Sprive Archives - Page 2 of 3

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

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

Last updated: 10 September 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

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 actually 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 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. This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Our top money-saving pick

If you only set up one, make it Chip: it is the app that has quietly saved us the most by moving money before we miss it.

Try Chip

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: 17 September 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I've been remortgaging and overpaying my own Nationwide mortgage since October 2021, using Sprive to make £100 monthly overpayments. This guide draws on that real experience alongside verified market data.

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.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

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 on your mortgage.

Sprive welcome offer

Once the new deal is sorted and you turn to overpaying, the latest sign-up bonus is kept up to date on our referral page.

Check the current Sprive bonus

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: 19 July 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I have a Nationwide mortgage and have used Sprive to make overpayments since October 2021, over four years of regular use.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Not financial advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article is for information only. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

Want the sign-up offer?

Should you fancy trying the app while you read, the current welcome bonus and how to claim it are set out on our referral page.

View the Sprive referral offer

If Sprive is completely free to use, how does Sprive make money? It's a fair question, and one worth asking 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.

Digging into how Sprive works? Good instinct. For every guide we have written on the app, from safety to cashback, see our Sprive guides hub.

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: 8 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

This article is for information only and does not constitute financial advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Rates and terms can change; always check the provider's current terms before acting.

If you want cashback on groceries UK, there are a handful of apps that deliver results. We have been using JamDoughnut, TopCashback, and Sprive for our own weekly food shops for months, 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. For cashback beyond groceries, see our full cashback apps roundup.

Our pick for grocery cashback

Of the three we use, JamDoughnut is the one I like best for the weekly shop, thanks to the widest supermarket list and instant payouts.

Get started with JamDoughnut

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: 17 September 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I have a Nationwide mortgage and have been testing mortgage overpayment tools since 2021, including Sprive alongside manual standing orders and savings apps.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Not financial advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article is for information only. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

After the Sprive bonus?

Sprive leads the comparison below, and the sign-up offer it currently runs is covered on our referral page.

Grab the Sprive offer

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. I've tested and compared the main contenders so you can find 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 August 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

The average UK household now spends well over £2,800 a month on bills and living costs. Energy alone accounts for £1,723 a year from October 2026 under the Ofgem price cap, and that is before winter usage climbs. Our energy price cap October 2026 guide has the full breakdown. 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: 17 September 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

For context: I hold a Nationwide mortgage myself and have put £100 a month through Sprive since October 2021, so the broker notes below sit on more than four years of hands-on mortgage admin.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Want the Better.co.uk voucher offer?

The £100 Amazon voucher offer from Better.co.uk featured below, and the steps to claim it, live on our refer-a-friend page.

Get the Better.co.uk offer

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

CoolCuration is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and does not provide financial advice. The information below is for general informational purposes only. Always seek advice from an FCA-regulated broker or adviser before making mortgage decisions.

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: 17 September 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

We faced this decision ourselves. Since October 2021 we've overpaid our Nationwide 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 factors are worth 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% (held 17 September 2026; next decision 5 November 2026, per the Bank of England), average two-year fixed mortgage rates around 5.64% as of early June 2026 (source: Moneyfacts), 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.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view. This is information, not financial advice, and CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The Sprive bonus, if overpaying wins

Should the overpayment side win out for you, the current Sprive welcome offer lives on our referral page.

See the latest Sprive offer

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

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

March 12, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Sprive Cashback Explained: Gift Cards, Rates and Real-World Tips (2026)

Last updated: 19 July 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I have used Shop with Sprive for my weekly shops since October 2021, alongside £100 monthly overpayments on my Nationwide mortgage, so everything below comes from over four years of buying gift cards at real checkouts.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and this is not financial advice.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

Get the Sprive bonus first

Before we get into the mechanics, the current welcome offer and how to claim it are detailed on our referral page.

Claim the Sprive bonus

"Cashback towards your mortgage" sounds brilliant, until you hit the fine print: gift cards, checkout friction, and that one purchase that never tracked. This Sprive cashback explained guide covers how Shop with Sprive actually works in practice, which retailers are worth the effort, and a simple test for whether it's a genuine time-saver or just another app you'll forget about.

Getting more from Sprive cashback? The mechanics are below. For every other Sprive guide in one place, see our Sprive guides hub, updated as the app changes.

Published by Stiv in Cashback, Saving, Services, UK Made

Tags: cashback, cashback apps UK, cashback towards mortgage, gift card cashback, gift cards, mortgage overpayments, Open Banking, personal finance, personal finance uk, Shop with Sprive, Sprive, Sprive app, Sprive cashback, UK mortgages

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

Sprive vs Manual Overpaying: Which Method Pays Your Mortgage Off Faster?

Last updated: 19 July 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I have been overpaying my Nationwide mortgage since October 2021, using Sprive's auto-save alongside manual payments, so this comparison is based on living with both approaches over four years.

If you are trying to pay your mortgage off faster, you have got two realistic routes: use an app like Sprive to automate overpayments, or just do it yourself with a standing order. This guide compares Sprive vs manual overpaying honestly. It is not here to sell you on either option. It is here to help you pick the approach you will actually stick with, because consistency is what moves the numbers.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view. This is information, not financial advice, and CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

Trying Sprive anyway?

If the app route wins you over, the live sign-up offer and the claim steps are listed on our referral page.

See the Sprive sign-up offer

App or standing order? The comparison is below. For every Sprive guide in one place, see our Sprive guides hub, kept current as the app changes.

Published by Stiv in Reviews, Saving, Services, UK Made

Tags: mortgage overpayments, mortgage savings, Open Banking, pay off mortgage faster, personal finance, personal finance uk, remortgaging, Sprive, Sprive app, Sprive vs manual overpaying, UK mortgages