What’s In Your (Digital) Wallet? Our Capital One Mobile App Review

When it comes to successfully managing banking needs, does the Capital One Mobile App hold up?I’ve been a Capital One customer for a few years, and I’ve generally loved my customer experience (CX). The company offers excellent support, and the online banking and finance tools are generally strong—especially in terms of the mobile app.The Capital One Mobile app is unique due to its very active approach to user experience—which is hardly surprising for this company as they have a strong reputation in the UX community. In fact, two years ago, they acquired Adaptive Path, a prominent UX design agency. They brought this agency in-house to focus exclusively on building high-quality experiences for Capital One customers, and it shows throughout the app experience.

App User Review Scoring:

• American Express - Apple 4.5, Google 4.3
• Chase - Apple 4.5, Google 4.4
• Capital One - Apple 4.5, Google 4.2
• Bank of America - Apple 3, Google 4.2
• Citibank - Apple 3, Google 3.9

Of the major banks with mobile apps, the Capital One Mobile app falls in the #3 slot among the review rankings, but this doesn’t make it any less formidable as a competitor. This is especially true when you consider this ranking within the context of credit card issuers by market share:

1. American Express - $519.47
2. Chase - $370.83
3. Bank of America - $248.59
4. Citibank - $194.66
5. Capital One - $115.63

The ease of use and simplicity of this app is one its strongest aspects—which is made evident throughout some of the user reviews:“The app's UI is so vastly improved that I'm both blown away and certain that this will now be my preferred means of interacting with my cards. Well done.” - Marcus Cannady“So easy. I regularly check my balance and pay my bill on this app. They couldn't have made it any easier. Looks great, too!” - Lacy Snyder“With the latest upgrade of Capital One app [it] is very easy to login which for some people tends to be difficult and time-consuming using passwords.” - Robert CastilloWhen I originally downloaded the app, the first thing that struck me was the password login option. Rather than prompting to input a username and password, users can opt to enable a Touch ID or swipe login. This is the kind of functionality that keeps users happy.First timer users are also given a quick walk through—with the option to upload an image and add info to your personal profile—as well as hints and quick tips to make sure they are getting the most out of their experience.The home screen is a snapshot of all Capital One accounts so users can see everything at a glance. When you select a specific account, you’ll see the available and current balances, followed by options to transfer or make a deposit. From there you can scroll down to see the transactions in that account.A few of the areas I thought were really well-done include:

• The touch ID/swipe login option is a definite win.
• There is a really nice visual design throughout the experience.
• The background images used on the accounts are a nice way of visually keeping track of which account is which.
• The Credit Tracker functionality, which offers users a free look at their credit summary along with useful information and tips, is a nice and helpful feature.

And, of course, there were some areas that I felt needed improvement:

• The wayfinding of this app is not great. When in settings, there’s no way to get back to the main settings menu—users can only go home and then find their way back by repeating steps.
• The app itself crashed when I was picking a profile photo.

Overall, this is a solid app that provides an easy and simple user experience to customers. While there is some room for improvement, the functionality and design of this app is what helps it keep pace with the top-tier of credit card competitors.