4 Reasons Price Comparison Shopping Apps Are a Must-Have

When I was growing up, my dad was always on the hunt for a deal. He could sniff one out from the car, as my mom would say, but was never satisfied when he found one. To be absolutely sure that he had, in fact, a good deal, he would go to other stores and check the price on the same item. It's no wonder I write about personal finances -- my dad basically hammered it into me.

These days, my dad doesn't have to do all that work, though he still does to some extent. That's because price comparison apps have made it easy to compare prices across multiple retailers, as well as clue you in on the best cash back offers. They can replace the deal-hunting excursion and save you a ton of time on your holiday shopping.

If you haven't downloaded price comparison apps yet, here are four reasons they're a must-have.

1. They're free to use

You can't beat free. Most price comparison apps charge merchants a small finder's fee, keeping the app free for you. That said, some of these apps -- like BuyVia -- are loaded with ads and can make the user experience grueling at times. But for the cost of five seconds, you can get powerful price comparisons.

2. They can scan barcodes

The Amazon app, BuyVia, ShopSavvy, and Price.com all have barcode scanners built into them. This comes in handy if you spot a deal in a brick-and-mortar store and want to compare it to deals online. Some of these apps will also let you compare prices at local stores, saving you time from having to go to those stores yourself.

3. They track prices

Perhaps my favorite feature of these apps is the price tracking. Basically, you can tell these apps what you're willing to pay for a product and they will notify you when the price has dropped to that amount. This is perfect if you miss a Black Friday or holiday deal, as you can set your threshold at the same reduced price and wait.

Some of these apps will even let you research a product's price history. ShopSavvy does this well, but for Amazon products look no further than camelcamelcamel. Though it's not an app, this website lets you dig deeper into Amazon products, look at their price histories, and set alerts. I'm using it right now for my Christmas shopping and, so far, it's already saved me over $100 on a new pair of Beats headphones.

4. They find cash back and coupons

Another great feature is that these apps apply cash back offers when you use them to find or purchase products. The cash back is applied automatically and, depending on the app, you can usually cash it out for gift cards, debit cards, electronic transfers to your checking account, or a transfer to PayPal.

Price.com is excellent for this. Not only does it apply cash back offers for online purchases, but it even lets you earn cash back for in-store purchases, too. You just add a credit card to your account, activate the cash back offer, then use your enrolled card in store to earn the cash back. It's just another way to save money on already-low prices.

Together these apps can save you time and money

When working in tandem, price comparison apps can stop you from buying something at full price or missing out on cash back offers. Of course, no single app can keep tabs on every merchant and retailer, which is why I use two or three to broaden my search. All in all, they're a good way to replace the deal-hunting excursions of former times, helping you save time and money.