• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechAmazon

Amazon’s Alexa Is Now Your Bank Teller

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 11, 2016, 10:59 AM ET

Amazon’s virtual personal assistant Alexa is now able to handle your finances—kinda.

Capital One (COF) customers who own an Alexa-enabled device can now check balances, find out when bills are due, and even pay bills through Amazon’s virtual assistant, the companies announced on Friday. Capital One is the first bank to use Amazon’s (AMZN) Alexa to let users access and interact with their financial information.

Amazon’s Alexa is similar to Apple’s (AAPL) Siri in providing customers the ability to use their voices to issue a wide range of commands. The app runs on Amazon hardware, including the tech giant’s Amazon Echo and the recently announced Echo Dot, among other devices.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Over the last couple of years, Amazon has added several “skills” to its cloud-based personal assistant. In addition to simple commands, like finding out what is on the user’s calendar or setting alarms, Alexa is capable of turning on lights in the home and even ordering pizzas from Domino’s. Alexa comes with a companion iOS and Android app to link to the many services it supports, including Spotify as well as Domino’s. The service is most commonly activated by simply saying “Alexa,” followed by a command.

Adding Capital One to the mix is a logical extension of Alexa’s features. Indeed, Alexa’s appeal is in making it easier for users to perform tasks or access information. Being able to get updates on a credit card balance and to tell Capital One to pay that balance is more of the same.

While Amazon has faced difficulty competing with the likes of Apple and Google (GOOGL) in the smartphone and tablet businesses, Alexa has added a wide range of skills that could cause some to question whether it’s more functional than its alternatives Siri and Google Now. Adding a banking component may lend more credence to that argument.

Read more: Forget Siri, Amazon now brings you Alexa

Still, there are some limitations that Amazon needs to overcome. Siri and Google Now are running on the hundreds of millions of iOS- and Android-based handsets purchased each year. Amazon’s Echo, a somewhat popular smart home device, cannot come close to matching those sales numbers. It’s also unclear how well Amazon’s new Tap and Echo Dot will perform on (digital) store shelves, and the company is facing significant competition in the set-top box market, where its Alexa-equipped Fire TV is available. So, while Alexa may be among the more skillful personal assistants, it’s facing significant headwinds.

For more on Amazon’s Alexa, watch:

For those Capital One customers who have an Echo, however, the time has come to turn her into a bank teller. According to the companies, users need only to pair Alexa and Capital One accounts from the Alexa mobile app. Once complete, they can start asking Alexa about financial account information.

The Capital One Alexa skill is available now.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
AIAnthropic
OpenAI sweeps in to ink deal with Pentagon as Anthropic is designated a ‘supply chain risk’—an unprecedented action likely to crimp its growth
By Jeremy KahnFebruary 28, 2026
9 minutes ago
Big TechAmerican Politics
Your spend as a ‘weapon’: Scott Galloway’s ‘Resist and Unsubscribe’ movement asks you to ditch Amazon, Apple, and Netflix to oppose Trump
By Kristin StollerFebruary 28, 2026
4 hours ago
world's fair
CommentaryRobots
Something big is happening in AI, but panic is the wrong reaction
By Peter CappelliFebruary 28, 2026
5 hours ago
AIMarkets
The week the AI scare turned real and America realized maybe it isn’t ready for what’s coming
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 28, 2026
6 hours ago
AIFinance
She joined Block to build AI. Weeks later, AI cost her job.
By Sheryl EstradaFebruary 28, 2026
6 hours ago
Form Energy CEO Mateo Jaramillo is pictured at Form Factory 1 in Weirton, West Virginia.
Energybatteries
Google is building a bevy of renewable energy in Minnesota—including the world’s largest battery system providing power for a whopping 100 hours
By Jordan BlumFebruary 28, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Japanese companies are paying older workers to sit by a window and do nothing—while Western CEOs demand super-AI productivity just to keep your job
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 27, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Walmart exec says U.S. workforces needs to take inspiration from China where ‘5 year-olds are learning DeepSeek’
By Preston ForeFebruary 27, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
'The Pitt': a masterclass display of DEI in action 
By Robert RabenFebruary 26, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Law
China's government intervenes to show Michigan scientists were carrying worms, not biological materials
By Ed White and The Associated PressFebruary 26, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Innovation
An MIT roboticist who cofounded bankrupt robot vacuum maker iRobot says Elon Musk’s vision of humanoid robot assistants is ‘pure fantasy thinking’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 25, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Come 2030, the U.S. deficit will be worth 5.9% of GDP—more than spending on Social Security, and equal to major health programs
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 26, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.