What can you really do with the Mobile Apps that all credit institutions now make available to manage your current account on the go? According to an analysis by SosTariffe.it, all applications allow you to view balance and bank transactions, make wire transfers, account transfers e reload the credit of smartphone. Also reload the carte and pay the utilities these are two very popular activities on apps: in fact, almost 90% of applications allow you to perform the first function, while over 83% do the second.
Among the less widespread activities, and which could instead be among the most useful to some customers, is that of contact customer service: only 27,7% of banking applications allow you to reach the assistance of the credit institution directly from mobile.
Similar percentage, over 27%, for apps that integrate a dedicated tool for the family budget, while the following functions are exclusive to a few banks: access to funding (11,1%), service of personal management and personalized recommendations (11,1%), features by ATM withdrawals without a physical card (11,1%), operations of Currency Exchange (5,5%) and maxi-withdrawal ATMs (5,5%).
THE DISSEMINATION OF APPS
All the apps studied are available on smartphones or tablets with operating systems Android e iOS. 56% are usable by devices Windows, while 22% also work on Smart Watches, predominantly Apple. Only 11% of banking applications can also be used by BlackBerry, while 6% are available on devices Amazon and another 6% up Smart TV.
It should also be noted that currently none of the applications analyzed can be used on all devices: only 5,5% of the apps can be used simultaneously by Android, iOS, Windows, Amazon devices and Smart Watches, while 61% of the applications are available for Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices.
THE COSTS OF BANKING APPS
The SosTariffe.it study also includes an analysis of the unit costs of the main banking transactions performed via the Mobile App, which were compared with those requested at the counter and via Internet banking. The first thing to note from the results, summarized in the table, is that the cost of operating with Mobile Apps and Internet Banking is almost identical, while the costs incurred at the counter are very different.
The greatest saving is in the case of balance request or vision of Bank transactions: with Internet Banking and the Mobile App, you save 100% on costs (an average of 1,44 euros is spent at the counter for each request, while online they are always free). Having Sepa wire transfers, on the other hand, costs an average of 3,33 euros at the counter, against 0,39 euros from the Web channels thanks to which 88% of this expense can be saved.
The same percentage can also be saved for the costs of smartphone charging: 1,55 euro per top-up for branch operations, against the 19 cents that are requested on average for Internet banking and mobile App operations.
reload cards, on the other hand, you can save around 71% with the Mobile App and home banking as you spend 2,28 euros at the counter, against 66 euro cents for applications. It should be emphasized that these are average costs that emerge from the analysis of all banks, but with many institutions - and above all with online accounts - these operations are completely free from both mobile apps and Internet banking.
Slightly lower savings recorded by SosTariffe.it per the payment of utilities: in this case the convenience stops at 62% as paying bills at the counter costs an average of 2,65 euros, against 0,97 euros for Internet Banking and an average of 1 euro for applications.
The convenience is reduced to 45% if the costs for paying postal slips are analyzed: the cost at the counter is 2,77 euros, 1,44 euros from the Internet and an average of 1,53 euros is spent via the App.
Finally, practically all the mobile applications analyzed are included free of charge among the services offered by the bank to its current account holders, as long as it is an online account, but some banks require the app for a fee if combined with conventional current accounts.
Sul SosTariffe site you can compare the best current accounts online and view costs and conditions.
