Plaid Integration

Plaid Integration

Curl Budget uses Plaid to securely connect to over 12,000 banks and financial institutions. Plaid is the same trusted service used by Venmo, Coinbase, and many other financial apps.

What Is Plaid?

Plaid is a financial technology company that acts as a secure bridge between your bank and apps like Curl Budget. When you connect your bank:

1. You enter your bank credentials directly with Plaid
2. Plaid authenticates with your bank
3. Plaid provides Curl Budget with transaction data
4. Your login credentials are never shared with Curl Budget

Connecting an Account

Step 1: Start the Connection

1. Tap "Add Account" in Curl Budget
2. Choose "Connect Bank"
3. Search for your bank by name

Step 2: Authenticate with Plaid

1. You'll see Plaid's secure login screen
2. Enter your bank credentials
3. Complete any security verification your bank requires:
   • Multi-factor authentication
   • Security questions
   • One-time codes

Step 3: Select Accounts

1. Choose which accounts to connect:
   • Checking accounts
   • Savings accounts
   • Credit cards
   • Investment accounts
2. You can connect all or just some accounts
3. Add more accounts from the same bank later

Step 4: Finish

1. Accounts appear in Curl Budget
2. Historical transactions begin syncing
3. New transactions sync automatically

OAuth Flow

Many banks now use OAuth, a more secure connection method:

How OAuth Works

1. You're redirected to your bank's official app or website
2. You log in directly with your bank
3. You authorize Curl Budget to access data
4. You're redirected back to Curl Budget

Benefits of OAuth

• Never share credentials with third parties
• Bank controls the authentication
• Often more reliable connections
• May support biometric login

OAuth Banks

Major banks supporting OAuth include:

• Chase
• Bank of America
• Wells Fargo
• Capital One
• And many more

The connection flow automatically uses OAuth when available.

Transaction Sync

How Sync Works

Once connected, transactions sync automatically:

1. Initial sync - Historical transactions (typically 1-2 years)
2. Ongoing sync - New transactions as they occur
3. Webhook updates - Plaid notifies Curl Budget of changes
4. Manual refresh - Pull down to force a sync

Sync Timing

• Most banks update multiple times daily
• Transactions appear within hours of posting
• Some banks have slower update schedules
• Pending transactions may appear before posting

What Syncs

For each transaction:

• Amount
• Date
• Merchant name
• Transaction description
• Location (when available)
• Category (Plaid's initial guess)

Balance Updates

Account balances sync along with transactions:

• Current balance
• Available balance (checking/savings)
• Credit limit and available credit

Data Access

Read-Only Access

Curl Budget has read-only access through Plaid:

• ✅ View transactions
• ✅ View balances
• ❌ Cannot transfer money
• ❌ Cannot make payments
• ❌ Cannot change account settings

This is a security feature—even if Curl Budget were compromised, your money is safe.

Data Retention

When you connect:

• Transaction history imports (typically 1-2 years back)
• New transactions sync going forward
• If you disconnect, you can choose to keep or delete history

Managing Connections

Viewing Connection Status

Each connected account shows:

• Connection status (connected, needs attention, error)
• Last successful sync time
• Institution name

Updating Credentials

If you change your bank password:

1. Curl Budget will notify you of the issue
2. Tap the account showing an error
3. Re-authenticate with your new credentials
4. Sync resumes automatically

Refreshing Connections

Some banks require periodic re-authentication:

1. You'll receive a notification
2. Tap to re-authorize
3. No data is lost during this process

Disconnecting

To disconnect a Plaid account:

1. Tap the account
2. Tap "Disconnect Account"
3. Choose to keep or delete transaction history
4. Confirm

This revokes Plaid's access to that account.

Supported Institutions

Finding Your Bank

Search by:

• Bank name
• Credit union name
• Brokerage name

Can't find your bank? Try:

• The full official name
• Parent company name
• Alternative names or abbreviations

Institution Types

Plaid supports:

• National banks
• Regional banks
• Credit unions
• Online banks
• Investment brokerages
• Some international banks

Unsupported Banks

If your bank isn't supported:

• Create a manual account
• Import transactions via OFX file
• Check back—Plaid adds new banks regularly

Security

How Plaid Protects You

• End-to-end encryption - Data encrypted in transit and at rest
• Credential security - Your login is never shared with Curl Budget
• SOC 2 certified - Regular security audits
• Bank-level security - Plaid is trusted by major financial institutions

Your Control

You can:

• See what data Curl Budget accesses
• Revoke access anytime
• Manage all connected apps at my.plaid.com

What Curl Budget Sees

Through Plaid, Curl Budget receives:

• Account names and types
• Account balances
• Transaction history
• Merchant information

Curl Budget does NOT receive:

• Your bank login credentials
• Account numbers (beyond last 4 digits)
• Personal identification beyond what's in transactions

See Bank Connection Security for more details.

Troubleshooting

Connection Failed

If initial connection fails:

1. Verify your credentials are correct
2. Check if your bank's website is working
3. Try again in a few hours
4. Ensure multi-factor authentication is completed

Sync Stopped Working

If an existing connection stops syncing:

1. Check Account Health
2. Try refreshing the connection
3. Re-authenticate if prompted
4. Contact support if issues persist

Missing Transactions

If transactions aren't appearing:

1. Check if they're pending at your bank
2. Pull down to force a sync
3. Verify the account is connected
4. Some transactions take 24-48 hours

Wrong Account Information

If account names or types are wrong:

• This data comes from your bank via Plaid
• You can set custom nicknames in Curl Budget
• Contact support for persistent issues

Related Features

• Account Health - Monitor and troubleshoot connections
• Apple Accounts - Alternative for Apple financial products
• Manual Accounts - For unsupported banks
• Bank Connection Security - Security details