Feijoa Review - Understanding the KiwiSaver Top-Up App

Transform spending into KiwiSaver savings with automatic round-ups - our review explains Feijoa's fees, features and alternatives

Updated 13 October 2025

Summary

Feijoa is a New Zealand fintech app designed to make saving into your KiwiSaver fund effortless by rounding up your everyday spending and topping up your account with the difference. Making saving as simple as spending.
Feijoa's app connects to all New Zealand banks and works with all KiwiSaver providers, so you don't need to switch banks or schemes.
Feijoa is designed to stay with you on your KiwiSaver savings journey - if you change KiwiSaver providers, the app continues working seamlessly. You can read more about Feijoa in this article from The Post and this profile in the NZHerald.

To explain what you need to know, our guide covers:

How Feijoa Works and What it Costs

Here's how Feijoa works in practice:

Round-Ups: Each time you make a purchase, the amount is rounded up to the nearest $1, $2, or $5 (your choice). The difference is transferred into your, or your loved ones, KiwiSaver fund(s). You can also cancel individual Round-Ups before they are taken from your bank account.
Rewards and partners: Feijoa is building a network of partners so that when you shop with them, you'll also earn KiwiSaver contributions as rewards. This means that your day-to-day spending can directly contribute to boosting your retirement savings.
Flexible and automatic: You can pause or adjust the settings at any time, making it a "set and forget" way to add to KiwiSaver.

Cost & Fees

Free trial: First month free.
Ongoing fee: 0.5% of each rounded-up transaction (capped at 15% of the round-up value, maximum $0.20 per transaction).
Example: Buy a $5.50 coffee, round up to $6.00 sees 50c goes into KiwiSaver. Feijoa's fee would be about 3 cents. This would be in addition to the round-up amount.
Long-term plan: Feijoa is working with banks and KiwiSaver providers to keep driving fees down

Feijoa Pros and Cons

Pros:

Automatic saving - Effortlessly adds to your KiwiSaver savings every time you make a purchase.
Universal compatibility - Works with every bank and KiwiSaver provider.
Stays with you - If you change providers, Feijoa continues without interruption.
Rewards add value - As partner retailers come onboard, shopping with them means even more KiwiSaver contributions.
Great for sharing - It can be linked across shared accounts, making it useful for couples, flatmates, or grandparents who want to support their grandchildren.
Helps younger savers - Shows the power of small, regular amounts compounding over time, making it a great entry point for teens or those just starting.
Different kind of loyalty programme - Instead of points or vouchers, Feijoa helps build your financial future.
Ideal for the self-employed - For contractors, freelancers, and business owners who don't get PAYE contributions from an employer, Feijoa provides an easy way to bridge the gap and consistently grow KiwiSaver balances.
Daily contributions maximise compounding. Round-ups are invested daily, so compounding starts working immediately.
Bridging career breaks & securing the government contribution - If you're taking time out of the workforce (e.g. parental leave, travel, or a career change), round-ups keep savings flowing even when regular PAYE contributions aren't happening. This is especially important for ensuring you qualify for the annual government contribution: every dollar you put in between 1 July and 30 June earns an extra 25 cents (up to $260.72 per year). Even if you don't reach the full $1,042.86 threshold, you still get that 25% instant return on every dollar you contribute - yet around a million New Zealanders miss out on this each year. Feijoa helps make sure you're not one of them.

Cons, Risks and Things to Watch Out For:

Dependency on transactions - If you don't make many electronic purchases, round-ups will be small.
Funding account required - A nominated account must be set up as the source for round-ups. Although all credit/debit cards can be used for monitoring spending and round-ups, only a transactional account can be used to fund the total each day.
Open banking/credential sharing - Currently, open banking is in its infancy in New Zealand. To use Feijoa's round-up functionality, you'll need to enter your online banking credentials through their open banking provider, Akahu. Feijoa and Akahu do not store or retain these details. Once full open banking is implemented in New Zealand, Feijoa will be at the forefront of the new authentication flow.
Fees - Each round-up attracts a small fee (see below). These are much lower than the cost of PayWave, and Feijoa states it is committed to continuously working with banks and KiwiSaver providers to reduce fees further.

Alternatives to Feijoa

Other savings/round-up apps: Few bank apps allow you to round up purchases and deposit the difference into a savings account, but they don't directly connect to KiwiSaver funds.
Automatic percentage savings: Many people arrange a set contribution from their income to their KiwiSaver fund. Feijoa plans to bring this feature into the app in future, making it even easier to save a regular percentage automatically.
Reward credit cards/cashback: Cashback or reward cards offer spend-based perks that can be manually transferred into a KiwiSaver fund. Feijoa's advantage is direct contributions and no risk of credit card debt.

