Macquarie online banking interface sucks
My wife and I have a few bank accounts with Macquarie, and although we think we're getting a pretty good deal with no bank fees and higher interest than most standard savings account, it's obvious their online banking interface is stuck in the mid-90's listening to Informer on a Sony Walkman.
Fortunately it's now 2009 and we have the ability to run custom javascript on any website we want, so stop complaining and fix your online banking experience today!
How to fix the Macquarie Bank Online Banking Interface
- Install Greasemonkey Firefox Extension
This is required to inject my javascript into the banking interface. There are implementations for other browsers but I'll leave that up to you, brave soldier. - Install Macquarie Improver
I wrote this script out of frustration one night and it has greatly enhanced my life in so many ways. - Profit! (seriously!)
So what does your script do anyway?
I'm glad you asked! I was annoyed at the number of clicks and page refreshes required to get a decent transaction listing, which from memory takes about six clicks and page-loads after you first login! Additionally, switching between accounts from the transaction listing page took another three clicks each time, and there is no built-in paging to see older transactions.
Here is my recipe for creating a more useful interface.
1. Skip "welcome back" page and "account summary" page automatically.
For me, these pages are a waste of bandwidth and time and do not provide anything of great value. I automatically skip these pages once loaded.
2. Make account names on Account List page link directly to the Transaction list.
This is an obvious improvement, reducing the number of clicks and page loads by a massive 300%! Seriously, I don't know why they didn't implement this in the first place.
3. Add an account switcher on the Transaction list page.
Looking for a transaction and not sure which account it's in? Use the dynamic select box to change the account quickly! Saves another two unnecessary mouse clicks and page loads.
4. Add a link to show more transactions on Transaction list page.
This is my personal favourite and most rewarding to get working. Previously if I wanted to see older transactions I would have to change the start and end dates in the search form and click "go". Now all I have to do is click a link at the bottom of the transaction list and it retrieves the next 3 months of transactions without refreshing the page. Gold!
Major props to jQuery!
All of that added functionality is coded in less than 75 lines of javascript code, excluding the generic helper libraries I used. This would not have been possible without jQuery, especially given the lack of id attributes and class names on elements, and the abundance of infinitely nested tables used on the site. I dare you to look at their html!
Disclaimer
Although I can personally guarantee my code doesn't steal your online banking username and password, remember that this is the internet, and you can't trust anyone without an SSL cert (even me). So if you do want to use this script, make sure you check it thoroughly so you know it's not malicious. It's not my fault if someone hacks userscripts.org and inserts malicious code into my script, or whatever.
And if you work for Macquarie, please contact me and let me know who I should invoice for the improvements implemented above. :)
Comments
4 Responses to “Macquarie online banking interface sucks”
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Wow, that interface is a piece of shit. Typical banks will give you the bare minimum to access your account with, but make it hard for you to move your money anywhere.
ANZ and even ING Direct Australia have great banking interfaces - my girlfriend uses NAB and they have a pretty decent interface as well. ANZ has the best and simplest in my opinion.
Fortunately it's now 2009 and we have the ability to run custom javascript on any website we want,