Sprive Archives - COOLCURATION

May 5, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Mortgage Overpayment Savings: How Much Could You Save? (2026)

Last updated: 10 May 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I've been using Sprive with my Nationwide mortgage since October 2021, making £100 monthly overpayments through the app. This post is based on over four years of real use and real numbers.

Most people know they should overpay their mortgage. Almost nobody knows by how much, or what it actually saves them. So we built a free mortgage overpayment calculator to find out. Then we ran our own numbers through it. The mortgage overpayment savings genuinely surprised us. We've since added a compare-to-savings toggle so you can see whether overpaying or saving the same money comes out ahead at your specific rates.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or mortgage advice. Mortgage products, rates, and overpayment terms vary by lender. Always check your lender's overpayment policy before making extra payments. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Money, Money saving, Personal finance, Services

Tags: money saving, mortgage overpayment, mortgage overpayment calculator, mortgage savings, mortgage tips, mortgage vs savings, pay off mortgage early, personal finance, Sprive, uk mortgage

April 29, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Sprive vs Plum vs Chip: Honest Comparison (2026)

Last updated: 29 April 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I've been using Sprive with my Nationwide mortgage since October 2021, making £100 monthly overpayments through the app. This comparison is based on over four years of real use alongside Chip and Plum.

Sprive vs Plum vs Chip is the question that keeps coming up whenever anyone in the UK talks about saving money automatically. All three apps promise to do the hard bit for you. But they are not the same thing, and picking the wrong one means you are either missing features you need or paying for ones you do not. Here is how they actually compare after months of using all three.

Between the team, we run all three. Sprive handles mortgage overpayments. Chip is our primary auto-saver. Plum runs alongside Chip so we can see how the two compare in real life. Each has earned its place on someone's home screen, but for very different reasons.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some apps in this comparison offer investing features, which carry risk including the possible loss of capital. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Some links below are referral links which support the site at no cost to you.

Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Money saving, Personal finance, Saving

Tags: app comparison, auto-saving apps, Chip, Chip vs Plum, fintech UK, money apps UK, mortgage overpayment, personal finance uk, Plum, savings apps UK, Sprive, Sprive vs Chip

April 22, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Apps to Save Money UK 2026: The Ones We Actually Use

Last updated: 22 April 2026

There are hundreds of money-saving apps in the UK app stores. Most of them are rubbish. The best apps to save money are the ones we've tested over the past few years, narrowed down and kept on our phones because they genuinely work. No fluff, no apps we downloaded once and forgot about. Just the ones that earned a permanent spot.

Between the team we've got about 12 money apps installed. Half of them we actually use. The other half sit there judging us. We tried about 20 apps before settling on this list. Some were too fiddly. Some had great ideas but terrible execution. A couple were genuinely brilliant but shut down. These are the survivors.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some apps in this list offer savings and investment features. Your capital may be at risk. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Many of the links below are referral links, which means we may earn a small reward if you sign up. This costs you nothing and in most cases gives you a bonus too.

Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Money saving, Personal finance, Saving

Tags: airtime rewards, auto-saving, budgeting apps, cashback apps, chip app, emma app, JamDoughnut, money saving apps, monzo, personal finance uk, Plum app, saving apps UK, Sprive, TopCashback, TrainPal

April 16, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

When Should You Remortgage UK? Timing, Tips and What to Watch For (2026)

Last updated: 16 April 2026

Knowing when to remortgage UK is one of the most valuable financial moves you can make as a homeowner. Get it right and you could save thousands over the life of your deal. Get it wrong and you risk haemorrhaging money to your lender's standard variable rate while you scramble to sort a new deal. A surprising number of homeowners either leave it too late or jump too early and pay penalties they did not need to. Several of us on the CoolCuration team have remortgaged in the last couple of years, so this guide draws on real experience alongside verified market data.

Important: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or mortgage advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and does not provide regulated mortgage advice. Always consult a qualified mortgage adviser before making decisions about your mortgage. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments. Some links in this post are referral links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Published by Stiv in Money, Money saving, Mortgage, Personal finance

Tags: fixed rate, homeowner tips, mortgage, mortgage broker, overpayments, personal finance, remortgage, Sprive, SVR, uk finance

April 15, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

How Does Sprive Make Money? The Business Model Explained (2026)

Last updated: 14 April 2026

If Sprive is completely free to use, how does Sprive make money? It's a fair question, and one you should always ask before trusting an app with your bank account and mortgage details. The short answer: Sprive earns from remortgage commissions and a share of gift card cashback revenue. The longer answer is worth reading, because understanding the business model helps you judge whether the app's incentives actually line up with yours.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Mortgage, Services, UK Made

Tags: fintech UK, how apps make money, How does Sprive make money, mortgage overpayment app, Open Banking, personal finance uk, Sprive, Sprive app, Sprive business model, Sprive cashback, Sprive remortgage, Sprive review

April 13, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

How to Get Cashback on Groceries UK: Save £100+ a Year (2026)

Last updated: 13 April 2026

If you want cashback on groceries UK, there are a handful of apps that genuinely deliver. We have been using JamDoughnut, TopCashback, and Sprive for our own weekly food shops for months now, and the savings quietly stack up. This is not couponing. This is not switching to own-brand everything. It is simply routing your existing spending through an app that gives you a percentage back.

