One of the things that I am sure I will miss when moving back to Indonesia is how convenient it is to do bank-related transactions in The Netherlands. Almost everything, if not all, is already connected and standardized. There is no need for virtual accounts, going through e-wallet from startups, dealing with transaction cost, etc because there is a widely approved payment system called iDEAL. Every time I go for online shopping, this is the only logo I need to see to be sure that I can do business with the shop.
This is probably one of a series of posts comparing banking in Indonesia and The Netherlands. First, we will see what it takes to do one of the most important task, in my view, in an online banking site/app: Checking the balance. I consider this to be a common task but apparently different banks have gone different routes to provide this very basic information.
I will be comparing different banks that I have access to: BNI, BCA, Jenius, HSBC, ABN AMRO, and Bunq. The number to measure here would be the number of clicks I need to do after the login page to see the current balance. What I show here is from what I gather on the 28th of June 2020.
BNI Desktop Web
BNI Internet Banking requires you to do 2 clicks “Rekening” and then “Saldo Rekening” to see a supposedly list of accounts and the balances.
BNI Mobile Web
The mobile web version, on the other hand, requires you to do 6 clicks (or 7 depending on how many accounts you have I guess), to get into the balance page.
The wording is consistent to the desktop version and the important bits are put at the top which helps the navigation.
BNI Mobile App
Apparently to login I need to enter the number from the ATM card. I will skip this since I am too lazy to find the card 😂
BCA Desktop Web
This old school looking page (I think they take if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it mantra religiously) requires you to go to “Account Information” page and then “Balance Inquiry” and thus needs 2 clicks.
The menu wording is probably clear enough but the first menu is put at the middle of big list of options. For me, that rarely use this page, I have to remind myself of what the menu option is. Also, the small text size does not help me at all.
BCA Mobile Web
Short of similar to the desktop version, this one requires 2 clicks: “Informasi Rekening” and then “Informasi Saldo” (same wordings as above but different language — probably just my settings). The first menu is also not put up front but fortunately the list is smaller.
BCA Mobile App
The mobile app version follows almost the same steps with an additional PIN entry page before getting into the final balance page. However, unlike both desktop and mobile web versions, the required 3 clicks are on the items put at the top.
Jenius Mobile App
Unlike the above banks, this mobile app only bank shows the balance up front immediately after the login page. For me who consider checking the balance amount an important task to do, this really saves my time.
HSBC Desktop Web
HSBC also puts the balance information on the first page after you login. Zero clicks needed.
HSBC Mobile App
This version of HSBC online banking also shows the accounts and balances on the first page.
ABN AMRO Desktop Web
ABN AMRO also shows all bank accounts and the balances immediately after the login process.
ABN AMRO Mobile App
Same as the desktop version, accounts and balances up front.
Bunq Mobile App
Bunq is probably my favorite bank so far in terms of user experience. As expected, it also shows all accounts and balances on the first page.
Bunq Desktop Web
Following the same pattern as the mobile app’s, the Desktop Web version shows all accounts and the balances.
Conclusion
If I can take any conclusion at all, I think Indonesian banks have to step up their game and give user experience more priority. Jenius is an exception here and it’s really a breath of fresh air.