Once you connect a bank account to Spew, everything gets easier. Transactions flow in automatically. Bills match themselves to the right row in your grid. Subscriptions you forgot about surface. Smart tagging starts learning your patterns.
This guide walks you through connecting an account and what happens next.
How Spew connects to your bank
Spew uses Plaid, the same bank-connection infrastructure used by Venmo, Robinhood, and most major fintech apps. When you connect:
- Your bank login never touches Spew (for major banks that support OAuth)
- Credentials are encrypted end-to-end
- Access is strictly read-only: Spew cannot move money
- You can disconnect anytime
Over 12,000 banks, credit unions, and investment platforms work with Plaid, including every major US bank.
Step 1: Navigate to Bank Sync
From anywhere in the app:
- Click the Data Repo tab in the top nav
- Scroll to the Bank Sync section
- Click Connect a Bank
A Plaid modal window opens.
Step 2: Find your bank
In the Plaid modal:
- Type your bank’s name in the search field
- Select it from the list
Common banks appear quickly: Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Capital One, Citi, US Bank, PNC, Ally, SoFi, Discover, American Express, and many credit unions.
Step 3: Log in to your bank
You’ll see your bank’s login screen. Depending on your bank:
- OAuth-enabled banks (most major banks): you’ll be redirected to your bank’s actual login page. Log in there. The bank sends a secure token back to Plaid. Your credentials never touch Spew or Plaid.
- Non-OAuth banks (some smaller institutions): you enter credentials into Plaid’s secure form. Plaid encrypts and stores them to refresh data periodically.
Either way: standard multi-factor authentication applies. You might confirm via SMS, email, or your bank’s app.
Step 4: Select accounts
After login, you’ll see all accounts at that bank. Check the ones you want to connect:
- Checking: always connect. This is where most transactions flow.
- Savings: connect if you use it for bills or transfers.
- Credit cards: always connect. Bills often pay from here.
- Investment accounts: connect if you want balances tracked in your forecast.
Click Continue.
Step 5: Grant permissions
Plaid asks you to confirm the data types Spew can access:
- Transactions (past and ongoing)
- Account balances
- Account identity (your name, address for matching)
Click Allow.
Step 6: Wait for initial sync
Plaid pulls 12-24 months of historical transactions. This takes 30 seconds to 3 minutes depending on your bank and transaction volume. You’ll see a loading state, then “Connected.”
What happens next
Spew processes your transactions immediately:
Auto-match to bills
If you have bills in your Monthly View (e.g., “Rent $1,500”), Spew looks for matching charges in your bank data:
- Amount matches (within 10%)
- Merchant name fuzzy-matches (e.g., “COMCAST BILLPAY” matches your “Internet” bill)
- Date is close to the bill’s due date
Matches appear as green cells in your grid automatically. You can override any match by clicking the cell.
Subscription detection
Spew finds recurring charges and categorizes them:
- Known subscriptions (Netflix, Spotify, gym, SaaS) get auto-tagged
- Unknown recurring charges land in a “Subscriptions Found” list
You can review and decide to keep, cancel, or merge each.
Transaction inbox
Anything that doesn’t auto-match lands in your Transaction Inbox (under Data Repo). You can:
- Assign to a bill
- Mark as one-off expense
- Ignore (for internal transfers, loan payments, etc.)
Takes 2-5 minutes to triage a month of transactions.
Smart tagging
Each time you categorize a transaction, Spew remembers. Next time a similar transaction appears, it auto-tags based on your pattern:
- All Starbucks charges? Tag as “Dining Out.”
- All Amazon charges over $50? Tag as “Shopping.”
- All Comcast charges? Match to your Internet bill.
After 2-4 weeks of use, Spew tags most new transactions automatically.
Connecting multiple banks
You can connect as many banks as you want. Repeat the same flow for each:
- Primary checking at Chase
- Credit card at Amex
- High-yield savings at Ally
- Investment account at Fidelity
All accounts appear in one view. Transfers between your own accounts get auto-identified so they don’t double-count as income or expense.
Refresh schedule
After initial connection, Spew refreshes your data automatically:
- Most banks: every 6-24 hours
- Some banks with OAuth: near real-time for new transactions
- Manual refresh available anytime via the “Refresh” button on each connected account
Re-authenticating
Plaid connections sometimes need re-authentication:
- After changing your bank password
- After certain bank-initiated security events
- Roughly every 6-12 months for some banks
When this happens, Spew shows a “Reconnect” prompt. Click it, re-enter your bank credentials, and the connection refreshes.
Disconnecting
To disconnect an account:
- Go to Data Repo > Bank Sync
- Click the account
- Click “Disconnect”
The account stops syncing immediately. Historical data stays in your Spew account until you delete it.
You can also disconnect at the Plaid level via my.plaid.com.
Troubleshooting
“My bank isn’t listed.” Try searching with different spellings (e.g., “BofA” vs “Bank of America”). If still not found, Plaid may not support that specific institution yet. You can use CSV import instead.
“Connection failed.” Usually a temporary bank or Plaid issue. Wait 10 minutes and try again. If persistent, check your bank’s status page.
“MFA code didn’t work.” Re-request and use the new code within 2-3 minutes. Codes expire fast.
“Transactions aren’t updating.” Click the “Refresh” button on the connected account. Some banks only update every 24 hours.
“Transactions look wrong.” Plaid sends the merchant name as the bank reports it, which can be cryptic (“SQ *COFFEE SHOP” for Square payments). Smart tagging cleans this up over time.
Is it safe?
Yes. Full Plaid safety breakdown covers encryption, SOC 2 certification, and the difference between read-only and payment-initiating Plaid products.
Short version: Plaid is used by thousands of financial apps and hundreds of millions of users. It’s the industry standard for consumer bank data access in the US.
Next steps
Once your bank is connected:
- Set up your bills in Monthly View so transactions auto-match: Monthly grid guide
- Run your first forecast: Forecast guide
- Audit your subscriptions: Subscription guide