We ran the numbers on a typical £80 weekly Tesco shop using JamDoughnut and, at a standard rate of around 2%, that works out at roughly £83 back over a year. When rates get "pumped up" (more on that below), it could be closer to £125 or more. That is not life-changing money, but it is a free tank of petrol for doing absolutely nothing different.

For cashback beyond groceries, see our full cashback apps roundup.

Published by Stiv in Apps, Discount, Money, Services

Tags: Aldi, Asda, cashback, gift card cashback, groceries, grocery shopping, JamDoughnut, money saving, mortgage cashback, Sainsbury’s, Sprive, supermarket cashback, Tesco, TopCashback

April 1, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Mortgage Overpayment Apps UK: Tested and Compared (2026)

Last updated: 29 March 2026

Looking for the best mortgage overpayment apps in the UK? Whether you want an app that automates everything, a savings tool that builds your overpayment pot, or a budgeting app that finds spare cash you didn't know you had, there are more options in 2026 than ever. We've tested and compared the main contenders so you can pick the right one for how you actually manage money.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Mortgage, Saving, Services

Tags: best mortgage apps UK, cashback apps UK, Chip, chip app, Emma, mortgage apps UK, mortgage overpayment, mortgage overpayment apps UK, mortgage overpayments, Open Banking, pay off mortgage faster, personal finance uk, Plum, Plum app, savings apps, Sprive, Sprive app

March 27, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

How to Cut Household Bills in the UK: 7 Realistic Ways to Save

Last updated: 27 March 2026

The average UK household now spends well over £2,800 a month on bills and living costs. Energy alone accounts for £1,641 a year from April 2026 under the new Ofgem price cap, and that is after a 7% reduction. Council tax is rising again. Broadband providers are quietly adding £3–4 a month to existing contracts. It all adds up fast.

So how do you actually cut household bills in the UK without making your life miserable? This guide covers seven realistic ways to reduce what you pay each month across energy, your mortgage, food shopping, broadband, mobile and more. Every suggestion links to a deeper guide or a tried-and-tested deal on this site, so you can act on each one straight away.

Published by Stiv in Discount, Finance, Guides, Saving

Tags: bills, broadband, energy bills, energy saving, grubby, household bills, meal kits, mobile, money saving, mortgage, octopus energy, Ofgem price cap, referral offers, save money UK, Sprive, UK household

March 22, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Easiest Mortgage Broker UK: 4 Brokers Compared (2026)

Last updated: 29 March 2026

Trying to find the easiest mortgage broker in the UK? I used four different brokers for quotes on the same remortgage and compared them purely on how painless the process was. Spoiler: the rates that came back were almost identical. So if the deals are basically the same, the only thing that really matters is how much of your life gets eaten up by the process. That's even more true right now, as UK mortgage rates have climbed sharply following the Middle East conflict and lenders are repricing fast.

Here's how Habito, Better.co.uk, Sprive and Charles Cameron & Associates stacked up, ranked from smoothest to most old-school.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Money, Money saving, Personal finance, Services

Tags: Better.co.uk, Charles Cameron, ease of use, first-time buyer, Habito, mortgage, mortgage broker, remortgage, Sprive

March 17, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Overpay Mortgage or Invest? UK Guide to the Right Call (2026)

Last updated: 10 May 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

We faced this decision ourselves. Since October 2021 we've chosen to overpay our mortgage consistently, totalling £3,294.55 through Sprive alone, including cashback from weekly shops. This guide covers how we thought through the trade-off and what we'd suggest considering.

Should you overpay your mortgage or invest the spare cash instead? It's one of the biggest personal finance questions UK homeowners face right now, and the answer isn't as obvious as either side would have you believe. With the Bank of England base rate at 3.75%, average fixed mortgage rates above 5%, and top savings accounts paying around 4.75%, the maths is closer than it has been in years. This guide walks through the key factors, the trade-offs, and a practical framework to help you decide what makes sense for your situation. Our free mortgage overpayment calculator now also has a compare-to-savings toggle, so you can run both sides of one of those scenarios in seconds.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Mortgage, Saving

Tags: FTSE 100, investing vs mortgage, mortgage interest, mortgage overpayment, overpay mortgage or invest, pay off mortgage faster, personal finance uk, savings rates UK, Sprive, stocks and shares isa