I think this is long overdue. Do you ask yourself why Citibank don’t introduce Internet Banking when a lot of the people (like me) are using their services (e.g. credit cards)? I guess Citibank has heard us and their Mobile Banking actually went live on the 14th August 2009. So, what service do they provide on the mobile platform?
Before, I start, some technical stuff. It is a website, not any software to download or install which I think is good. That means most mobile phone can access it. However, I tried to use Opera Mobile and it jumps back to www.citibank.com.sg. So, I think it recognized that the browser is able to view full website. (Citibank has seen this post and noted the issue. They will be tweaking it to support Opera Mobile by next week). The screenshot above is from Mobile Internet Explorer. The rest of the pictures will be from iPhone screenshots.
Citi Mobile Banking offers two Platforms:
- Citi Mobile
- Citi Alerts
Citi Mobile
These are the things that you can do:
- Card and bank accounts balance enquiry
- Card and bank accounts transactions enquiry
- Credit card payment due date and credit limit enquiry
- FX (Forex) rates information
- Funds transfer & bill payment
- Information on the best Gourmet Pleasures dining and other deals from Citibank Gourmet Pleasures
- ATM and branch locator via FindMyCiti
Click Here to Learn More about Citi Mobile
Citi Alerts
1) Alerts on Demand
- Card and bank accounts balance enquiry
- Card and bank accounts transactions enquiry (for last four transactions)
- Available credit line and outstanding credit card bill
2) Automatic Alerts
- Receive an alert whenever a GIRO credit is made to the account
- Receive an alert whenever a transaction occurs on the credit or debit card
- Receive an alert when an online payment or transfer is made
- Receive an alert when a cheque has bounced, or when it has been cleared
- Receive an alert when a credit card / Ready Credit payment has been received
- Receive an alert when a Premium Account expires, Time Deposit is due to mature, or Time Deposit has matured
For me, I will never use all these functions. However, according to Citibank, these are the popular ones.
Click Here to Learn More about Citi Alerts
I think it will be interesting to see how it looks like in Mobile version. Basically, in mobile version, you have the same login username and password.
Everyone must be really worried about security. According to Citibank, to ensure the highest level of security, Citi Mobile utilises two-factor authentication. The One-Time PIN (OTP) is sent via a flash SMS to provide superior usability.
Flash SMS is an SMS that is sent as a layer on top of your browser for mobile banking browser-supported mobile phones. This means that you do not have to close your browser to check the OTP in your SMS inbox separately. See pic below.
In addition, no financial information is stored on the mobile phone. The security features of Citi Mobile ensures it is as secure as Citibank Online.
Who should use Citi Mobile and Citi Alerts? Let me give you a scenario.
For example, in a scenario where a customer is awaiting his salary credit in order to pay his credit card bill:
- First, the customer can request to be alerted via Citi Alerts when a GIRO payment is made to his account;
- Once he receives the SMS alert via his mobile phone, he can login to Citi Mobile;
- He then makes his credit card bill payment via Citi Mobile;
- When his transaction has been completed, Citi Alerts will send him a notification SMS to inform him that payment for his bill has been received.
The entire transaction can be made securely while a customer is on-the-go, enabling him to better manage his cash flow.
So, what else can you do with Citi Mobile Banking? Remember I mentioned Citibank Gourmet Pleasures? I think it is a easy and great way to find out the best dining deals while on the move.
And you can use it to search for the nearest ATM and Citibank Branch via FindMyCiti.
To recap, I guess these are the highlights of this Citibank Mobile Banking: –
- No download of application
- No enrollment required
- Icon/Widget on Phone screens on supported phone (iPhone)
- Uses same URL as Citibank Online -citibank.com.sg (BTW, if you use this URL, it will still go to the mobile version).
- Optimized for popular mobile phone sets in the market. As of this post, these are the ones that are supported. Click here to check out yours.
| Manufacturer | Model | ||
| Apple | iPhone, iPhone 3GS | ||
| Blackberry | 8800, 7100G, 8300, 7130G, 8700, 8707G, 8820, 8100 | ||
| Dopod | D810, C730 | ||
| HTC | Dream, Diamond, P4550 | ||
| LG | KU990 | ||
| Nokia | E71, E66, 5800 xpress music, N85, E90, N96 | ||
| O2 | XDA Atom | ||
| Samsung | Omnia i900, F480, Omnia II | ||
| Sony Ericsson | G900, G705, W980, M600i, Xperia X1 |
- One-Time PIN (OTP) via Flash SMS to provide seamless transaction capability
Kudos to Citibank for such initiative and taking care of the security issues that most Mobile Platform are commonly subjected to 🙂