The Good
- Includes some pretty fantastic deals
- Discuss the deals with other users
- Easy to use
The Bad
- Only available in select cities
Groupon uses the power of group purchasing to help individuals obtain excellent deals on everything from cooking classes to laser hair removal. It’s only available in select cities, but the Groupon app (Free) is a fun and worthy app to add to your iPhone.
What is Groupon?
Groupon is only available in 70 cities so far, and a full list is available at the App Store. It uses your iPhone’s built-in GPS to determine your location and find the city -- and deals -- nearest you. When you first launch the Groupon app, you’ll be greeted with the deal of the day, which is only available for a limited time. Depending on the city, multiple deals may be available. The deals could be anything -- laser hair removal, cooking classes, discounted yoga classes, helicopter tours. I love that you can view deals for all the other cities, which is useful if you have a trip coming up.
Once you find a deal that sounds interesting, you can email it, post it on Facebook, or share it on Twitter. On the detail page, the Groupon app includes a general overview of the deal, the fine print, and information on the provider. You’ll also see how many people have purchased the deal and how much you could save. You can also join the Groupon discussion to chat with other users. These discussions are invaluable in helping you find out if the deal is in fact worth your time and money.
Buying a Groupon
In order to purchase a deal, you’ll need to sign up with Groupon. It only takes a few seconds and you can do it right from the app. You can also purchase the daily deal within the app by entering your credit card information (this data is transmitted over a secure connection, according to Groupon). One warning: please read the fine print of the deal before you buy so you know the cancellation policy, time limits, etc.
After you purchase a Groupon, it will show up under the My Groupons tab. Some Groupons can’t be redeemed until a certain date, so don’t freak out if it says the deal is still pending.
The Bottom Line
I’ve only been using the Groupon app for a few days and it has already saved me $10 on an online purchase I was planning to make anyway. You can save even more if you use the app regularly. It’s a fantastic idea and a well-executed app that is a snap to use. If Groupon is available in your area, I recommend you download this app ASAP. Overall rating: 5 stars out of 5.
What You’ll Need
The Groupon app is compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It requires iPhone OS 3.1 or later.