8 Apps to Help Pay Off Student Loans – Money Crashers

Staring down a five-figure student loan balance can feel a bit like trying to eat an entire wedding cake by yourself:
technically possible, but overwhelming, and you’re not sure where to start. The good news? You don’t have to do it
alone anymore. A growing army of personal finance apps can help you budget better, round up spare change, earn cash
back, and funnel every extra dollar toward your student loans automatically.

In this guide, inspired by the original Money Crashers breakdown of 8 apps to help pay off student loans, we’ll
walk through how each tool works, who it’s best for, and how to turn your phone into a debt-destroying machine. We’ll
also sprinkle in real-life examples and a bonus section on practical experiences with these apps, so you’re not just
downloading tools you’re actually using them to crush your student debt.

How Student Loan Payoff Apps Actually Help

Student loan payoff apps generally fall into a few helpful categories:

• Strategy apps that help you plan the fastest or cheapest way to pay off your loans.
• Round-up and micro-savings apps that skim spare change or small amounts of money and send it to your loans.
• Cash-back and rewards apps that turn everyday spending into extra payments.
• Budgeting and bill-pay apps that keep you organized so you never miss a payment.
• Goal-based saving and investing apps that let you balance debt payoff with long-term financial goals.

The key idea is simple: automate good behavior so you don’t have to rely on willpower every single month. Even small,
frequent extra payments can shave years off your payoff timeline and save thousands in interest over the life of your
loans.

1. Debt Payoff Planner – Best Overall Strategy App

Best for: Borrowers who want a clear payoff plan and visual motivation.
Platforms: iOS, Android

Debt Payoff Planner is the brain of your loan payoff operation. Instead of guessing which loan to tackle
first, you plug in your debts, interest rates, and minimum payments. The app then builds a customized strategy using
approaches like:

• Debt snowball: Pay off the smallest balances first for quick wins.
• Debt avalanche: Target the highest interest rates to save the most money.

The app shows you payoff timelines, milestones, and how extra payments affect your finish line. Think of it as a GPS
for your student loan journey instead of “turn left in 300 feet,” you get “add $50 per month and you’ll be debt-free
18 months faster.”

Pros:

• Clear payoff projections that make your progress visible and motivating.
• Works for all types of debt, not just student loans.
• Great for people who like charts, timelines, and visual feedback.

Cons:

• It’s a planning tool, not a loan servicer you still make payments through your lender.
• Requires some initial data entry (gather those loan details first).

If your current plan is “pay whatever I can and hope for the best,” Debt Payoff Planner is a big upgrade. It turns vague
anxiety into a specific, trackable plan which is half the battle.

2. Chipper – Best for Set-It-and-Forget-It Student Loan Payments

Best for: Borrowers who want automation plus help navigating repayment options.
Platforms: Mobile app (iOS/Android).

Chipper is a student loan–focused app that does more than just throw spare change at your loans. It can:

• Round up your purchases and send the extra to your loan servicer.
• Help identify cheaper repayment options, like income-driven repayment plans or refinancing opportunities.
• Automate extra payments so you’re chipping away without thinking about it.

One of Chipper’s big strengths is taking the complexity of federal repayment programs and translating it into plain
English. That’s especially useful if you’re not sure whether you’re in the best repayment plan for your income and
goals.

Pros:

• Combines round-ups with smarter repayment optimization.
• Designed specifically around student loans.
• Helps you avoid leaving money on the table with the wrong repayment plan.

Cons:

• Fees or subscription tiers may apply for premium features.
• Automation works best if your cash flow is stable enough to handle extra payments.

If your dream payoff strategy is “make the smart moves without doing a ton of research,” Chipper is like having a
student loan nerd in your pocket who does the homework for you.

3. Upromise – Best for 529 Savers and Family Support

Best for: Families using 529 plans or anyone whose relatives want to pitch in.
Platforms: Web and mobile.

Upromise started as a way for families to save for college via cash-back rewards, but it can also help with
student loan payoff. You earn rewards from shopping, dining, and other partner activities. Those rewards can then be:

• Deposited into a linked 529 college savings account, or
• Used toward existing student loan payments, depending on current program options.

The real magic happens when you invite relatives to join. Grandma buying groceries suddenly becomes part of your
payoff plan.

Pros:

• Turns normal spending into extra money for education-related goals.
• Family and friends can easily contribute without writing checks.
• Works for both future education and existing debt, depending on how you set it up.

Cons:

• Rewards alone won’t erase large loan balances it’s a helpful boost, not a standalone solution.
• Requires using participating partners to maximize earnings.

Upromise shines if your family loves the idea of helping you graduate from student debt, but prefers swiping a card to
filling out loan servicer paperwork.

4. EvoShare – Best for Online Shopping Cash Back Toward Loans

Best for: Online shoppers who want their spending to work double-time.
Platforms: Browser and mobile integration with participating retailers.

EvoShare is a cash-back platform with a twist: instead of earning rewards just for gift cards or bank deposits,
you can direct the cash back to your student loans or retirement savings.

