Forward and review bank purchase alerts
Bring purchase-alert emails into Spending, then choose what needs review and which merchants you trust to auto-add.
When available, open Settings → Bank alerts and get your private address. Forward a purchase alert, then check its status in Spending. Trusted merchant alerts can auto-add; manage that choice in Settings → Rules.
Set up and control forwarded bank alerts
Video walkthrough · 1:17
Read the video transcript
When Bank alerts is available, open it in Settings and create your private forwarding address. This demonstration uses a fictional local account; no email is being sent.
Use the setup instructions for your mail provider. Forward only purchase alerts from your bank, rather than all your mail. Your own forwarding address will be different from this sample.
Here is a sample alert ready for review in Spending. Check the merchant, amount, date, currency, and category. Check whether you already recorded this purchase before adding it.
Auto-add future alerts is on by default for this eligible merchant and card. Keeping it on allows matching future alerts to be added without another review, unless one looks like a duplicate or bill.
To stop that behavior, open Settings, then Rules. Turn off Auto-add bank alerts for this merchant. Future alerts from the merchant will wait for review. You can also disable forwarding in Bank alerts.
Demonstration uses fictional household data. Narration uses an AI-generated voice.
Before you start
Bank alerts must be enabled for an eligible Pro or Family household and member. A free trial alone does not qualify. Viewers and members restricted to shared bills cannot set this up. If the tab is absent, keep logging expenses manually. No bank login is required.
Set up forwarding
- Open Settings → Bank alerts and select Get my address. Each eligible member gets a private address.
- Forward one purchase alert from your bank to that address. Follow the displayed Outlook, Gmail or iCloud instructions if you want a mail rule for future purchase alerts only. Gmail may require the confirmation code shown here. Automatic Yahoo forwarding is not supported; forward individual alerts instead.
- Check Last alert received, then open Spending. In Receipts, use Email imports to find the alert and inspect its status.
Review an alert and its name
For Needs review, choose Review and check the merchant, amount, currency, date and category. Inspect possible existing expenses before adding another. A suggested familiar vendor name and its category are separate choices. An email arriving does not prove that an expense has been added.
Trusted merchant auto-add
When offered, Auto-add future alerts is checked initially. Leave it checked only if you want later matching alerts from that merchant on the same card added without review. Confirming can also add matching alerts already waiting. Untick it before confirmation to keep manual review. Duplicates, possible bills, refunds and uncertain alerts still need attention rather than automatic approval.
Stop or correct automation
Turn off that merchant’s Auto-add alerts in Settings → Rules. Check Auto-added records on Spending and use Undo for a mistaken addition. Turning off forwarding on Bank alerts pauses the address; Regenerate replaces it and stops the old address working, so update your mail rules. These controls do not remove expenses already saved.