Mobile banking and shopping are becoming more and more popular thanks to smart phones like the iPhone and Palm Pre.  A year ago we ran a series of articles on what the mobile web could do for your money.

Today, I’m revisiting the mobile money guide because the options for banking, shopping, and managing your money with your phone keep getting better and growing in number, Quicken Online mobile is just one example.

We did research on your mobile options and I interviewed an expert on using mobile technology to connect consumers with merchants and deals, Kim Dushinski.  Here’s a list of the mobile money articles, check them out and let us know what new and exciting developments have come up since then. I’m sure there are a slew of iPhone apps that have popped up for managing your money from your phone.

• How to Use Your Cell Phone to Manage and Save Money On the Go
• Mobile Banking Review: Online Banking With Your Cell Phone
• Mobile Shopping Review: Save Money By Shopping With Your Cell Phone
• Personal Finance on Your Phone
• Mobile Deals & Alerts
• Mobile Coupons Saving You Money

Who doesn’t like coupons?  Does it matter to you whether they’re clipped from the paper or delivered to your cell phone?  In previous coverage of mobile money we talked with Kim Dushinski, author of the upcoming book the Mobile Marketing Handbook about avoiding mobile spam and how consumers can benefit from mobile deals.  Today we’ll look closer at how you can go about signing up for mobile coupons, the associated costs, and examples of mobile deals.

Can you briefly walk us through the process of opting into receiving mobile communications from businesses and how we’d go about redeeming any deals or offers sent to us?

Sure. You will see something like “Text OFFERS to 12345” to receive a certain benefit. You simply go into your messaging area of your phone and enter in the five or six digit code as if it were a phone number. Then in the body of the message you put only the word that they said to text in. Hit send and you will be opted in.

There will either be a statement that this will cost a certain amount of money per message or it will say something like standard text messaging rates apply.  If you are signing up for a premium text (it will cost you something) you will have to agree a second time that you agree to pay the amount.

Then when the business sends a text message to you it will tell you how to redeem it. With some offers you will enter a code into your order (if you use a kiosk or online ordering). With others you will simply show your phone to the clerk who will take care of it for you.

Are there any costs to consumers for receiving mobile offers from businesses?

That depends on the offer. If you are responding to a mobile advertisement that you saw online and just use the mobile web, there are no costs to you above and beyond the data plan charges for using the internet. If you are getting a Bluetooth offer there are no charges. If you are opting in to a text message campaign you will likely be opting into a standard text message rates apply situation.

This means that if you have a certain number of text messages in your plan that you get per month, one of the message credits will be used toward receiving this message. If you don’t  have a text message plan then your cell phone carrier will put a charge on your bill to receive the message. Typically this is 15 to 20 cents per text.

Can you recommend any specific offers from businesses that people can sign up for today to save money or get good deals?

Yes.  My absolute favorite discount via mobile coupon is from Redbox movie rental. They do such a great job of putting in everything you need to know to redeem their offer and it is totally free. I highly recommend this offer.

Redbox Free Movie Rental
Get a free movie rental code every Monday from Redbox. Sign up online at www.redbox.com/Help/Signup.aspx

Another great way to get coupons on your phone is to sign up with CellFire. Just go online (on your regular computer) at www.cellfire.com and you will be walked step by step through set up. They have a lot of major retailers onboard including Kroger, Hollywood Video and GameStop.

Some other useful things you can do on your mobile phone:

Order a Pizza Using the Mobile Web or SMS
Go to http://mobile.papajohns.com on your mobile browser and order a pizza. Next, set up your account so you have SMS ordering capability and then order a pizza using only text messaging.

Try Amazon’s TextBuyIt Feature
Send a text message to ‘AMAZON’ (262966) with the any keyword (e.g. item name, author, artist, etc.) or ISBN/UPC code.  You can then buy with one click (after the first time when you’ll be called to verify the order) or get more information.

Mobile Coupon Summary

Thanks to Kim for taking the time talk about mobile deals and how we can take advantage of them. Let us know if you try out any of the sites, what you think of them, or if you already receive and use mobile coupons.

Mobile devices will have a growing impact on how people manage, track, and spend their money in the coming years.  Mobile banking, mobile shopping, and even personal finance tracking on our cell phones or other devices will give us additional flexibility and functionality in spending and managing our money.

One thing consumers need to be aware of is how mobile devices will become another channel for interacting with businesses and service providers.  Some businesses are starting to take notice of the potential of mobile marketing to customize targeted offers, notifications, and deals to their customers. 

Mobile Marketing Good for Consumers?

For some insight into what mobile marketing means to consumers and how we can benefit from it, I talked with Kim Dushinski, author of the upcoming book (Nov 2008) the Mobile Marketing Handbook.  The book is a step by step guide to creating dynamic mobile marketing campaigns.  Kim wrote the Mobile Marketing Handbook to help businesses learn how to reach out to their customers on mobile devices with text messaging, Bluetooth, and the mobile web.

