News from Retail Delivery Show: Citi and Firethorn Ink Mobile Card Deal

New York-based Citi, through a partnership with mobile solutions provider Firethorn, a Qualcomm company (Atlanta), is introducing a new service for the bank's credit card members. Citi Mobile for Cards will allow Citi credit card customers to securely access real-time credit card account information on their mobile phones. The service is now available to AT&T subscribers as part of AT&T Mobile Banking and to Verizon Wireless customers who download and use the free mobile banking application on Get It Now.

With Citi Mobile for Cards, cardholders will have immediate access to such account information as real-time balances, available for purchase, recent transaction history and rewards programs information. Transactions are secured with data encryption and are monitored for fraud. No personal information is stored on the phone and if a phone is lost or stolen, Citi Mobile for Cards can be instantly deactivated, according to the companies. The service also only permits access to accounts from the phone that is registered with the service and PIN authorization is required.