Entering credit card transactions

A credit card account register works much like a checking account register, but it tracks what you owe instead of what you have. You can use it to record everyday purchases, track your running balance, categorize spending, and confirm that your statement matches what actually posted to the account.

When possible, download transactions from your card issuer. Downloaded transactions are usually the best match to your real-world account activity because they reflect posted transactions, dates, and amounts from the financial institution. Manual entry is still useful when you want to track spending before transactions post, or when you need to capture details that don’t come through in downloads.

Choose how you want to add transactions

You can add credit card transactions in different ways, depending on how closely you want to track spending during the month.

Download transactions from the financial institution that issued the credit card. This is typically the best option because it most closely matches what actually posted to your account.
Enter purchases as they occur (for example, from receipts). This can help you track spending and balances between downloads or before charges post.
Enter transactions from your monthly statement. This can work if you don’t need a current running balance and prefer to reconcile once per statement cycle.

Enter a credit card transaction

You enter the basic transaction details in the register row, and then use Edit Details when you need to add or review more information.

Select a credit card account in the sidebar.
Do one of the following:
- Choose Transactions > New Transaction.
- Click New in the toolbar.
- Press Command-N.
Enter information in the register fields you want to track (for example, Date, Payee, Category, and Amount).
Optional: Click Edit Details to open the details view, and then use the tabs (such as Details, Splits, or Attachments) to add more information. When you use Edit Details, you’ll see Save.
Press Return or click another row to record the transaction. If you used Edit Details, click Save.