Of course everyone’s first concern about mobile marketing is that we’ll start seeing spam on our cell phones.  I wanted to talk with Kim because she’s done an enormous amount of research into effective methods of mobile marketing that benefit not just the business but also the consumer. 

First I’ll let Kim address our spam and privacy concerns, and then we’ll go into more detail on the mechanics of mobile marketing from the consumer standpoint and how we can use it to save money.

1) What do we need to know about avoiding unwanted mobile advertising, or “mobile spam”?

You should know that the mobile industry is already looking out for you in this regard. First of all, mobile marketing is a permission-based marketing tool. You have to actually agree to be marketed to you on your phone before a business can contact you on it. The exception of course is seeing banner or text ads when you are on a mobile website. That is pretty much the same as any online advertising, it is just there.

Text messaging is highly regulated. In order for a business to begin a text message campaign they have to get it approved by the cell phone carriers first and they have to give you a way to stop any further messages from coming to you. Typically this by sending the word STOP or REMOVE to the number that sent you a text message.

With Bluetooth marketing the best way to avoid being contacted when you don’t want to be is to keep your Bluetooth device turned off and/or in undiscoverable mode. Otherwise you could receive a message asking if you want to receive a message.

If you receive something that you don’t want, try first to send STOP or REMOVE. If you get further messages contact your cell phone carrier and they can shut the campaign down.

 2) What kinds of benefits will consumers see from opting in to receive mobile offers, notifications, and deals?

When businesses do mobile marketing right you will find a lot of value being provided to you via mobile. In addition to coupons and other financial incentives you will also be able to get alerts – something you want is now available (maybe a seat at your favorite restaurant that always has a line) or something is happening that you want to know about.

Smart businesses will first figure out what you want to get from them via mobile and then offer it to them. So, if you think of something that you wish you could get from a business, tell them.

3) What types of businesses are best suited for sending mobile alerts to customers and which ones are already starting to use them?

Many types of businesses are suited for mobile alerts from hair salons (your stylist has an appointment available) to dry cleaners (your rush order is ready to be picked up) to restaurants (we’re having a two-for-one dinner tonight). Gas stations are even signing people up to get a pricing alert when prices are about to go up.

More Mobile Marketing Answers

Kim took the time to answer several more questions about mobile marketing, I’ll publish those questions and answers tomorrow so stay tuned to hear more about what mobile marketing means to consumers and how we can benefit from it.

Have you ever wanted to quickly check your account balance? Do you often find yourself wondering if you have enough money to buy something in your clothes budget? Would you like to quickly look at your most recent bank transactions?

Your cell phone is now the place to do all of these! With the help of many new personal finance mobile application, you can virtually carry your financial statements and budget in your pocket. There are numerous mobile applications from third party companies that you can download if you have a nice, new iPhone or similar type of smart phone. We’ll look at some of the better ones as well as what the popular online personal finance applications offer by way of mobile applications.

Best Third Party Mobile Applications

For the iPhone: Balance by Connor Wakamo, Free – This is a one account bank register manager that allows you to keep track of all of the transactions you make through out your day on your checking account. I picked this one, because based on the reviews I read, it’s the most simple to use and it serves the purpose of acting as your checkbook register when you use your debit card.

If you are like me, it’s easy to get in trouble with a debit card. It’s so easy to swipe it and forget to write down the amount you spent. If you’re doing a lot of shopping during one day, it’s easy to overdraft and not even realize it. This application will help you keep track of everything, and it is very easy to export the date as a .csv file, email it to yourself, and import it to your home computer finance software.

For the Blackberry: Bankarama, cost $18.95 – This one costs some money, but it has great reviews for use with your Blackberry Pearl, Curve, or 8300. You can set it up for multiple accounts, and it easily allows you to track debit card transactions on your checking account. You’ll have an up-to-date balance for your checking account wherever you go.

For the Palm: inExpense, $14.95 – If you have a smart phone that runs the Palm OS, then inExpense is the personal finance application for you. It’s $15 bucks, but money well spent. This one has the most features compared to the two above, but it’s a little more complicated to use. It does have one-hand navigation, so you don’t need to use a stylus. It will generate reports, sync with your desktop computer, you can back up the information, and protect your personal information with a password feature.

Wesabe Mobile, With Wesabe mobile, members can:

• View a single list of all their bank and credit card balances anytime they want.

• See any transactions that have posted to their accounts. Just as the iPhone’s email application lets users view as many emails as they’d like, i.wesabe.com allows members to see as many transactions as they want.

• Enter cash purchases they’ve made while shopping.

