Sarah Rasner, Neldovalette
If you want to pay your bills using the credit card issuer’s app or website and check in recent transactions, you just need to tap on a few of the features available.
We have been able to pay bills online for over 25 years, but that’s now a table interest. Banks compete with each other to deploy tools that help customers see spending trends, set budgets, manage recurring fees, and improve account security.
“We’ve started seeing online experiences as a new battlefield,” says Adam Winchester, director of consumer and small business payment experience at the US Bank. “If we can win there, we can gain market share.”
Get data on spending and tips to save more
Banking apps and websites can convert individual purchases to spending trends over the long term. Virtual assistants such as Capital One’s ENO, US Bank Smart Assistant, and Bank of America® Erica can help you find suggestions on ways to save money. Expenses can be displayed in useful graphs that make cost data clearer. So you can adjust your budget if necessary.
This works well if all your accounts and credit cards are from one bank, but for many people it is not. According to Winchester, a limitation on some banking apps is that they cannot link accounts from other financial institutions. If you have juggled multiple cards and have an account elsewhere, what you see when logging in to your account at one bank is not intended to provide you with your full financial situation.
Some apps solved this issue by allowing external accounts to be linked. For example, Chase can view information from other credit cards, banks, and investment accounts within the app.
If you have multiple apps with this feature, choose an app with the user experience that you think is easiest to navigate and understand, says Beth Robertson, Managing Director of Keynova Group at Financial Services Intelligence Firm. “You have to set it up once, and from there you get really good editing of the information.”
Keep your cards safe
For suspicious purchases, you can check your card activity regularly and set up alerts to notify you of the fees at a certain amount. If you’re missing a physical card, you can also freeze or lock your account to prevent anyone else from using it (it takes just a few seconds in case you realize your card is much safer).
However, account security is not just about knowing where your physical cards are. It’s also important to know who else has access to your account data, such as merchants who store card information for later purchases, or companies that pay for repeated memberships, such as gyms. Many banking apps let you see who has access to your data. You can also revoke that access from within the app.
Robertson recently granted data access to businesses that have determined mortgage eligibility. Once the approval process was completed, she robbed her of her ability to view the company’s financial information.
Bank of America® provides security meters for websites and apps that show the security level of your account and suggest steps you can take to further protect your account. This includes actions such as updating a password and configuring two-factor authentication.
Check in your credit score
Many banks offer their customers the ability to not only see their credit scores, but also learn whether different actions will increase or reduce those scores. This can provide important context for those who have experienced recent score changes, or who want to increase their credit before applying for a loan. If you want to build credits, the app can also generate action plans.
Geek Tips Different banks show scores from different credit scoring companies and scoring models, so the credit scores seen in the banking app may vary.
Sara Rathner writes for Nerdwallet. Email: srathner@nerdwallet.com.
In this article, credit card tools hidden in bank apps were originally featured on Nerdwallet.
Original issue: June 6, 2025 2:05pm EDT