Know This: No major New Zealand bank apps directly support rounding up everyday purchases straight into a KiwiSaver account. Only the ASB (with its Save the Change feature) and Booster Savvy's account rounds up purchases and saves the spare change in a savings account. However, BNZ, ANZ, Westpac and Kiwibank do not offer this feature.

Bottom Line and Most Likely Users

Feijoa helps make building your KiwiSaver balance effortless - if you can spend, you can save. It works with all banks and providers, runs smoothly as you change providers or schemes, and will soon include retail partners and automatic percentage savings. Feijoa has further benefits for the self-employed and those on career breaks, where KiwiSaver contributions can otherwise fall behind.

By helping you qualify for the government contribution - a guaranteed ~25% return on your annual contributions (up to $260.72) - Feijoa ensures you don't miss out on one of the best investment boosts available in New Zealand.
While there are small fees, they are minimal and significantly less than typical payment card costs, and Feijoa's stated aim is to reduce them further. For anyone wanting to boost their KiwiSaver in the background and turn everyday spending into a long-term benefit, Feijoa is well worth considering.
Feijoa has also stated that they'll be aiming to add reward partners and many other features, so it makes sense to get set up now, let your savings grow, and be ready to benefit further when those rewards are introduced.

Who Feijoa Might Be Good For

Kiwis who want to save effortlessly every time they spend.
Couples, flatmates, or whānau - the app allows shared saving visibility, perfect for joint accounts or grandparents wanting to help grandchildren.
Young people - Feijoa makes it easy to see how small, regular contributions can grow significantly over time.
Self-employed New Zealanders - who miss out on PAYE employer contributions but still want a structured way to keep KiwiSaver topped up.
Those taking career or income breaks - round-ups keep savings flowing in the background and help ensure you don't miss out on the government contribution.

Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly do my round-ups get invested into KiwiSaver?

Round-ups are processed daily and sent to Inland Revenue, who then forwards them to your KiwiSaver provider. The entire process typically takes 3-5 business days from transaction to appearing in your KiwiSaver account.

Can I use Feijoa if I'm self-employed or not currently working?

Yes - Feijoa is suitable for the self-employed, contractors, stay-at-home parents, or anyone taking a career break. It helps you maintain consistent KiwiSaver contributions even without employer PAYE contributions, ensuring you don't miss out on the government contribution.

Can I split my round-ups between multiple KiwiSaver accounts?

Yes - you can share your round-ups with up to 20 different KiwiSaver accounts. Set custom percentages for each recipient - perfect for contributing to your children's accounts, helping grandchildren, or splitting savings with your partner. For example, 50% to yourself, 25% to each child.

Will Feijoa affect my credit score or appear on my bank statements?

Feijoa transactions appear as regular transfers on your bank statement (labelled as "Feijoa Round-up"). They don't affect your credit score as they're simply transfers from your nominated account. The app uses read-only access to monitor transactions - it cannot make unauthorised withdrawals.

What are the minimum and maximum amounts I can round up per transaction?

Minimum: Round-ups start from $0.01 (e.g., a $4.99 purchase rounded to $5.00)
Maximum: $5 per transaction (if you select the $5 round-up option)
Whole dollar purchases: You can set a fixed amount ($0-$5) to save on exact dollar transactions

How does Feijoa help me get the government contribution?

Every dollar you contribute through Feijoa counts toward the annual government contribution. You need to contribute $1,042.86 per year to receive the maximum $260.72 from the government (a 25% match). Feijoa helps you reach this target gradually through daily round-ups, ensuring you don't miss out like the 1 million+ Kiwis who currently do.

Is there a limit to how much I can contribute through round-ups?

There's no daily or annual limit on round-ups through Feijoa. However, KiwiSaver itself has contribution limits for voluntary contributions. Most providers accept up to $100,000 per year in voluntary contributions, though this varies by provider.

What if I'm already contributing the maximum 10% through my employer?

Your employer contributions (3-10%) are separate from voluntary contributions made through Feijoa. Round-ups are classified as voluntary member contributions, so you can use Feijoa regardless of your PAYE contribution rate. This helps boost your total KiwiSaver balance beyond standard employment contributions.

Related Resources