Mint.com & Cell Phones

Mint is working on this, and I suspect that they will be rolling out a sweet application for the iPhone very soon. There has been a ton of feedback of iPhone users wanting to see one, but it’s not there yet. For now, you’ll have to go to your web browser and access the web application.

Mobile Money

So, personal finance has gone mobile, but have you gone with it? I sometimes think that we’d be far better off without so many computer applications in our life. There is an application for everything, and it gets overwhelming when you think about it. However, these personal finance applications are very useful just for the fact that they make it very easy to record and store your debit and cash transactions. Try them out and let us know what you think.

You can learn more about mobile shopping and mobile banking as part of the Mobile Money Guide.

Save up to 25% on mobile apps at Handango, click here and use coupon code SAVE20NOW at checkout.

Mobile shopping can save you both time and money.  You can use your cell phone to help you shop around and get the best deal possible or you can use your mobile device to purchase things online.

The use of your cell phone to help you shop and get better deals is quickly catching on with younger and even older generations. Mobile shopping is becoming increasingly popular as cell phone technology and network speeds continue to improve.

There are many tools out there to help you, and we will go over a few different ways to use your cell phone to help you be a better shopper.

Product Research

Doing your research is key if you want to save money when you’re out shopping. Some people do plenty of research before they leave their house about the best deals, but there area always certain products and deals that come up while you are out shopping that you did not research. Epinions is a great website to access from your mobile web browser to help you perform product research on the go. The website is comprised of a social network of users that write product reviews and rate each other’s reviews its usefulness.

Comparison Shopping

One of the hardest parts about shopping is that you get caught up in the moment of a good deal. You may find the LCD TV you want for a given price, and it looks to be a good deal, but you’re unsure if you can get it for a better deal somewhere else. Using your cell phone helps you figure this out right away, not when you get back home after you bought the TV.

Try Price Grabber on your mobile web browser to compare products and prices. FruCall is another great website that gives you three different options for comparing prices and products. You can call their 1-800 number, text them the ISBN number, or check out their mobile website.

Capturing Information and Social Shopping

My first experience with using a cell phone to help me shop was when my wife took a picture of a kitchen appliance that we had been looking at and sent it to my phone to view. Many of you have cell phones that capture photos and videos, but watch out, because many stores don’t like you taking photos or video of their products. They don’t want it getting in the wrong hands, their competitors! So, try to respect the wishes of a retailer when taking photos or videos of a certain product.

Dressing rooms are becoming social networks at places like Bloomingdales and the Gap. This article from Forbes Magazine talks about retailers beginning to offer interactive dressing mirrors that will take a photo of each outfit you put on, so you can look at it again later after you’ve tried everything on. Bloomingdales and Prada are also installing webcams and microphones into the dressing rooms to allow friends or family members to log on to their website and see you in your new outfit in the dressing room. I sure hope those webcams have good security on them!

Shopping On Your Cell Phone

mShopper is a newer web application that you can access from your cell phone to shop online. mShopper will search for the best online deal and help you make a quick purchase straight from your cell phone. You set up your account’s financial information and shipping information and saves it. When you want to buy something, type in your pin number, and your item will be purchased and sent to your door step.

You can also use your mobile web browser to shop online and buy items straight from your cell phone. You may want to check a store’s website first before you purchase it, because many retailers offer web deals to encourage online spending. Retailers save money when you purchase online, because it costs them less to deliver the good or service to you.

Mobile Shopping & Banking

So, are you ready to start shopping on your cell phone? Take the time to learn the ins and outs of mobile shopping and you can save yourself both time and money.  Cell phones aren’t limited to just shopping, you can use them to access your money as well.  For information on mobile banking, check out our mobile banking review.

I’m convinced that someday we will be able to perform every task imaginable on our cell phones. Apple is getting close, but there are still some functions you can’t perform in your every day life with a cell phone. The break through of mobile banking technology on your cell phone is just another attempt at helping you perform another every day function from the convenience of your cell phone.

Do you need to transfer money from one account to another? Do you need to check your available balance before making a large purchase? Mobile banking is the way to go for those of you who don’t want to use the automated robot that answers the customer service number. In this article, I’ll highlight the major players in the mobile banking sector, costs associated with it, the capabilities available, and benefits/consequences of mobile banking.

Major Banks Offering Mobile Banking

• ING Direct
• Bank of America
• Citi Bank
• Chase
• Wells Fargo

Which is the best? I haven’t tested all of these, because it would require me to have a bank account at all of these institutions, which I don’t. I’ve tried Bank of America’s, and it’s pretty basic. For someone that has an iPhone or another phone that displays the internet as it appears on computers, simply logging into online banking is the easier way to go. Many of these banks listed offer a text message option that gives you basic information such as account balance and recent transactions made.