When you shop with partner merchants online or in person (after linking your card), a percentage of your purchase is
earmarked as cash back. You then choose to apply that toward your:

• Student loan balance, or
• Retirement account, depending on available options.

Pros:

• Ideal for people who already use cash-back portals but want student loan payoff as a direct outcome.
• Can run quietly in the background once set up.
• Helps turn “I had to buy it anyway” into progress on your debt.

Cons:

• Only works with participating retailers, so not every purchase qualifies.
• Requires some setup and ongoing awareness to maximize value.

EvoShare is great if you’re already an online shopping pro and want your digital cart to moonlight as a debt repayment
tool.

5. ChangEd – Best for Applying Micro-Savings Automatically

Best for: People who love the idea of “set it and forget it” spare change payments.
Platforms: iOS, Android.

ChangEd connects to your bank account, tracks your purchases, and rounds them up to the nearest dollar.
The difference your digital spare change is swept into a separate account. Once your round-ups reach a certain
threshold, they’re sent as a lump sum payment to your student loan servicer.

For example:

• You buy coffee for $3.40 → ChangEd rounds to $4 → $0.60 goes into your payoff bucket.
• You buy groceries for $52.10 → rounds to $53 → another $0.90 saved.

Over dozens or hundreds of purchases per month, those tiny amounts add up, quietly speeding up your payoff timeline.

Pros:

• Very low effort once it’s set up perfect for busy borrowers.
• Helps people who struggle to set aside large chunks of money.
• Supports multiple types of debt, not just student loans, depending on current features.

Cons:

• Fees may apply, which you’ll want to weigh against how much you’re saving.
• Works best if you use your card frequently minimal spending means minimal round-ups.

If manually making extra payments feels painful, ChangEd lets you attack your loans in bite-sized, almost
unnoticeable increments.

6. Digit – Best for Maximizing Cash Flow Without Thinking

Best for: People who want automation but worry about overdrafting.
Platforms: iOS, Android, web.

Digit (now part of a broader financial platform) analyzes your spending, income, and upcoming bills, then
quietly moves small amounts of money into savings or toward goals like debt payoff. Instead of round-ups, it uses
algorithms to decide what you can afford to set aside on any given day.

You can set a student loan payoff goal, and Digit will periodically move money into that bucket. When the
balance reaches a certain level, you can send it as an extra payment to your loan servicer.

Pros:

• Automated savings that adapt to your cash flow.
• Helpful for borrowers whose income or spending fluctuates.
• Can also help build an emergency fund alongside student loan payoff.

Cons:

• Typically charges a monthly subscription fee.
• You still have to manually transfer funds to your loan servicer if direct integration isn’t available.

Digit is like a friend who looks at your bank balance and says, “You’re good I’m moving $8 to debt today; you won’t
miss it.”

7. Quicken – Best for Bill Pay and Full Financial Visibility

Best for: Borrowers juggling multiple bills, goals, and accounts.
Platforms: Desktop software with companion mobile apps.

Quicken isn’t a student loan app in the narrow sense; it’s a powerful budgeting and bill-pay tool. But that
broader view can be exactly what you need to accelerate loan payoff:

• Track all your income, bills, and debts in one place.
• Set up recurring payments to ensure you never miss a student loan due date.
• Identify spending categories (looking at you, takeout) you can trim and redirect toward extra payments.

Pros:

• Robust reporting and tracking for your whole financial life.
• Helps you find “hidden money” in your budget for extra loan payments.
• Ideal if you prefer a big-picture view instead of single-purpose apps.

Cons:

• Paid software with more features than some users need.
• Less “fun” and gamified than dedicated payoff apps.

If your finances feel scattered across accounts, cards, and apps, using Quicken to centralize everything can create the
clarity you need to attack your student loans intentionally.

8. Fidelity Spire – Best for Balancing Debt Payoff and Investing

Best for: Borrowers who want to pay off loans and still build future wealth.
Platforms: Mobile app.

Fidelity Spire is a goal-based planning app built by Fidelity. Instead of asking you to choose between debt
payoff and investing, it helps you work on both:

• Set a student loan payoff goal with a target date.
• Set additional goals like emergency savings or retirement.
• Track progress and adjust contributions as your situation changes.

For borrowers who feel torn between “destroy my loans” and “start investing now,” Spire offers a structured way to
do both based on your priorities and risk tolerance.

Pros:

• Helps you avoid the all-or-nothing mindset around debt versus investing.
• Integrates with Fidelity accounts, making it easy to move money into real investments.
• Goal visualization can make future milestones feel more concrete.

Cons:

• Best suited for people comfortable with investing or willing to learn.
• Works best if you open or already have relevant accounts with Fidelity.

If you want your future self to be both debt-free and financially secure, Fidelity Spire can help you walk that
line thoughtfully.

