Using Retail Purchase Categorization

Retail Purchase Categorization gives you an itemized view of your Amazon purchases. Instead of seeing every order lumped into a single category like "Shopping" or "Amazon," Quicken splits each Amazon transaction by item and assigns a category based on what you purchased. Your budgets and spending reports then reflect your actual spending.

The feature works through a browser extension that connects to your Amazon account and retrieves your order history. During One Step Update (OSU), Quicken matches those orders to the corresponding transactions in your register, splits them by line item, and applies a category to each one.

For a video overview, see Retail Purchase Categorization on YouTube.

Getting started

Setting up Retail Purchase Categorization involves installing a browser extension, signing in with your Quicken ID, and connecting your Amazon account.

Step 1: Launch the setup flow in Quicken

Start from the Quicken desktop application.

Go to Tools > Retail Purchase Categorization.
Read through the overview and select Get Started.
Quicken displays a link to download the Retail Purchase Categorization extension from the Chrome Web Store.

Note: This feature requires Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. If neither is installed on your computer, Quicken prompts you to download one before continuing.

Step 2: Install the browser extension

Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store listing that Quicken opens for you.

Select the link on the setup screen to open the Chrome Web Store listing.
Select Add to Chrome and confirm the installation.
Once installed, select the extension icon in your browser toolbar. If the icon is not visible, select the Extensions icon (puzzle piece) next to the address bar and find Retail Purchase Categorization in the list.

Note: The extension is hosted in the Chrome Web Store and can be installed in both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

To keep the extension icon visible in your toolbar, see Pinning the extension.

Open the extension and sign in with your Quicken ID.
Select your Quicken data file from the list and confirm.

If you started the setup from Quicken desktop, your data file name is displayed in the extension for confirmation. This name is your Cloud Dataset name, which can differ from the file name shown in File Explorer on your computer. To find your Cloud Dataset name, go to Edit > Preferences > Quicken ID & Cloud Accounts in Quicken desktop.

Note: Only data files that have been set up for Retail Purchase Categorization from the Quicken desktop application appear in this list.

Step 4: Connect your Amazon account

Connect the Amazon account whose orders you want Quicken to categorize.

In the extension, select Amazon as the retailer and select Set Up.
Make sure you are signed into your Amazon account in a separate browser tab.
Once signed in, the extension links your Amazon account.

Note: The extension works with Amazon US personal accounts only. Business accounts and international Amazon domains are not supported.

Step 5: Choose your order history preferences

Choose how far back you want Quicken to retrieve your Amazon orders.

Select one of the following options:
- Past and future orders retrieves the last three months of orders by default and continues retrieving orders going forward.
- Future orders only retrieves and categorizes only orders placed after setup.
Select Connect Amazon. The extension retrieves your orders and displays a confirmation.

Note: You set these preferences during initial setup only. You cannot change them afterward.

Pinning the extension

Pin the Retail Purchase Categorization extension to keep it visible next to your browser's address bar. Pinning makes it faster to open the extension, check your connection status, or retrieve orders manually.

Select the Extensions icon (puzzle piece) next to the address bar.
Find Retail Purchase Categorization.
Select the Pin icon next to the extension.

The Retail Purchase Categorization icon appears next to the address bar. Select it whenever you want to open the extension.

Note: Pinning is optional. It keeps the extension easy to find but does not change how the extension retrieves orders.

Automatic order retrieval

By default, the extension retrieves new Amazon orders every 24 hours as long as your browser is running. If your browser has not been running for more than 24 hours, the extension attempts to retrieve orders the next time you open it.

What happens during One Step Update

Once the extension is set up, Amazon order categorization runs automatically as part of your regular OSU. The process works in three stages.

Orders are retrieved and categorized. The extension pulls any new Amazon orders once every 24 hours and assigns the most appropriate category from your Quicken category list.
Orders are matched to transactions. Quicken matches each Amazon order to a corresponding transaction in your register based on payee name, amount, and date.
Transactions are split and categorized. For matched transactions, Quicken splits the transaction by line item and applies the suggested category to each split. Item details are added to the memo field.

How matching works

Quicken applies the following logic when matching Amazon orders to register transactions.

Single-item order with an exact amount match. Quicken matches on amount, date, and payee, then updates the transaction with the item category and memo.
Multi-item order with an exact amount match. Quicken splits the transaction into multiple rows, one per item, each with its own category.
Amount variation within $1.00. Quicken matches using approximate logic to account for tax rounding.
No matching transaction found. Quicken holds the order and attempts to match it again on the next OSU.

How amounts are split

Quicken distributes costs across the items in an order as follows.

Item costs are split based on the actual charge for each item.
Taxes are distributed proportionally based on each item's price.
Discounts are distributed proportionally based on each item's cost.
Delivery fees are split proportionally across all items.

