The 7 best online banking functions to simplify your life
Scratch the money management? If so, instead of chewing your teeth from month to month, what if you could alleviate some of that stress effortlessly? Online banking offers many benefits that can simplify the headache of money.
Let's dive right in and see how online banking can make your life easier.
Easy account creation
There was a time when the only way to open a bank account was in person. These days, it's possible to complete the registration process from start to finish without leaving home.
Depending on the bank, application forms can take less than 10 minutes to complete. All you have to do is enter some details and send photocopies of the identification forms required by the bank. It may take a few more days or weeks for your account to be ready, but this is still to be expected.
The best part, however, is that once you create an account, even additional accounts are easier to create because the bank already has the necessary information in its database. If you have multiple accounts, transferring money between them is often free and without delay.
Electronic explanations
Traditional bills are disrupting on two fronts. First, they clog up your physical mailbox unnecessarily. Secondly, they are a huge waste of paper. The future is here – your guide to a paperless life today The future is here – your guide to a paperless life today Paperless – a term often used these days. But what does it mean? And to what extent does it apply? Of course, despite progress, we all still use paper… Continue Reading. You may not care too much about this second point, but for the most part, paper bills have become a cluttered affair.
Of course, switching to email statements can still lead to digital clutter, but deleting an email is much easier than shredding paper. Plus with apps like Google Inbox Google Inbox Review: Fresh Air Google Inbox Review: Fresh Air Gmail is a household name in the email department, but Google wasn't happy with it. Learn about the Google inbox, a new way to address emails. Read more, it's nice to be able to receive and read your bill reminders wherever you are.
Worst-case scenario: If you need a paper record for a particular invoice, you can always print it out. There are no good reasons not to switch to electronic statements as soon as possible. What are you waiting for?
Automatic bill payments
How many bills do you pay each month? For most of us, the answer is "too many". You have rent/mortgage, utilities, car loans, various types of insurance, student loans and all the other subscriptions and enrollments in your life. That's a lot of bills, even if they come once a month.
With most online banks, you can link your bills directly to your account and have them paid on time automatically. For every bill you create, that's one less thing you have to juggle each month. It can mean a lot less stress.
One major drawback: automatic bill pay should only be used if your bank balance is more than enough all your bills to any given time. This requires discipline in terms of your budget. Simply Frugal: How to Learn Personal Finance the Easy Way Simply Frugal: How to Learn Personal Finance the Easy Way Do you worry about bills and debt on a regular basis? Feel lost when others speak in financial terms? Here's the good news: It's never too late to learn about money. Read more . If you live paycheck to paycheck, manual bill payments are the best way to avoid accidental overdrafts.
Mobile Check Deposits
Many banks offer a feature called Mobile Check Deposits, but the exact name may vary from bank to bank. The concept is simple: instead of visiting your local bank branch to deposit a check, you can do it from home by uploading a photo of the check (front and back)..
The only thing you need to do for this is a mobile deposit app, which you should be able to find in the App Store or the Play Store. Be careful that you download a legitimate one! You don't want to send your check photos to a malicious third party. Again, make sure your bank offers this feature before trying it out.
Secure message notifications
One of the better reasons to bank online is that you can receive notifications in real time. These notifications can sometimes be trivial or annoying, but they can also save your life. For example, you can be notified when:
- Transactions are completed or declined,
- A bill payment date is approaching,
- Your bank balance reaches a set target amount,
- Details of your account have been changed,
- There have been failed attempts to log into your account.
If something suspicious happens on your account, it is extremely helpful to receive an alert immediately, as waiting too long can have disastrous consequences. That being said, even trivial alerts can be helpful in the right situations.
Reporting and management tools
Before online banking, it wasn't easy to pull reports and summaries for your account activity. Depending on the bank, there may even be a fee associated with retrieving this information. However, with online banking, it's always just a click away.
Some banks are better than others in this regard. Most of them offer at least a transaction history, but the best ones offer more advanced features like creating categories and viewing the spend for each category (z. B. Bills, entertainment, emergency, etc.)..
Desktop software integration
If you use Quicken to create a budget and clear debt with Quicken Online? How to create a budget and wipe the debt with Quicken Online? Continue reading (or one of several Quicken alternatives. 5 Free Financial Software Alternatives To Speed Up. 5 Free Financial Software Alternatives To better manage money, online banking can make this area of your life even easier. As long as your bank supports your tool, you should be able to seamlessly integrate your bank account with the desktop software you use.
Integration can be a direct link between your bank account and your software. If this is not the case, you can export the transaction history as a file download (usually in CSV format) and import it into such software.
Closing thoughts
In addition to what we've said here, here are a few more reasons to start banking online. 6 Reasons Why You Should Bank Online If You Aren't Already [Opinion] Aren't You Already [Opinion] How do you usually do your banking?? Drive to your bank? Wait in long lines to deposit just one check? Get monthly bank statements? File this… Read More. There is a measurable increase in convenience, so much so that you have some room to take a step back and take a deep breath regarding your money.
A quick note: There's a little bit of extra risk in online banking because in banking (no pun intended) you use all your security for passwords, but as long as you apply good security habits, you change your bad habits and your data becomes more secure. Change your bad habits and your data is safer Read more and use two-factor authentication. What is two-factor authentication and why you should use it? What is two-factor authentication? Why should you use it? Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security method This requires two different ways to prove your identity. It is often used in everyday life. For example, paying with a credit card not only requires the card, you should have no problems there. If you can't log in to your bank account, here are a few tips. Can't log in to your bank account? Try these tips you can not log on to your bank account? Try these tips There is always a time when there is a technological reason why you can not log into your bank account. If so, hopefully these steps will help you figure it out. Read more to help you.