Digibank apps: Which bank has the best all-in-one experience?
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Digibank apps exist to make banking easier and more convenient for customers like you and I. The rise of digital banking in an increasingly digital world is only natural, really. Gone are the days where we have to get our banking done solely over the web or in-person at the bank branch.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the digibank apps from POSB/DBS, UOB, OCBC, Citibank, Amex, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank. Find out both useful and unique features each digibank app has to offer, and which one stands out amongst the crowd.
Main features common across digibank apps
While each digibank app is unique in its own right, there are basic features common across all these apps. Here are the main features you’ll find in the digibank apps featured in this article:
- Secure digital token
- Hassle-free biometric login
- Accounts at a glance
- Easy viewing of transactions
- Ability to make payments and transfers easily (PayNow, QR Pay etc)
- Fuss-free bill payments
- SGFinDex (except Citi Mobile app and Amex Mobile app at this time)
For the uninitiated, SGFinDex is a pretty recent digital infrastructure introduced by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Digital Government Group.
SGFinDex lets you combine all your personal finance information across Citibank, DBS/POSB, HSBC, OCBC, Maybank, Standard Chartered Bank and UOB on a single platform.
That’s not all, SGFinDex even pulls your financial data from several government agencies so you can view your latest CPF balance and outstanding HDB loan balance for instance.
Definitely consider setting up yours if the idea of having all (or almost all) of your personal finance information in one place sounds good to you.
How the digibank apps compare
While every digibank app offers some common, basic functionalities, they aren’t entirely the same by any means. Here’s a quick look at how each digibank app stands out in the crowd.
| Bank | Unique features | Ratings on Apple App Store &Google Play Store |
| POSB/DBS | Peek Balance: Check account balance without login DBS NAV Planner: Stay on top of your finances, including tracking and growing your investmentsPersonalised insights and smart shortcutsMove seamlessly between digibank and PayLah! to access banking and lifestyle needsDBS Remit: Send money across borders easily. Enjoy competitive rates with no transfer fee | Apple: 4.4Google: 4.6 |
| UOB | Mighty FX: Enjoy competitive FX rates across 11 currencies for your trading, online shopping and travel needsUOB Mighty Lifestyle: Get exclusive dining, shopping and travel deals. Plus, snatch limited Mighty Coupons every FridayContactless ATM withdrawal. Easily pre-set your withdrawal amount in-appRedeem your preferred UNI$ rewards in-app. You can pay with UNI$ on the KrisPay and SP Utilities apps too | Apple: 2.0Google: 3.8 |
| OCBC | Savings Goal: Plan for your short-term goals (e.g. wedding expenses, dream vacation, gaming chair)Set your monthly spending limits — the app will help you keep track of your spending Personalised wealth insights and alerts: No more worries about missing out on market movements and price fluctuationsKeep track of your investment portfolio and invest on the goOCBC Life Goals helps forecast your long-term needs | Apple: 2.4Google: 2.7 |
| Citi | Citibank Global Wallet: Skip foreign transaction or currency conversion fees. Turn on the feature and add foreign currency accounts linked to your Citibank Debit Mastercard in-appCiti World Privileges: Enjoy deals and discounts locally and in 95 other countries. Easily access deals in-app via ‘View Rewards’Personalised offers, notifications and upgradesUse your Citi Points or Miles to offset purchases made on your Citi credit card | Apple:4.9Google: 4.7 |
| Amex | Amex Offers: Exclusive offers for dining, shopping and more. Save the offers to your card in-app to utilise themOffset purchases instantly with Membership Rewards points. Simply tap on your chosen transaction. T&Cs applyEasy access to your 6-month spend historyShare your personalised link to refer friends and get rewarded | Apple: 4.8Google: 4.2 |
| HSBC | View all your local and global accounts at a glanceGet real time updates of your credit card transactionsApply and use your credit card within minutesPayNow transfers made easy — you can now select payees from your mobile phone address bookOffset your spending instantly using Pay with Points | Apple: 4.6Google: 4.5 |
| SCB | soCash: Get cash at >1,000 merchants. This service is available if you’re an SCB current or savings account holder. T&Cs applySC Money Manager: Take control of your budget and expenses, complete with an overview of your spending habitsService Requests: Skip the queue. Tap on ‘Help & Services’ whenever you need to raise a Service Request | Apple: 2.5Google: 3.1 |
Anecdotes on digibank apps by SingSaver team
POSB/DBS Digibank app
On UX/UI design: Easy to navigate and find what you want (e.g. to pay credit card bills, to apply for new card, to see eligible transactions). You get all the numbers you need at a glance. All core functions are easily accessible on the bottom menu (i.e. paynow).
On ability to customise: Can reorder sections in sequence that’s more in line with what’s most important to you.
On NAV Planner: Useful for getting a personalised overview of your financial health (e.g. the per cent you’ve saved in the preceding month).
On digital applications: Can apply for cards, loans, insurance and investment accounts in just a few taps.
On overall experience: The app is very intuitive. You can perform any transaction other than convert your DBS points.Other notes: The bank is always trying to improve the app (e.g. new features such as the profit/loss indicator on your investment accounts).
UOB Mighty
On UX/UI design: Fairly decent, generally painless and easy to navigate, view transactions and bills.
On Mighty Insights: Nice touch; it analyses your spending habits (e.g. tells you if you’re spending more than you usually would, based on different categories).
On digital applications: Can apply for cards, insurance, bank accounts, loans or even fee waivers in-app.
On SGFinDex: Easy to set up; step-by-step guide is available online. A bit laggy when setting up SGFindDex. Need to repeat steps and link each bank individually.On overall experience: Pretty good. More lifestyle-ish in a sense that there’s a dedicated tab that reveals all UOB deals and offers near you. POSB/DBS doesn’t quite have that.
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OCBC Mobile Banking app
On UX/UI design: Generally OK, looks and feels a lot more youthful (strong Frank vibes here) compared to other digibank apps. That said, Android users hate the new app updates, complaints aplenty regarding buggy, crashing app.
On Savings Goal function: Very useful to help you stay on track.On digital applications: Can apply for cards, bank accounts and cash loans instant with MyInfo. Can invest on the go, too.
Citi Mobile app
On UX/UI design: Fantastic overall user experience and app doesn’t lag. The mobile token is painless to use. Really easy to manage credit cards’ settings, navigate, view transactions and rewards.
On digital applications: Can apply for Citi Quick Cash, or easily convert credit card purchases or statement balance into fixed monthly instalments with just one tap. You can quickly set up recurring bill payments with Citi PayAll or invest on the go as well.
On overall experience: Awesome and intuitive. Can easily use points or miles to offset transactions. Easy access to featured deals, all promotions under Citi World Privileges and your card benefits.
Timely reminders and quick account updates come in handy, too. The only con is you’re not able to integrate SGFinDex like other digibank apps at this time.
Amex Mobile app
On UX/UI design: Fantastic overall user experience and app is intuitive.
On Amex Offers: Plenty of offers that are easy to save and use. On overall experience: Wonderful. In case you didn’t know, Amex has the best customer service. Only con? You can’t integrate SGFinDex like other digibank apps at this time.
Which bank offers the best all-in-one experience?
It’s a tough one to say since every digibank app is inherently different. Regardless of which digibank app you’re using — or which digibank app is your ultimate favourite — the user experience and unique app features clearly matter.
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Your positive or even negative experience with a particular mobile banking app can definitely play a part in the credit cards you apply for, the investment brokerage you use or even your home loan package! After all, nobody wants to be stuck with a buggy digibank app when important transactions need to be done.