Citibank

Citi and Best Buy have teamed-up to launch a mobile rewards app for two of the hottest mobile platforms of today – iOS and Android. The result is the “Citi ThankYou Rewards” application, which ties together Best Buy’s inventory systems with Citi’s “ThankYou” Rewards program, allowing customers to earn points by shopping with their Citi credit card. But that’s not all. Citi customers can also use the app to track their reward points in real time, make wish lists and eventually pay for items using their earned points. What’s more, you can also use Citi ThankYou Rewards to scan the barcodes of products you want to buy and the application will show you how many points are needed for each item. Finally — presuming you have enough points — when you’ve found something you like, add it in a virtual cart and follow the steps to exchange your points for that item. Then you’ll be emailed instructions how to get it — usually you’ll have to visit a local Best Buy store to get the goods. Kinda neat, especially if you’re a Citi customers who will spend all that money anyways… Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis. Read More

Citi and Best Buy have teamed up to launch a mobile rewards application for iPhone and Android devices. The “Citi ThankYou Rewards” app ties together Best Buy’s inventory systems with Citi’s “ThankYou” Rewards program, a service which allows Citi customers to earn points by using their Citi credit card or performing other banking-related activities. Now, Citi customers can use the new mobile app to track their rewards points in real time, keep an eye on items they want to buy, and then pay for those items using their earned points. The free application was built through a collaboration between the two companies, one a major financial institution and the other a leading retailer. As a customer shops in a Best Buy retail store, they can scan the barcodes of the merchandise they want to purchase. The app will display how many points are needed for each item. And when the customer is ready to checkout, those items are placed in a virtual cart within the app to complete the process. A confirmation email is sent to the customer’s registered Citi ThankYou Rewards email account, directing them to the in-store pickup counter at Best Buy to get their merchandise. The application also allows users to shop the Best Buy ThankYou Rewards catalog and schedule items for in-store pickup at the location of their choice or have them sent to their home address. In addition, the mobile app lets Citi ThankYou Rewards members shop for other merchandise in the Rewards catalog not sold through Best Buy. Those items would be shipped directly to your home. Says Ralph Andretta, EVP of Loyalty and New Products at Citi, there are millions of redemptions available via the ThankYou Rewards program outside of Best Buy, but Citi was excited to partner with the retailer which it sees as an innovative company like itself. This app demonstrates what Citi wants to be, Andretta says: “the best digital bank in the world.” More details regarding this announcement are available at this morning’s webcast, going on now at www.liveatbestbuy.com/livestream. Read More

Citi and Best Buy have teamed up to launch a mobile rewards application for iPhone and Android devices. The “Citi ThankYou Rewards” app ties together Best Buy’s inventory systems with Citi’s “ThankYou” Rewards program, a service which allows Citi customers to earn points by using their Citi credit card or performing other banking-related activities. Now, Citi customers can use the new mobile app to track their rewards points in real time, keep an eye on items they want to buy, and then pay for those items using their earned points. The free application was built through a collaboration between the two companies, one a major financial institution and the other a leading retailer. As a customer shops in a Best Buy retail store, they can scan the barcodes of the merchandise they want to purchase. The app will display how many points are needed for each item. And when the customer is ready to checkout, those items are placed in a virtual cart within the app to complete the process. A confirmation email is sent to the customer’s registered Citi ThankYou Rewards email account, directing them to the in-store pickup counter at Best Buy to get their merchandise. The application also allows users to shop the Best Buy ThankYou Rewards catalog and schedule items for in-store pickup at the location of their choice or have them sent to their home address. In addition, the mobile app lets Citi ThankYou Rewards members shop for other merchandise in the Rewards catalog not sold through Best Buy. Those items would be shipped directly to your home. Says Ralph Andretta, EVP of Loyalty and New Products at Citi, there are millions of redemptions available via the ThankYou Rewards program outside of Best Buy, but Citi was excited to partner with the retailer which it sees as an innovative company like itself. This app demonstrates what Citi wants to be, Andretta says: “the best digital bank in the world.” More details regarding this announcement are available at this morning’s webcast, going on now at www.liveatbestbuy.com/livestream. Read More

This week, Citibank released a new banking application for iPad, designed to give customers access to common banking tasks (balance checks, bill pay, transfers, etc.) as well as financial analysis tools. While we don't (and can't) cover all mobile application launches individually, the new Citibank iPad is an interesting case study that shows how a large organization has thoughtfully developed a platform-specific application instead of simply repackaging its mobile app for the bigger tablet-sized screen. In addition, the financial tools now available in the Citi iPad app seem to take inspiration from similar online services, like Intuit's money management suite at Mint.com, for example. And, says the company, the iPad app's progress won't stop here. It will be under constant evolution, getting "smarter" over the coming weeks, and may even help users manage offers and rewards in the future. When Citi approached the iPad, explains Tracey Weber, Citi's head of North American Internet and Mobile Banking, it did so thinking of it as not just another mobile offering. "We view the iPad as an opportunity to engage with customers in a much deeper way," says Weber. People use tablets in differently than they do their mobile smartphones, she says. They often engage with them in the evenings, reading magazines, books, and newspapers, playing games, and watching videos. This engaged type of use is what gave the bank the opportunity to provide its own more deeply engaging experience via the iPad. Instead of simply providing company info and access to banking transaction tools, the app delves deeper into your finances, with rich, interactive charts highlighting things like cash flow, balance trends, overall debt and more. There's even a section where you can compare your personal data to the aggregated, anonymous data of other Citi customers by a number of factors, including income level, household type, location and so on. Being able to dive into your own finances like this, visualize trends, and make comparisons is one of the primary functions of the online financial management service Mint.com.  Of course, Mint can track more than just bank accounts, covering everything from investments to auto loans. But such deep data analysis is still a rarity among banking institutions, which is why it's so interesting to see what Citi is doing here. Even banking giant Bank of America only offers a fairly traditional iPad application, which just launched last month. Meanwhile, Citi comes out of the Read More

