Having one of the simplest user interfaces available amongst iPhone and Android apps today, Pageonce is nevertheless an excellent utility for those who need an electronic companion to ensure they don’t end up in a financial mess. It doesn’t have the fine division of expenditure that some others like Financisto and Mint offer, but when it comes to actual payment, Pageonce has no rival. Indeed, while we imply an expenditure app every time we talk of finance apps, Pageonce reminds us that some people prefer to focus on their income as much as their expenditure.
Starting with the interface, Pageonce allows you to view your sources of expenditure as well as your investments in small tabs that are neatly but not fancily arranged in boxes on the main page. At the top right you have a “+” icon which allows you to add accounts. Accounts can include virtually any type of bank account, as well as credit and debit card accounts. The interesting point here is that Pageonce allows you to link directly with your account. However, it does not save your sensitive financial data on the phone itself and uses bank-level encryption certified by Verisign and TrustE.
This fact allows you to pay all your bills directly to the concenred enterprise, although Pageonce does not support transfer of funds between accounts for safety reasons. You can pay bills to credit card institutions, banks, enterprises big and small, and virtually any person who accepts such payment. You can save the recurring payments, or if your account supports the information, the app can source it from there as well. Either way, if you have a pending transaction, the app will provide a color coded alert below the boxes mentioned. Once you choose to make the payment, it will inquire as to which account you wish to pay from. Unfortunately the app does not offer the option of linking a payment to a bank account and one has to choose the account manually each time.
If it is your first time, the app will require you to enter all your details once again as a security measure. However, the process is streamlined from the next time. Another problem is that the app shows data only from the time you integrate your account into the app. If you’ve made a transaction before it, it will not show up, putting you at risk of double payment. You can teach the app to schedule some expenses though it cannot pay manually. It will remind you of the due payments, and mandatory payments will show up as “Minimum Due” below the total due in the main page. The app also offers the option of converting a required payment from a foreign currency to your own, thus catering to those who need Forex for their payments. Though gurus of international currency trade would rather prefer apps by Forex brokers like Plus500.
Finally, the app has a useful reportage section. It will show you the reports of all your transactions to date, ordered by day, month, year, etc. However, it will not show you the overheads under which the expense was made except in the very general terms like bills and utilities, loans, credit cards, etc. On the other hand, there are bar charts and graphs dividing your expenditure into the above sectors so that if you are comfortable with this minimal division, the app will suffice as a personal expenditure app as well.
From the above it is clear that Pageonce or “Check” takes good care of almost all the finance needs of the average person. While we would have preferred more detailed listing of the expenditure overheads, it cannot be denied that the app does an excellent job overall, ensuring that one never misses out on a payment. Though linking of bank accounts is not always safe, this app allows the functionality for those who wish to link it, without (quite thoughtfully) providing bank transfer facilities. Overall, this app is a must have for anyone who wants a good finance app that both tracks one’s finances and helps him/her clear dues in time.
