Planning For A Baby? The App All Expectant Mothers Need To Have

When you find out you're pregnant, the financial implications can be overwhelming – with the temptation being to open another savings account immediately to cover your future expenses, whether it's big ticket items like prams and cots, or smaller everyday items like nappies and sudocrem. The good news is, HyperJar isn’t another bank account, it’s a jam-jar budgeting app which you can download to your phone or other devices, but which also comes with a dedicated debit card to buy items online and in store. With zero subscription costs, fees or debt, that means you’ll never be pitched a loan or an overdraft. Instead, the app simply helps you plan and put more money away ahead of your new arrival, so you can worry less. Plus, your credit score is never affected.

The virtual ‘jars’ are a way of organising your money for different things – so whether it’s for future baby expenses or saving up for a pampering pre-natal treatment, you can create as many jars as you like for as many eventualities. Plus, it couldn't be easier to set up: simply give your jar a name, a colour and set a budget target. You can then add money to it from your virtual wallet in the app (more on that later), and there’s even a function available to set up a shared jar, which is like a pop-up joint account. It’s useful for sharing bills with your partner and daddy-to-be – but it can also be contributed to by up to 100 people, great news while in-person baby showers are currently off the cards.

Remember we said you could transfer money into the virtual Hyperjar wallet to get saving and spending? All you need to do is transfer money from your normal bank account into your HyperJar wallet – something which can be done before your dedicated debit card arrives. First, go to your main account screen and copy your HyperJar account number and sort code. Then, open your online banking site or app and use these details to make the transfer. Once you've done this once, it'll be quicker and easier next time – so you can get saving for those future baby expenses from the day your pregnancy is confirmed. 

When the time finally comes to start spending from your allocated jars – is there anything more adorable than buying new baby clothes? – the good news is the money will have already been put aside, making you feel calmer and more prepared ahead of your little one’s arrival. Even better, you’ll get immediate notifications on all your spending, transfers and messages, as well as breakdowns of your spending patterns to help you stay on top of things in the lead up to giving birth – great news for expectant mothers keen to keep stress levels as low as possible.

In the run up to becoming parents, it's important to make time for you – whether it's a relaxing pre-natal massage, a blow dry or a little beauty pick-me-up from one of your favourite brands. Thankfully, in the HyperJar Offers tab, you’ll find all of HyperJar’s merchant partners: think shops, brands and businesses that are connected to the app. If you plan to spend with any of them, you can pay in advance in return for rewards. The app’s partnerships with FeelUnique, Blow Ltd and Boden offer 4.8% on advance funds – which means that if you allocate money to spend with them in the future, you’ll earn the HyperJar version of interest – called the annual growth rate – of 4.8%. Perfect for a little treat to help you through those late nights and early mornings. 

If you’re worried about how the app stores your personal data, don’t be. There might be some worrying headlines out there regarding shared info, but HyperJar uses bank-grade 256-bit encryption to keep your data and money safe, and works with digital payment specialists like Modulr to protect and manage your money. Your money is kept safely in segregated accounts at the Bank of England until it’s spent, which means if anything was to happen to HyperJar or any of its partners, you get your money back. So there’s no cause for concern.

Visit HyperJar.com or download the app here.