Online banking

Computers and the internet have made a big difference in the way we do our banking.

If you use online banking, you can do most transactions at home and you do not have to go to the bank. The bank does not have to employ people and pay them salaries to help you with the transactions. For this reason electronic banking service charges are less.

Not everybody has a computer and can go onto the internet to do their banking. Many banks have computer terminals at their branches where you can do online banking.

It is also possible to use computers at internet cafés to do your banking. However, this is not a good idea, as an internet café is not a safe and secure environment to do your banking.

You have to register to use online banking, which means that you will have to go into the bank branch. Some banks allow you to register online. After you have registered, you can do all the transactions from a computer with an internet connection.

Online banking has the following benefits:

• It is the cheapest way to do your banking.
• It is always available. You can even do your banking at night.
• You can do a lot online, for instance:
  • Check your balances
  • Transfer money
  • Pay accounts
  • Print your statements
  • Print confirmation of your transactions

Online banking is usually safe but you should not send your private information and bank details to anybody who asks for it. Sometimes people pretend to be from a bank and ask you to send them your bank details. They can even fake the bank's logo and put it in the e mail to make it look real. Don't ever send your bank details to someone who says they want to check it or confirm it.

Make sure the computer you use for online banking is protected by anti-virus and anti-spyware software and keep your anti-virus and anti-spyware software up-to-date. Use only secure web pages. (Check the bottom of your browser for an image of a lock or look for “https” in the address bar.)