Transaction Sync Timing

Understanding transaction sync timing helps set proper expectations for when purchases will appear in Balance. This guide explains sync frequency, factors affecting speed, and what you can and cannot control.

Automatic Sync Frequency

How Often Transactions Sync

Automatic syncing: 1-2 times per day

Key points:

• Balance automatically checks for new transactions multiple times daily
• You don’t control the exact timing
• Runs in the background without user action
• Schedule varies by bank and time of day
• No fixed times (not “every 12 hours” or specific schedule)

Typical pattern:

• Morning sync (early hours)
• Afternoon/evening sync
• May include additional syncs
• Varies by system load and bank availability

You cannot:

• Change frequency
• Set specific sync times
• Make automatic sync happen more often
• Control when automatic sync runs

You can:

• Manually refresh anytime with pull-to-refresh
• See most recent sync time
• Check connection status

Learn about manual refresh →

Transaction Timing After Purchase

Expected Timing

From purchase to Balance:

• Fastest: 2-6 hours (some banks)
• Typical: 6-12 hours (most banks)
• Slower: 12-24 hours (some banks/transactions)
• Slowest: 24-48 hours (certain situations)

Why the range:

• Banks report at different speeds
• Transaction type matters
• Time of purchase affects timing
• Day of week makes a difference
• Bank processing speed varies

Timeline Breakdown

Immediate (0-2 hours):

• Rare for most banks
• Some banks report pending very quickly
• Typically debit card at major retailers
• More common with certain financial institutions

Fast (2-6 hours):

• Capital One, Ally, and similar
• Debit card purchases at large retailers
• Pending transactions from quick-reporting merchants
• Standard checking account debits

Normal (6-12 hours):

• Most traditional banks
• Standard debit card purchases
• Common timeframe to expect
• Overnight for purchases made in evening

Slow (12-24 hours):

• Smaller banks and credit unions
• Credit card purchases (often slower)
• Weekend purchases (may wait until Monday)
• Less common merchant systems

Very Slow (24-48+ hours):

• Credit cards from some issuers
• Weekend/holiday transactions
• Small merchant processing delays
• International transactions
• Check deposits

Even slower (3-7 days):

• Check payments (until cleared)
• Certain ACH transfers
• International wire transfers
• Pending merchants (gas stations pre-auth)

Initial Account Connection

First Sync After Connecting

When you first connect a bank account:

Time to first transaction: 2-5 minutes typically

What gets imported:

• Last 30-90 days of transactions (most banks)
• Sometimes up to 2 years (rare, bank-dependent)
• All connected account types
• Historical balances

Import process:

1. You connect account
2. Plaid authenticates with bank
3. Historical data requested
4. Transactions begin appearing
5. Continues loading in batches
6. Complete within 5-10 minutes

Factors affecting first sync:

• Number of accounts connected
• Amount of transaction history
• Bank’s response time
• Network speed
• System load

For multiple accounts:

• Each account may load separately
• May see some transactions before others
• All should complete within 10 minutes
• Large number of accounts = longer

Factors Affecting Sync Speed

Your Bank’s Reporting Speed

Fast banks (2-6 hours typical):

• Capital One
• Ally Bank
• Discover
• Most online-only banks
• Modern fintech banks

Average banks (6-12 hours typical):

• Chase
• Bank of America
• Wells Fargo
• US Bank
• Most major national banks

Slower banks (12-24 hours typical):

• Many credit unions
• Regional banks
• Smaller local banks
• Some credit card issuers

Why differences:

• Technology infrastructure
• Reporting schedule
• API capabilities
• Partnership with Plaid
• Internal processing times

Transaction Type

Fastest:

• Debit card purchases at major retailers
• Direct deposits (once processed)
• ACH credits

Average:

• Standard debit card transactions
• Most credit card purchases
• Online bill payments

Slowest:

• Check deposits
• Credit card purchases at small merchants
• Cash deposits
• International transactions
• Wire transfers

Time of Transaction

Timing affects appearance:

During business hours (9am-5pm weekdays):

