GRAND Mobile Payments Savings App Goes Live for Android

With Black Friday now in the history books, and even the leftovers of Thanksgiving dinner looking a mite threadbare, it’s easy to start thinking that it might be a good time to actually start saving. It’s a favorite New Year’s resolution, and one that eludes a lot of people. That might be a little easier thanks to the GRAND app, which is now available for not only iOS devices, but also for Android.

We first heard about the GRAND app back in August, when it made its debut for iOS systems. Now, it’s stepping into the Android pool as well, and giving that many more users a chance to make easy savings with an option to win big money besides.

GRAND accounts, whether signed up through Apple or Android, earn one percent interest. Sadly, that’s about 10 times the national average, which means you’ll be making some of the biggest money you can make saving here, such as it is. The proceeds given to GRAND are stored in an FDIC-insured bank account, which will also serve as a means to protect sensitive ID.

GRAND can actually go farther than that, investing the proceeds of the GRAND savings account in an investment account or retirement fund. Best of all, there’s no weekly minimum to save—especially handy after blowing a wad on Black Friday shopping and whatever part of a Thanksgiving dinner you had to bring in—and users can get their cash back at any time. However, at last report, users are charged $2 a month for the savings, and there are also chances to win several cash drawings.

Again, this is a pretty good idea, as it allows for a simple and comparatively painless way to save; if you don’t see it, there’s less psychological pain. It’s the same principle that makes mobile payments a danger to some people’s budgets, and actually putting it to work for you can let you come out ahead in the end.

One of the app’s biggest potential problems was getting enough people at $2 a month to make the prizes—and the app’s ongoing business—a viable option. By extending into the Android pool, it’s just improved its chances that much more.