Decades ago, people get so frustrated at not having access to their money on the weekends, when banks are closed. A lot of things have happened over time. With widespread ATMs and developments such as online banking, people have access to their accounts anytime, day or night.

But looks like technology offers something even better. Just as how plenty of wonderful things your mobile phone could offer you, and impressively give you a hand on managing your money with the very cool apps, mobile banking allows account holders to pay bills, transfer funds and access account information without setting foot in a bank, stand in line on the ATM machine or taking the trouble to boot up their computers.

With mobile banking, all that’s needed is a phone with wireless capabilities. Nowadays, more people buy phones that can access the Internet, thus, mobile banking is sure to grow. The service is offered by banks mostly at no additional charge to account holders, which means the only fees you’ll accrue will depend on your data and text plans with the cell phone company.

By sending a text message to your bank, you can get not only your balance, but recent account activity, upcoming payments owed and nearby ATM locations. But if you’d rather have this information sent to you automatically, without a prompting text, then you can sign up for mobile banking reminders / alerts.

These alerts take the form of text messages. If you’d like to get a comprehensive look at your bank account with the ease of pushing a button, then signing up for text reminders about your account will be your new financial planning best friend.

Different banks may offer slightly different alerts, these are the kinds of reminders most users can receive:

*daily balances
*notifications that an account has been credited
*notifications that an account has been debited
*notifications that an account’s balance is above or below a certain amount
*reminders about upcoming due dates on bank-related loans or bills that are paid online
*reminders when those bills are overdue
*reminders about maturity dates of certificates of deposit

Setting up these reminders can be done online or in person, depending on the bank.

Wells Fargo, for instance, has its mobile banking service called Rapid Alerts to help one be on top in managing his account. With Rapid Alerts, one gets a quick notification to his mobile phone on:

*Declined transactions
*Gas charges at the pump
*Foreign transactions
*Cash withdrawals at ATMs
*Online, phone, or mail purchases
*Purchases exceeding a set amount

That way, one can conveniently monitor his spending, track purchases according to the limits set, and since one is quickly notified when activities within his account occur, it keeps his money safe.

Bank of America’s online banking service called Alerts which account holders can customize to help them understand their account activity and control how they spend. With Alerts, you get your credit card, checking and savings account information sent to your email inbox. That helps you keep up with your finances, be warned of suspicious activity and more.  If you have a mobile device that can accept text messages, you should be able to receive email alerts from the bank as well. Here are more of the wonderful features of Bank of America’s Alerts:

*Get checking and savings transaction alerts for:

>Insufficient funds
>Checks, funds transfers, or bill payments exceeding a specified amount
>Balance dropping below a specified amount
>Daily or weekly available balance reminders
>Check card deductions and irregular activity
>Electronic drafts
>Direct deposit activation

*Receive credit card alerts for:

>Payment due date approaching
>Payment has posted to your account
>Irregular card activity
>Charges exceeding a specified amount have posted
>Cash transactions exceeding a specified amount have posted
>Balance approaching credit limit

*Set security alerts for:

>Address, phone number, email address, and Online ID changes
>Addition of a new account
>Online transfers and check orders
>Online ID lookup or password reset

Citibank’s free Alerts service delivers updates about your checking, savings, and linked credit card accounts to your e-mail address, to your text-enabled mobile device, or both. The service benefits its accountholders through a wide range of valuable, time-saving updates about your account, including:

*Balance Alerts - tell you when your checking, savings or credit card balance reaches or exceeds a pre-set amount that you choose.
*Low Balance Alerts - inform you when the available balance in checking or savings falls below a certain amount.
*Deposit Notices - alert you whenever funds are credited to your checking or savings account.
*Bill Payment Alerts - inform you when there are insufficient funds in checking, so you have time to make adjustments.
*Check Alerts -  notify you whenever checks are presented for payment and let you track specific checks.
*Credit Card Alerts – notify you a few days before your payment is due; also find out your current balance, when your payment is received and more.
*CD Alerts - notify when your CD is about to mature.

So if you’re on your way to shop, your mobile bank reminders can help you check your balance before you buy. With most banks, you could receive as many alerts as you’d like; they provide you many options on when, how often, which alerts and to only how much you want to be alerted. Remember, though, that even if alerts services may be free from banks, charges may vary according to your cell phone plan.

Though many are still getting the hang of mobile banking, tests conducted in several countries found that sending text messages about saving increased people’s account balances by 6 percent, indicating that a quick reminder was more efficient than a financial lecture or a snail mail from the bank. It may be a simple text message – - – but it helps you keep an eye on your financial future.