Capabilities

• Quickly check account balances
• Transfer funds from one account to another
• Online bill pay
• View recent transactions made
• See if a check has cleared
• Look for a nearby ATM

How To Sign Up

You must be signed up with the bank’s online banking system in order to use their mobile banking application. For instance, if you have a Bank of America online username and password, you would use the same user name and password to log in to the mobile banking application. Some banks such as Citi Bank and Wells Fargo require that you enroll in their mobile banking application online while signed into your online banking account. This is so you can also use the texting feature that gives you a basic snapshot of your account just by texting a certain number.

Benefits and Considerations

The benefits to mobile banking are obvious. Convenience is what we all strive for in life when it comes to technology. We love technology that makes our life easier. The fact that we can access our bank accounts, make money transfers, and pay bills all from the convenience of our cell phone is a beautiful thing. it might also prevent you from getting more bank fees, because you can constantly update yourself on your account balance.

The considerations of mobile banking are security, ease of use, and reliance on a cell phone signal.

Security – All of the major players claim to have high levels of security on their mobile devices, but the reality is that you are still transmitting financial information over the air waves. Plus, some of your financial information could be stored on your phone without you knowing it, and if you lose your phone, that could be trouble.

Information Week took a look at what some of the providers are doing to secure mobile banking:

Citibank: Transactions conducted using its Citi Mobile service are secured with 128-bit encryption, the same technology that’s used at Citibank.com. The cell phone doesn’t store any bank account information.

 

Bank of America: Customers using its mobile banking service are protected by the bank’s SiteKey security technology, where they would have to answer a series of questions to access their account. Information remains encrypted when it’s sent between the phone and the bank.

 

AT&T: Once the carrier rolls out mobile devices with a pre-loaded banking application, which will include access to banks like Wachovia, BancorpSouth, Regions Financial, and SunTrust Banks, it will have the ability to remotely wipe the device clean of personal data if it’s lost or stolen.

Ease of Use – Some of these applications, including the ING mobile banking, have been criticized for not being easy to use. However, I am sure that many of these problems are solved when using a phone with a full QWERTY keyboard.

Signal Access – The other consideration is that many people might start relying on mobile banking as their sole way of managing their bank account, but cell phone signals are still not omnipresent. It’s tough to get a signal in tall buildings and there are many gaps in the country and in the mountains.

Costs Associated With Mobile Banking

As far as i know, the only costs associated with mobile banking are standard text messaging rates when using the text feature to retrieve basic information about your checking account or credit card. Enrolling in mobile banking is completely free for all of the major banks that offer the service.

Will it Catch On?

According to Bank of America, they have over 800,000 mobile banking customers and counting, yet they over 25 million customers total so that’s a small percentage. Most of their mobile banking users were people under the age of 35, which doesn’t surprise me, because Generation Y prefers doing all of their business over the internet.

Personally, I don’t use mobile banking, because I’m never far enough away from a computer throughout my day to need to do my banking business online. However, I don’t have a nice cell phone with mobile internet use. I’m sure if I had an iPhone or a Blackberry, I’d be more interested in using the feature. We want to hear from you. Do you use mobile banking? What was your experience with it?

Mobile access to your money has become a reality.  There are countless scenarios where you might need remote access to your bank account or to comparison shop for a product in the store.  As the number of cell phone and mobile device users continues to grow banks and retailers are providing consumers more and more options for taking advantage of wireless access.

Although a mobile device is another monthly expense, for many people, it’s become a necessary one as they depend more and more on wireless access for business and personal communications.  With the iPhone, BlackBerry Storm, and the release of the G1 from T-Mobile/Google, consumer options are growing and along with them the capability for mobile web access.

We’re going to be taking a look at mobile banking, managing your money with personal finance apps on your phone, using your phone as a tool for shopping, and how to take advantage of mobile coupons and alerts from retailers.

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Mobile Money Review:

• mobile deals
• mobile coupons
• mobile banking
• mobile shopping
• mobile personal finance

The mobile web is all around us, yet I have been largely disconnected from using it for text messaging, mobile browsing, or checking email on a mobile device.

The World is Going Mobile

Every time I travel I try and use my interactions with the people I meet along the way to way to learn something new about human behavior or society in general.  One of the things I was reminded of on my recent business trip was how diverse the population of the US is, especially in the big cities.

I saw so many different cultures and nationalities on the city streets, in the train station, and at the airport; yet many of them had at least one thing in common….

They were hooked into the mobile web!  I don’t know all the languages they were texting or browsing in but it made me realize the mobile web will become a big part of many of our lives in the not so distant future.  We can look to other countries that are far ahead of the US in mobile adoption to see what types of applications and services will be available to us.

Mobile Money

In the next week or two we’ll take a look at the ways you can use your phone or other device for mobile banking, managing and tracking your money on the go, mobile shopping, and redeeming mobile coupons.  Until then, let us know in the comment section below how you use your mobile device when you’re on the go.