Updated 26 May, 2012, 4:18 pm IST

Banking On The Move

19 Aug, 2010, 11:55 am IST | by Priyanka Tilve

Internet banking made going to the bank passe, what do you say about mobile banking?

Banking On The Move

No longer do you need to go to the bank, wait for your turn, fill in slips, or even maintain cheque books. Right from transferring money to paying bills, recharging your mobile to booking movie tickets, and shopping to managing your finances, online and mobile media have revolutionized banking. We take a look at the various banking services, which will make you a more efficient money manager.

PAY USING YOUR MOBILE
Remember that ad for a leading cellular network that has a woman haggling with a fisherman over the price of fish, only to end up paying using her mobile phone?
Well, that is no longer just an idea, but a reality. While there is still a long way to go before you can actually pay the local vegetable and fish vendors, you can start by paying your utility bills, and you can even shop, using your mobile phone.

Obopay is an application that allows you to do this. Its Easy Money option is just like a mobile top-up, and for this, it has tied up with Nokia. All you have to do is walk into a Nokia Priority store and pay cash; this amount will be credited to your Obopay account. You can then use this amount to pay all your utility bills and recharge/top-up cell phones. There’s also an Easy Send service that allows you to transfer money from person-to-person or pay merchants for their products/services. To activate this service, you will have to go to a Nokia Priority store and download the application. Then, you will have to fill a know-your-customer form (as per RBI rules) to open a YES Bank account. This service is activated within 24-48 hours. The only catch is that the recipient has to be an Obopay member, otherwise the money won’t be transferred when doing a person-to-person money transfer. Currently, Obopay services are available only in Pune and Chandigarh. Another great payment gateway using the mobile phone is mChek. Through this service, you can securely pay for your phone bills, flight tickets, insurance premiums, movie tickets, utility bills, and online shopping. mChek links your mobile phone to your Visa/Mastercard credit or debit card, allowing you to make payments through your phone. It allows you to key in details for a credit card and a debit card, and for every transaction, it lets you choose between the two cards as your mode of payment. After selecting the payment mode, you must authenticate the transaction by entering your mChekPIN number.

mChek has a comprehensive list of merchant partners and when you shop online, you will see an option to pay using mChek. All you have to do is feed in your mobile number and then you will receive a payment authorization request on your phone, which when confi rmed, completes the transaction. While Obopay and mChek are fairly newer services, PayMate has been around for a while. It links your mobile phone to your existing bank account or credit/debit card, letting you pay for online purchases, utility bills, flight tickets, and much more.

When you wish to conduct a financial transaction (online or offline), all you have �to do is share your mobile number, and you will instantly receive an automatic �IVR call-back confirming the transaction. Once you authenticate the same with your PIN, your payment will be processed and you will receive an SMS confirming the status. If you have more than one accounts linked with PayMate, then while making the payment, you can choose which account you wish to use.

If you do not wish to transact using your credit or debit card, you can even purchase a GiftMate voucher, which allows you to transact using a pre-paid balance. PayMate has also come up with a Green Money Transfer service in association with Corporation Bank and Tata Teleservices. It is a person-to-person mobile money transfer, wherein any mobile phone user can send or receive money almost instantly. A person who wishes to send money has to go to a Tata Green PCO and submit in cash the amount to be transferred. He will receive an IVR call asking him to confirm the transaction with his mPIN. After this, he will get a transaction code on his mobile to be shared with the recipient. All the recipient has to do is walk to a nearby Tata Green PCO and share his transaction code. He will then receive an IVR call asking him to authenticate the transaction with his mPIN. Once the verification is complete, the cash will be handed over to him. Currently, the services are limited to registered customers of Corporation Bank in Kerala and Karnataka.

Tags: Banking , Online Banking , banking on the move