Category priority

When Retail Purchase Categorization is turned on, the category Quicken assigns from your Amazon order items takes precedence over categories applied by your Memorized Payee List rules for Amazon transactions.

Reviewing and editing matched transactions

After OSU runs, you can review how your Amazon transactions were split and categorized directly in your account register.

Tip: You can turn Retail Purchase Categorization on or off at any time from Edit > Preferences. When turned off, Quicken no longer splits and categorizes Amazon transactions automatically during OSU.

Reviewing matched transactions

Matched Amazon transactions appear in your register as split transactions.

Locate the Amazon transaction in your register.
Select the transaction to expand the split details and review the items, amounts, and assigned categories.

If you have Compare to Register (C2R) turned on, select the Amazon transaction in the C2R section to view the split details in the register. If the categorization looks correct, accept the transaction as you normally would.

Editing a matched transaction

You can change any category or memo that Quicken applied.

To change the category on a split line item, select the category field for that line and choose a different category from your list. To edit the memo or item details, select the memo field for the relevant split line.

Reverting a matched transaction

You can undo the split and categorization on any matched transaction.

Right-click the transaction in the register and choose Revert to category. This removes the Retail Purchase Categorization data and restores the transaction to its original state.

Troubleshooting

This section covers common issues you may encounter when using Retail Purchase Categorization.

Orders are not being retrieved

Check your browser and connection status first.

Make sure your browser is running and you are signed into your Amazon account in the browser.
Select the extension icon and verify that the retailer account shows as Connected.
If the connection has been lost, select Set Up again in the extension to reconnect.
If your browser has not been open for more than 24 hours, the extension attempts to retrieve orders the next time you open it.

Transactions are not being matched

Matching depends on the transaction being present and correctly identified in your register.

If you use connected accounts, verify that the bank account used for your Amazon purchases is connected in Quicken and included in your OSU.
Confirm that the transaction has posted. Quicken cannot match pending transactions.
If you enter transactions manually, verify that you have added the Amazon transactions in the correct accounts.
Amazon transactions sometimes appear under alternate payee names. Quicken checks for payee names containing "Amazon" or "Amzn." If a transaction still is not matched, check the payee name in your register.
Quicken cannot match orders paid entirely with Amazon gift cards or store credit, because no charge posts to a linked account.

The extension missed the 24-hour retrieval window

The extension attempts to retrieve the latest orders the next time you open your browser. You can also retrieve orders manually by opening the extension and selecting the Download icon.

Token or session expired

Sign back in to whichever session has expired.

If your Quicken session has expired, open the extension and sign back in with your Quicken ID.
If your Amazon session has expired, sign back into Amazon in your browser, then reopen the extension.

Duplicate transactions appearing

Quicken uses a unique Order ID to deduplicate orders, so the same order should not be imported more than once. If you notice a duplicate, contact Quicken Support.

FAQs

This section answers common questions about how Retail Purchase Categorization works.

Which retailers are supported?

Amazon US is supported.

Does this work with multiple Amazon accounts?

The extension retrieves orders from whichever Amazon account is currently signed in to your browser. If you have multiple Amazon accounts, you can switch between them in your browser.

What if I use multiple Quicken data files?

Each data file needs to be set up for Retail Purchase Categorization individually. You can link additional data files by signing into the extension on a separate browser profile and completing the setup for each file.

How much order history is retrieved during initial setup?

If you select Past and future orders during setup, Quicken retrieves the last three months of Amazon orders by default and continues retrieving new orders going forward. If you select Future orders only, Quicken retrieves only orders placed after setup. You choose this option during initial setup and cannot change it afterward.

Will this work if my browser is not running during OSU?

If your browser is not open, the extension cannot retrieve orders during the 24-hour auto-retrieval window. The extension attempts to pull the latest orders the next time you open your browser. For best results, keep your browser running so orders are available when OSU runs.

What if I do not want item details added to the memo field?

You can control whether item details are written to the memo field from Tools > Retail Purchase Categorization > Settings.

What takes priority: my Memorized Payee Rules or the category from Retail Purchase Categorization?

Retail Purchase Categorization categories take priority over Memorized Payee Rules for Amazon transactions when the feature is turned on.

Can I turn Retail Purchase Categorization off after setting it up?

Yes. Go to Edit > Preferences and turn the feature off. Quicken no longer splits and categorizes Amazon transactions automatically. You can turn the feature back on at any time.

What happens to my settings if I reset my Quicken data file?

Your Retail Purchase Categorization settings and preferences are preserved during a data file reset. The extension is automatically relinked to your new data file, and your previously retrieved order history remains accessible.

Where can I get more help?

Visit Quicken Support or contact the support team directly from within Quicken.