The 12 Best Mobile Banking Features You Need to Use

Managing your money is even easier when you can access accounts right from your smartphone. Mobile banking apps have evolved and if you’re just using your app to check balances, you’re potentially missing out on a plethora of features that not only take care of banking needs right from your phone, but also make managing your money quick and easy.

But how secure is mobile banking? Is it safe to complete your financial transactions through a mobile banking app? Online and mobile banking each carry their own risks when using; however, the additional hardware security features in mobile devices, coupled with biometric security, can make mobile banking more secure than its online counterpart. With that in mind, it’s important to keep your devices operating system up-to-date to ensure the latest security features are installed.

Check out these available features within the General Electric Credit Union mobile banking app that take the chore out of banking and can even help you grow your savings!

1. Check balances quickly. Don’t have the time to log in? There are a couple of options to quickly view your balances. First, once enabled, open our app and swipe down to view a list of accounts and balances, without logging in. Similarly, view a list of accounts in a widget view; on Apple Devices it’s called Today View, and the Home Screen on Android
2. Enhanced security. Multi-factor authentication makes our mobile banking experience safe and secure. With biometric security features such as fingerprint ID and facial recognition (on applicable phones), your accounts are protected as only you have the “right key” to gain access.
3. Mobile deposit. Visiting a branch to deposit a check is a thing of the past. With Mobile Deposit, you can deposit checks right from your phone. Simply endorse the check and write “For GECU Mobile Deposit Only,” tap Check Deposit, and you’re done!
4. Push notification alerts. Stay on top of your accounts with a pop-up alert on the lock screen of your smartphone. Once push notifications have been enabled within the app, you’ll be notified for things such as, a low balance or when a large deposit was made, such as a paycheck. And if you’d like more details on the notification, simply tap on the alert to be directed to the mobile app where you can learn more.
5. Text message banking. Text message banking can help you manage your accounts via text message. Once enabled, using text commands, you can: check your balance, transfer funds, manage your spending, and more. For example, by texting BAL, you’ll receive a text message with your primary account balance.
6. Preference and setting customization. Should the need arise, updating your username, password, and contact information can be done for both personal and security reasons. You can also customize the display of your accounts to suit your viewing preferences.
7. Personal finance management tool. Effortlessly visualize and manage your finances in one place with Money Management. Connect all your financial accounts, including your checking and savings accounts, investments, credit cards, loans, and more. Then, Money Management tracks and categorizes your spending and can help with customized budgets, goal setting, debt payoff strategies, and provides a view of your net worth.
8. FICO® Score updates. If you have a loan at GECU or a: Simply Free, Choice, or Amplified checking account, you can access your FICO® Score within the mobile app, for free! Scores are updated quarterly so you feel more confident about making future financial decisions. You’ll know and understand the current state of your credit score, so you’ll feel more confident about making future financial decisions.
9. Bill Pay. Rid yourself of the bill pile on your kitchen counter with Bill Pay, where you can see, manage, and pay your bills in one safe place. Additionally, you can set reminders to help you track due dates or set up automatic payments, so you don’t need to log in every month.
10. Debit Card Controls. Control when, where, and how your debit card is used, with a flip of a switch in our mobile app. With Debit Card Controls, you can: turn your card on/off, set transactions limits to help stay on budget, establish where and how you shop, block the card from foreign transactions, and customize alerts so you’re always in the know.
11. Free ATM access. Use an ATM Locator to Find One Near You. Use your GECU debit card at any of our nearly 100,000 ATMs completely free. Our free ATMs can easily be found through our app; from the log in screen, tap locations, enter your zip code and city, or use the current location feature to find one near you.

Today, mobile banking apps are transforming more into personal banking assistants. The capabilities they now provide extend beyond making a transfer from a checking account to a savings account. No matter how you choose to manage your accounts through our mobile banking app, we use secure technology to protect your information, so you can feel safe paying a bill, checking your balances, and even depositing a check, wherever you are.