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. One of the keys to small business success is managing money. Whether it’s cash flow, credit or expenses, having money when you need it keeps the business going. More importantly, it can enable owners to make the investments necessary to grow their businesses. With today’s smartphone technology, it’s easier than ever to keep track of financial indicators. Here are 21 iPhone apps — all free — to help you stay informed and monitor your finances. Let us know which you use in the comments below. Name your bank, and they probably have an app. Most offer similar features, however a couple have some different options that, depending on your situation, could be valuable. Bank of America, Wells Fargo Mobile and PNC Mobile Banking have mobile banking apps that allow you to check your account balance, pay bills, transfer funds and find banking locations. Citibank also has a mobile banking app called Citi Mobile. Citi’s app also enables users to check account balances, pay bills and transfer funds. In addition, credit card customers can pay their credit card bill, check balances, view recent transactions and track their rewards. Both TD Bank and BB&T offer similar banking services as well as promote the ability to contact their customer service departments directly via the app. SunTrust Mobile Banking gives users access to up-to-date account balances for their checking, savings and money market accounts. I couldn’t determine if they had a list of banking locations within the app. ING Direct’s mobile app has the unique feature of person-to-person payments. Chase Mobile also provides the person-to-person QuickPay option. And, the app allows iPhone users to make a deposit via cellphone. If you make a lot of purchases with a credit card, a couple of credit card companies have apps to help manage your account. American Express provides card members the ability to pay their bill, check balances, view recent transactions, manage multiple cards and check reward points. Discover Mobile offers similar credit card services such as making payments, and viewing recent transactions and rewards activity. In addition, the app provides detailed account information including current balance, minimum payment due, credit available and Cashback Bonus balance. If part of your financial planning includes investments, several firms offer apps to monitor your account. Fidelity Read More

Posted 10/04/2010 at 12:36pm | by Andrew Hayward Each new iPhone has offered fresh and fantastical ways to improve your daily life, but the epic tag-team of the iPhone 4 and iOS 4 deliver the greatest set of tools and features to date. With the introduction of FaceTime video calls, multitasking, and the high resolution Retina display, the iPhone 4 has moved even further away from being just a powerful phone and web-surfing device. Now more than ever, the iPhone is a true lifestyle-enhancing accessory. Between the built-in features and the hundreds of thousands of options in the App Store, not to mention a few key accessories, the iPhone 4 can be figuratively formed and changed to fit your daily needs, whether you’re planning your daily commute, knocking out items on your to-do list, or simply looking to try a new restaurant. With this wide-ranging versatility in mind, we’ve come up with 40 ways in which the iPhone 4 can improve--or help you break free from--your daily routine, whether you’re at home or work, or out enjoying the world around you. Wake up with the iPhone and your day will be "phenomenal. Magical." Standalone alarm clocks are a thing of the past! You can use the built-in Clock app on your iPhone to set multiple alarms and customize them to your needs and preferences. You can choose the sound (including any custom ringtone) and label the alarm, as well as decide whether you’ll be able to tap the screen for snooze and if the alarm should repeat on the same day each week. Nobody likes waking up, but at least you can do it on your own terms. Depending on where you call home, each new day can bring a meteorological surprise, so stepping outside without a quick check of the impending weather can yield painful results. The iPhone has a simple, built-in Weather app that offers localized results, but for a more in-depth forecast, you can grab The Weather Channel app (free, pictured), WeatherBug (free), or one of several regional-focused options. Don’t leave home without it! If you rely on public transit to get to and from work each weekday, you know the uncertain wait for trains and buses can be soul-draining. No more! Many transit systems have apps that offer time estimates on buses and/or trains, like Buster ($0.99, pictured) for Chicago or MuniApp 2 ($0.99) and BART Live Read More

Citigroup discovered a flaw in its free iPhone citi app that exposed customers' personal information to a secret file on the phone and computer. The bank urged customers to upgrade to a newer version of the software, which it says will correct the problem. Read More

The wire services and the Wall Street Journal are reporting that the Citi Mobile app that Citibank offered to customers has a security flaw, and that it saved personal account information in a hidden file on users' iPhones. Our own Mike Rose reports that he got one of Citi's letters to customers warning them about the security issue. The information saved on the iPhones included account numbers, bill payment information, and even security access codes. If customers synced their phones to a Mac or PC that information would also be on those computers and could theoretically be accessible by hackers. "We have no reason to believe that our customers' personal information has been accessed or used inappropriately by anyone," Citi said. The newest version of the Citi app is online and is listed as a 'mandatory' update for customers. Read More

Citibank, which is nowadays best known as one of the biggest “users” of TARP money, is out with an updated iPhone application. The main idea is to provide Citi credit card customers with the ability to “manage their spending more wisely.” In that sense, users can check account balances and available credit with just a tap of the screen. Additionally, the application also provides details on recent transactions, as well as the date on which the next payment is due – very handy. And that’s about it. The press release reminds us that Citibank’s iPhone App was one of the first apps offered by a major U.S. bank. It can be downloaded free of charge from here. (iTunes) Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis. Read More