6 Essential iPhone Apps for Credit Card Holders

Written by Curtis Arnold
Posted On: May 26, 2010

If Karl Malden were telling you "don't leave home without it," he could just be referring to your iPhone. While you can't yet replace your wallet with your iPhone, a handful of credit card applications have made themselves indispensable to its users.

Credit Card Issuers' Proprietary Apps

A handful of credit card issuers have helped set new standards of customer service with their popular, free iPhone apps:

  • Bank of America: One of the first iPhone banking apps remains near the top of the charts because of its simplicity.
  • American Express: Members can track reward points and manage company expenses across multiple AmEx accounts on the same screen.
  • Discove Card: Cardholders can track cash back reward amounts and sign up for special money-saving promotions instantly.

[Let CardRatings.com help you find the right rewards credit card for you.]

Dozens of banks add dedicated iPhone apps to the App Store every month. A highly responsive iPhone app can replace a frustrating call center exchange with a fun and informative online browsing session. Real-time information helps prevent going over your spending limits.

Combination Credit Card Apps

Of course, most of us maintain more than one credit card account. That's why developers also offer apps that connect us to multiple information streams at once:

  • Personal Assistant: A frequently featured app, Personal Assistant pulls key balance and purchasing information directly from credit card issuers' secure websites.
  • Mint: The companion app to the popular online budgeting and expense tracking website, Mint offers snapshots of daily and monthly spending.
  • AT&T Mobile Banking: An app enhances AT&T's existing mobile banking features by reporting credit card transaction details for banks without their own dedicated iPhone apps.

Whether you like keeping your credit cards separate or tracking them in a single app, the iTunes Store has a solution that's right for you. Most credit card apps are free, with some advanced features costing just a few dollars to activate.

The iTunes App Store ranks credit card applications by release date and by popularity, making it easy to discover new apps. Even if you didn't purchase your iPhone at an Apple Store, specialists at Apple's retail locations can answer questions about many popular apps when you stop in for a free workshop.

Posted in Credit Card Help

About the author:
Curtis Arnold
Curtis Arnold, a nationally recognized consumer educator and advocate, has been educating consumers about credit cards since 1998. New! Curtis is the author of "How You Can Profit from Credit Cards: Using Credit to Improve Your Financial Life and Bottom Line" (FT Press, 2008). He is also the co-author of the upcoming Complete Idiot's Guide to Person-to-Person Lending (Alpha Books/Pengiun Group USA, April 2009), a contribitor to The Ultimate Allowance (InnerWealth Publishing, 2008) and is extensively featured in 42 RulesTM for Driving Success With Books (Super Star Press, January 2009).

2 Comments »

  1. May 27, 2010 at 6:15 am zaklady bukmacherskie zaklady bukmacherskie says: 
    You post awsome posts. Bookmarked !
  2. May 27, 2010 at 4:24 am Quinton Sincebaugh Quinton Sincebaugh says: 
    Is it me or did this article make you want to buy an iPad?

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