As I mentioned in my last post about the Mint App, I’m trying hard to find ways to save or make money using my iPhone since it costs me about $70 a month to own it. That said, I’ve been spending some time reviewing different mobile applications, most financially-related, to find the best ones out there. Here’s my review of the USAA app.
App Basic Info
Name: USAA Mobile
Cost: Free in iPhone store
Requirements: Must have a USAA account of some kind (I simply have a checking and savings account with them)
The Features
Many of the features of this app make mobile banking easy.
USAA integrates the “Use my location” feature so that you can locate nearby ATMs. It even breaks down the ATM and service options by what you want to do, such as “Withdraw cash” or “Deposit checks” or even “Discuss investing.” However, when I went to do this, USAA couldn’t locate several of the available features near me, and I live in a decent-sized city (oops!).
One of the other aspects I like a lot about this app is that I can do basically everything I would normally do on the USAA website. The app isn’t limited (like the Mint one is in some ways), so I can view my accounts, transfer money, and pay bills, too. While there are some features thrown in there that I don’t really use, it’s not cluttered up with extra advertisements or other features that are annoying or not useful.
You can also make deposits simply by snapping a picture of a check using your iPhone. From there, the amount on your check is deposited into your account, and there’s no need to do anything else.
The USAA app features a very clean interface where it’s easy to navigate through the menus. Everything is very clear and easy to learn and follow.
The Downsides
There aren’t too many bad things to say about the app. One downside is you need to meet certain requirements to access the feature that lets you deposit a check using your iPhone, and I do not meet those requirements myself. I’m not sure if they’ll remove this requirement in the future (it’s tied to whether or not your a military veteran or related to one), but it’s only a small issue.
What I Use It For
I don’t use this app a ton since I like the Mint app so much more. But I do go on here to make some quick transfers between my checking and savings accounts from time to time. I also use the ATM locator sometimes as well. Aside from that, I prefer to do save the more involved stuff for when I’m on my laptop since it is still easier to use the USAA website.
The Final Word
Overall, I would rate the USAA app a 9.5 out of 10. It’s a must-have for anyone with a USAA account, and it’s really another good reason to open a USAA account if you don’t already have one. At the low price of “free,” you really can’t go wrong with this one.
Click here to access the USAA Mobile app on iTunes.
Do you use the USAA app? Are there other apps you would like me to review?
$ $ $ $
photo from my iPhone screenshot
Great review Jeffrey. USAA are one of my fave financial providors. I would definitely use this app, if only I had a smart phone.
I bank with Chase, and it seems that they have every feature you mentioned. The only downside is that you can’t deposit your checks by taking a picture of it’s over $2k I think? I think a lot of the banks are turning mobile, and we will see every major bank follow this trend.
Looks like a cool app. Too bad I live in Canada.
Interesting. I’ll have to see what it can do. We have a couple of accounts with USAA.