• Faster processing
• More frequent bank updates
• Quicker Plaid sync cycles
• May appear same day

Evening/overnight:

• May not process until next morning
• Appears during next day’s syncs
• Common to see the following day

Weekends:

• Slower processing overall
• Many banks don’t process until Monday
• Friday evening purchases may not appear until Monday
• Can add 24-48 hours to timing

Holidays:

• Similar to weekends
• May add 1-2 days
• Banking holidays affect all transactions
• Federal holidays = slowest

Account Type

Fastest:

• Checking accounts
• Debit card accounts
• Most responsive

Average:

• Savings accounts
• Most credit cards

Variable:

• Credit cards (issuer-dependent)
• Investment accounts
• Business accounts

Slowest:

• Some credit unions
• Store credit cards
• Older banking systems

Pending vs Cleared Transactions

Pending Transactions

What “pending” means:

• Transaction authorized but not settled
• Amount may still change
• Not fully processed by bank
• Balance reflects it, but it can be adjusted

Timing for pending:

• Some banks: Report pending (appears in 2-6 hours)
• Other banks: Don’t report until cleared (24-48 hours)
• Balance shows: If bank reports it

Amount changes:

• Pending: $100 pre-authorization
• Cleared: $87.43 final amount
• Gas stations commonly do this
• Restaurants (with tip added later)

When pending appears:

• Not all banks report pending
• Those that do: within 2-6 hours typically
• Shown with “Pending” badge in Balance
• Updates to actual amount when cleared

Cleared Transactions

What “cleared” means:

• Fully processed by bank
• Final amount determined
• Won’t change
• Official on your statement

Timing:

• Pending → Cleared: 1-3 days typically
• Or appears cleared immediately: 12-24 hours after purchase

In Balance:

• “Pending” badge disappears when cleared
• Amount finalizes
• Can still be edited for categorization
• Budget reflects final amount

What You Can Control

Actions You Can Take

✅ Manual refresh:

• Pull-to-refresh on Transactions tab
• Gets latest whenever you want
• Doesn’t make banks faster, but checks what’s available
• Learn about refreshing →

✅ Add manual transactions:

• Enter transactions immediately yourself
• Budget right away for pending purchases
• Delete when bank transaction syncs
• Learn about manual transactions →

✅ Keep app updated:

• Latest version may have improvements
• Bug fixes for sync issues
• Performance enhancements

✅ Maintain stable internet:

• Better connectivity = faster sync
• WiFi preferred for large syncs
• Reduce likelihood of failed syncs

✅ Reconnect when needed:

• If account requires re-authentication
• Maintaining healthy connections
• Responding to “Action Required”
• Learn about reconnecting →

What You Cannot Control

❌ Bank’s reporting speed:

• Each bank has their own schedule
• You can’t make bank report faster
• Balance receives what banks provide
• Banks prioritize accuracy over speed

❌ Automatic sync frequency:

• Balance controls this schedule
• Optimized for bank API limits
• Can’t be customized per user
• Industry standard approach

❌ Plaid’s sync timing:

• Middle layer between Balance and banks
• Their schedule and rate limits
• Industry-leading provider
• Can’t sync faster than Plaid allows

❌ Bank processing times:

• When banks process transactions
• How quickly they clear pending items
• Weekend/holiday schedules
• Transaction type processing

❌ Merchant reporting:

• When merchant sends transaction to bank
• Some merchants batch at end of day
• Small businesses may be slower
• You have no control over this

Setting Proper Expectations

Realistic Expectations

DO expect:

• ✅ Transactions within 24 hours of purchase
• ✅ Most transactions within 6-12 hours
• ✅ Automatic syncing 1-2 times per day
• ✅ Pending status on some transactions
• ✅ Weekend delays
• ✅ Variations by bank

DON’T expect:

• ❌ Instant transaction appearance
• ❌ Real-time syncing
• ❌ Same speed for all banks
• ❌ Transactions during weekends (same speed)
• ❌ Complete predictability

Patience is Key

Why slow is okay:

• Accuracy over speed: Banks prioritize getting it right
• Security: Slower = more secure verification
• Reliability: Stable sync better than fast but broken
• Industry standard: This is normal for financial apps

Coping strategies:

• Check once or twice daily, not constantly
• Use manual transactions for immediate budgeting
• Trust that automatic sync is working
• Review daily or every few days
• Don’t stress over perfect real-time data

Common Timing Questions

“Why hasn’t my transaction appeared yet?”

