How to Turn On Round-Up Savings in Your Banking App

What round-up savings are and how they work

Many banks offer a feature that automatically sets aside small amounts of money for you. Here is how it works: when you pay with your card, say 23 zloty and 40 grosze, the bank rounds up that amount, for example to 24 zloty. The difference — 60 grosze in this example — is automatically moved into your savings by the bank. You do not need to calculate or remember anything. Different banks call this feature different things: "spare change savings," "transaction round-up," or "piggy bank." The way it works is similar everywhere, even if the name is different.

This guide walks you through, step by step, how to turn on this feature in your bank's mobile app. An app is a program on your phone that lets you manage your account without going to a branch. Menu names and buttons may look slightly different depending on your bank — if something on your screen looks different from what is described here, do not worry. Go slowly, and look for similar wording. You cannot break anything by tapping the wrong button — you can always go back using the "back" button (usually an arrow in the upper left corner of the screen).

Before you start

• Have your bank's app installed on your phone, and be logged into your account.
• Have a savings account or a savings goal with your bank — this is a separate "place" for money, kept apart from the account you spend from every day. If you do not have one yet, most apps let you create one during this same process.

Step by step: how to turn on transaction round-up

1. Open your bank's app by tapping its icon (the small picture) on your phone's screen.
2. Log in to the app the way you normally do — with your fingerprint, a PIN code, or a password.
3. On the main screen, look for a menu — usually four horizontal lines in a corner of the screen, or a word like "More."
4. Tap the menu to open it.
5. Look for a section named something like "Savings," "Savings Goals," or "Piggy Bank."
6. Tap that section to open it.
7. Look for an option named something like "Round-Up" or "Round Up Transactions."
8. Tap that option.
9. If the app asks, choose the account you use for everyday card payments — this is the account whose payments will be rounded up.
10. Choose your rounding threshold — the amount the bank should round payments up to. This is usually the nearest whole zloty, though some apps let you pick a higher amount, such as the nearest 5 zloty.
11. Choose the destination account — where the saved money should go. This can be your savings account, or a specific goal, such as "Vacation" or "Emergency Fund."
12. Check the summary shown on the screen — make sure the source account and the destination account are both correct.
13. Tap the confirmation button, usually labeled "Turn On," "Activate," or "Confirm."
14. If the app asks for extra confirmation — such as a one-time SMS code (a code the bank texts you to make sure it is really you) — type that code into the app.

Important: if you receive an SMS code during this process, it is a one-time code — you type it only into your bank's own app, and you never tell it to anyone else. Your bank will never call you and ask you to read this code out loud over the phone. If someone calls claiming to be "from the bank" and asks for your SMS code to "protect your money" or "cancel the round-up," this is a scam. Hang up. Call the number printed on your payment card to check what is really going on.

What to do if something goes wrong

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Summary — the key steps

1. Open your bank's app and log in.
2. Find the "Savings" or "Goals" section in the menu.
3. Choose the "Round-Up" option or something similar.
4. Select the account you use for everyday payments.
5. Choose your rounding threshold (for example, the nearest whole zloty).
6. Select the account or goal where the money should go.
7. Confirm to turn the feature on.

Remember: no step in this process ever requires you to share an SMS code with anyone but yourself, inside the app itself. If you have any doubts at any point, call your bank's customer service line using the number printed on your card.