinars.
There are some optional features that can be purchased through an In-App Purchase. These include:
- A “save towards goal” feature – which allows users to select a specific financial goal they would like to save money towards, such as an upcoming vacation;
- An “alerts” function where users can add customized messages about what’s happening with their account (e.g., if there is no activity on the account) and receive push notification updates when these changes occur;
- Bank statements integration so you don’t have to keep track of your balance separately from Qapital on your computer or mobile device.
- A “scheduled transactions” feature that allows users to schedule future expenditures such as groceries in advance and see how much they will save by planning;
- The ability to import current bank account balances from a CSV file into Qapital through the app’s desktop version so you only have one place where all of this information is stored, which can make it easier for people who pay their bills online with multiple banks.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Qapital Budgeting App
Q: What makes Qapital different from other budgeting apps?
A: Unlike many other personal finance or spending tracking tools available, Qapital is a one-stop shop for managing your finances. It’s not just about budgets and saving money – it also has banking features like checking/savings accounts, debit cards, credit cards, and more!
The app allows you to set up notifications so that if funds are coming up on their expiration date (in terms of days), they can be deposited before time runs out. If at any point in time when using this application there is an error with login credentials, users will receive an email notification informing them.”
Q: What are some of the benefits to using Qapital?
A:
- The ability to see your balance in real-time from anywhere with internet access;
- An easy way for users to check and manage their account balances daily is by inputting transactions into the app. This way, you don’t have to wait until payday or tax time before seeing how much money is available. The Qapital mobile app also alerts if there’s been any change (e.g., bank charges) made on an account since we last checked so that people know what they’re paying when it comes time to make purchases. Users can set up notifications whenever these changes occur as well;
Q: Is Qapital Legit and Safe to Use?
A:
- Qapital does not store any of your financial information on their servers, so it’s safe to use;
- The app is secure and encrypted, which means no one can view or change the user’s account without their consent. Qapital also encrypts all data before transmitting it through its network. This keeps your bank passwords (PINs, passcodes) private when they’re at rest on a device like an iPhone or iPad;
Q: Is there a mobile phone plan for children? How do I manage them?
A: No, but if you have young adults over 18 who are still living in the house with you, then they might be able to get onto your account as well.
Conclusion
The purpose of this Qapital review was to help you understand everything about the app and what it has to offer. Qapital is a great budgeting app that helps you take on the hard task of budgeting to save more while spending less! It’s easy to use, with rich features that make saving money easy and staying within budget enjoyable!
To achieve all your budgeting goals, Qapital’s Trust Level is an important concept of the app: it reflects how much Qapital trusts you to achieve your saving and budgeting goals based on your current budget. The more positive feedback you give (i.e., staying within budget), the higher level of trust from Qapital!
Download the Qapital App now for gamified saving and budgeting now!