If less than 24 hours:

• This is normal
• Check back later
• Manually refresh if it’s been 12+ hours
• Consider adding manual transaction to budget now

If more than 24 hours:

• Check bank’s website - has it appeared there?
• If not at bank yet → bank still processing
• If at bank but not Balance → may be sync issue
• Try manual refresh
• Check account connection status
• Troubleshoot missing transactions →

“Will refreshing make it appear faster?”

Maybe, but probably not:

• If bank has reported it → Yes, refresh will fetch it
• If bank hasn’t reported it → No, refresh won’t help
• Useful to check, but doesn’t make bank faster
• Worth trying if it’s been 12+ hours

“How long should I wait before worrying?”

Wait times before action:

• 24 hours: Normal wait time, don’t worry
• 48 hours: Try manual refresh, check bank website
• 72 hours: Check account connection, consider reconnecting
• 1 week: Contact support, likely an issue

Exception: Large or important transactions

• May want to verify sooner
• Check bank website directly
• Add manual transaction temporarily
• Contact support if concerned

“Why is one bank faster than another?”

Bank infrastructure varies:

• Technology differences
• Reporting priorities
• API capabilities
• Processing schedules
• Partnership with Plaid

This is normal and expected - different banks = different speeds.

“Can I switch to a faster bank?”

You could, but:

• Switching banks is major decision
• Sync speed alone shouldn’t drive it
• Most banks sync within normal range
• Consider other banking factors too

If sync speed matters most:

• Online banks often faster
• Capital One, Ally, Discover
• Modern fintech institutions
• But verify other features meet your needs

Technical Background

How Sync Works

The sync chain:

1. You make purchase → Merchant
2. Merchant reports → Your bank (hours to days)
3. Bank processes → Internal systems (hours)
4. Bank reports → Plaid API (varies by bank)
5. Plaid syncs → Balance (1-2x daily)
6. Balance displays → Your app (immediately)

Bottlenecks:

• Merchant → Bank (slowest)
• Bank → Plaid (bank-dependent)
• Plaid → Balance (schedule-based)

Fastest scenario: All steps happen quickly, transaction appears in 2-6 hours

Typical scenario: Some steps delayed, appears in 12-24 hours

Slow scenario: Multiple delays, 24-48+ hours

Why Not Real-Time?

Technical reasons:

• Bank API rate limits - Can’t query constantly
• Server load - Millions of users syncing
• Data costs - Each sync query has costs
• Bank restrictions - Most don’t offer real-time
• Battery/data usage - Constant syncing drains devices

Financial industry standard:

• Most money apps work this way
• Mint, YNAB, Personal Capital, etc.
• 1-2 syncs per day is normal
• Real-time isn’t available from banks

Best Practices

Daily Workflow

Morning routine:

1. Open Balance
2. Pull-to-refresh transactions
3. Categorize any new ones
4. Takes 2-3 minutes
5. Done for the day

Evening optional:

1. Quick check before bed
2. Refresh if you’d like
3. Not necessary if you did morning
4. Personal preference

Weekly Review

Once per week:

1. Review all transactions for the week
2. Verify all are categorized
3. Check for any missing expected items
4. Reconnect accounts if needed
5. Discuss with partner

Monthly Planning

End of month:

1. Final refresh for month
2. Verify all transactions present
3. Compare to bank statements
4. Finalize categorization
5. Review budget accuracy

Next Steps

Now that you understand sync timing:

• Transaction Refresh - Manual refresh guide
• Missing Transactions - Troubleshoot issues
• Bank Connection Troubleshooting - Fix connection problems
• Sync Issues - Detailed sync troubleshooting

Need help? Contact our support team - we’re here to assist!