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For most of my overseas trips, I rely heavily on credit cards to finance my accommodation, food and transport. Thus it is important for me to be able to keep track of and monitor my finances through a convenient platform. This is where Citibank’s mobile banking services come in handy.

Citi Mobile

One of the most useful tools is the free browser-based Citi Mobile banking solution where Citibank customers can access their banking information via their web-enabled mobile phones. No software download or registration is required. As long as you are able to access the Internet on your mobile phone (via any form of connections e.g. GPRS, WAP, Wi-Fi), you can use this service. It is as good as accessing your e-banking account via your laptop but in a more convenient manner (you don’t have to lug a laptop around – especially useful when you are travelling).

Citi Mobile offers a whole suite of services, some of which I tap on heavily during my overseas trips e.g.

• Card and bank accounts balance enquiry – ensure that I do not overdraw on my credit limit
• Funds transfer and bill payment – for extended trips, this is a useful feature to ensure my phone/internet/utilities bill are paid on time even if I am miles away from Singapore
• FX rates information – especially useful when I am travelling between countries with different currencies.  Also helpful in my trip budget planning.

All these features can be accessed within 3 easy steps as shown in the picture below.

Even back in Singapore, the Citi Mobile services remain useful especially when I am searching for the best dining deals around Singapore or Citibank ATM machines to manage my banking needs. The best thing is – you don’t even have to login to access these information.

More information on Citi Mobile can be found at the very useful and interactive Citibank Mobile Banking site.  Here you will find tutorials on how to use the various services and a complete listing of all the services offered.

Citi Alerts

This is another very useful tool offered by Citibank to help keep track of not just your credit card finances but also bank accounts and investments with Citibank.  These are the key services I tap on when I travel:

Alerts on Demand

By sending an sms -> CARDBAL<space>1234 (assuming 1234 is the last 4 digits of my credit card) to 72484 (7CITI) when in Singapore or +6596572484 (+659657CITI) when abroad, I will receive a return sms from Citibank on my available credit line so that I can plan my expenses to ensure I don’t max out my card.

Automatic Alerts

I have also set my account to send me an automatic alert whenever a transaction occurs on my credit card.  This helps me keep track of any unauthorised usage of my credit cards when I am away.

The above examples are just a sample of the various alert services (Automatic or on Demand) offered by Citibank.  For more information on Citi Alerts, you can visit the Citibank Citi Alerts site where you will find guides on how to use this service.

For a more comprehensive comparison of credit cards in the market, you can compare credit card reviews to know the best credit card offers, interests and ratings.