Other Helpful Tools to Consider

While this list focuses on the eight apps highlighted in Money Crashers’ original roundup, a few other tools often show
up in conversations about paying off student debt faster:

• Qoins: A round-up app that can apply savings toward multiple kinds of debt, including student loans.
• YNAB (You Need a Budget): A zero-based budgeting app that helps you give every dollar a job including extra payments toward your loans.
• General debt payoff apps and budgeting tools: Many of the top debt apps reviewed by nonprofit and financial education organizations can be repurposed for student loans, even if they’re not loan-specific.

You don’t have to use every app under the sun one or two from this extended ecosystem, paired with a clear strategy,
is usually enough.

How to Choose the Right Mix of Apps

Before you download everything in the app store, take a minute to define what you actually need help with. Ask yourself:

• Is my main problem planning, or follow-through? If you don’t know the best payoff order, start with a strategy app like Debt Payoff Planner.
• Do I struggle to save extra money? Round-up or auto-savings apps like ChangEd or Digit can help.
• Am I leaving cash back or rewards on the table? EvoShare or Upromise can turn everyday habits into loan payments.
• Do I feel financially scattered? Quicken or a similar budgeting tool can give you clarity first, then speed.
• Do I care about investing while I pay down loans? Consider a goal-based app like Fidelity Spire.

A simple, effective combo might look like this:

• Step 1: Use Debt Payoff Planner to map out your payoff strategy.
• Step 2: Turn on ChangEd or Qoins for micro-payments in the background.
• Step 3: Use a budgeting tool (like Quicken or YNAB) to free up extra cash each month.
• Step 4: Layer in a rewards app (Upromise or EvoShare) for extra momentum.

The goal isn’t to collect apps like Pokémon it’s to build a small tech stack that supports your real life and keeps
your payoff momentum going, even on the months when you’re tired, busy, or distracted.

500-Word Experience Section: What It’s Really Like Using Student Loan Payoff Apps

It’s one thing to read a list of features; it’s another to live with these apps day to day. Here’s what the experience
often looks like for real borrowers who use tools like the ones above.

Imagine a recent grad, Alex, who has $35,000 in federal student loans. For the first year out of school, Alex mostly
just made minimum payments and tried not to think about the balance. One day, after logging into the loan servicer and
seeing the total barely move, Alex decided to get more intentional.

Step one was downloading Debt Payoff Planner. After entering all the loan details, the app told Alex something
uncomfortable but powerful: at the current pace, it would take more than a decade to be debt-free. However, the app
also showed that an extra $75 a month could cut several years off the repayment timeline. Putting numbers on the
problem turned vague stress into a specific target: find $75.

That’s where automation came in. Alex connected a checking account to ChangEd. Within a few weeks, the app had
quietly rounded up dozens of transactions a coffee here, a ride-share there, a grocery run and built up nearly $40
in spare change. The first time ChangEd sent an extra payment to the servicer, Alex barely felt the missing money, but
saw a satisfying notification that the principal balance had dropped a little more than usual.

At the same time, Alex’s budget was… let’s say “aspirational.” To fix that, Alex started using a budgeting tool to
track spending categories. Seeing “restaurants” and “delivery” totals laid out in unforgiving detail was a wake-up
call. By deciding to cap dining out at a specific amount and redirecting the difference toward loans, Alex found
another $40–$60 in monthly cash flow that used to disappear without a trace.

Over a few months, the combo of planned extra payments (thanks to the payoff app), round-ups (thanks to the
micro-savings app), and better budgeting led to $100–$150 in additional loan payments most months. That didn’t feel
like a massive life change day by day there was no extreme couponing, no second job, no moving into a closet but
the payoff projections started to move meaningfully.

Alex also experimented with a cash-back app that paid rewards toward student loans. It wasn’t life-changing money,
but seeing $10 here and $15 there get applied to the balance made everyday spending feel a little less like a one-way
street.

The emotional impact might be the most underrated part of this process. Seeing progress bars move, watching projected
payoff dates get closer, and getting periodic notifications that an extra payment went through turned student loans
from a vague cloud of doom into a problem with knobs you can actually turn.

Of course, the tech isn’t magic. If money is extremely tight, no app can invent extra dollars. And there are moments
when subscriptions, fees, or confusing interfaces can be frustrating. But for many borrowers, the right mix of apps
makes it easier to:

• Stay consistent with extra payments, even when motivation dips.
• Spot wasteful spending that used to go unnoticed.
• Coordinate long-term goals like investing and saving with loan repayment.

The big lesson from people who use these tools successfully is that small, automated actions really do add up.
You don’t have to be perfect or hyper-disciplined. You just have to set up a system where “default mode” is making
progress instead of standing still.

Final Thoughts

Student loans are a serious obligation, but paying them off doesn’t have to be a purely miserable slog. With the right
mix of apps a strategy planner, an automation tool, a budget helper, and maybe a rewards app or goal planner you
can build a system that quietly chips away at your balance every single month.

You don’t need to use all eight apps on this list. Start with one that solves your biggest problem today, layer in a
second when you’re ready, and let smart software handle the boring parts. Your future, debt-free self will thank you
probably from a vacation you paid for in cash.