Mobile banking and the use of smartphone bank apps is on the rise. No matter which financial institution you do business with, chances are in the future you’ll be doing a lot more of it on your phone.
With more Banks reducing staff numbers and closing sub-offices, it will not be long before dropping in to your local bank will take on a new meaning.
In rural areas it will mean travelling to a larger town and in larger urban areas it will also mean having to travel some distance to the bank.
The banks are reviewing their overhead costs and encouraging more people to bank online.
Yet for all the talk of a digital green economy, the likes of Bank of Ireland only launched their own mobile app in May of this year. Considering how long the iPhone has been with us, that’s a surprising fact.
Bank of Ireland believes it delivers high-speed, secure bank account access to its 500,000 personal banking customers. If anyone has an opinion on it we’re all ears…
Of course, phone banking and bank call centers have been with us now for some time. Both AIB and Bank of Ireland have launched apps for use with smartphone’s and tablet computers such as the iPad.
This is useful for checking your account and paying bills online or transferring money.
However, we checked the Bank of Ireland app on the iPad and found that it does not request your user ID unlike the original online bank portal.
This may affect anyone with separate login details for accounts in Northern Ireland.
The younger generation no doubt will take to online banking easily, but it will take some time before some of the older generation begin to use mobile banking.
This will mean less visits to banks and so less involvement with bank staff.
In the longterm, visits to banks will only become necessary when transactions such as mortgages or other large loans are being applied for, which requires proof of earnings or other documentation.
Or to demonstrate!
Further links:
Bank of Ireland mobile banking
