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 Chrome 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.
In this topic:
Getting started
Setting up Retail Purchase Categorization involves installing a Chrome extension, signing in with your Quicken ID, and connecting your Amazon account.
Step 1: Launch the setup flow in Quicken
Go to Tools > Retail Purchase Categorization.
Read through the overview and click Get Started.
Quicken displays a link to download the Retail Purchase Categorization extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Note: This feature requires Google Chrome. If Chrome is not installed on your computer, you will be prompted to download it before continuing.
Step 2: Install the Chrome extension
Click the link on the setup screen to open the Chrome Web Store listing.
Click Add to Chrome and confirm the installation.
Once installed, click the extension icon in your browser toolbar. If you don't see it, click the puzzle icon to find it in your extensions list.
Step 3: Sign in to Quicken in 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. If you haven't started from Quicken desktop yet, the extension prompts you to do so before continuing.
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
In the extension, select Amazon as the retailer and click 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
Select the time range for retrieving your Amazon orders.
Choose one of the following options:
Past and future orders retrieves the last three months of orders by default and continues pulling orders going forward.
Future orders only retrieves and categorizes only orders placed after setup.
Click Connect Amazon. The extension retrieves your orders and displays a confirmation.
Note: These preferences are set during initial setup only and cannot be changed afterward.
Automatic order retrieval
By default, the extension retrieves new Amazon orders every 24 hours as long as Chrome is running. This setting is on by default.
If Chrome has not been running for more than 24 hours, the extension attempts to retrieve orders the next time Chrome is launched.
What happens during One Step Update
Once the extension is set up, Amazon order categorization runs automatically as part of your regular OSU. Here is what happens during the process:
Orders are retrieved and categorized. The extension pulls any new Amazon orders (changes since the last retrieval) 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 uses the following logic to match Amazon orders to register transactions.
Scenario | How Quicken handles it |
|---|---|
Single-item order with exact amount match | Matched on amount, date, and payee. Transaction updated with item category and memo. |
Multi-item order with exact amount match | Transaction split into multiple rows, one per item, each with its own category. |
Slight amount variation (within $1.00) | Matched using approximate logic to account for tax rounding. |
No matching transaction found | Order is held and Quicken attempts to match again on the next OSU. |
How amounts are split
Quicken distributes costs across 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 assigned by Quicken (based on 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.
Reviewing matched transactions
Locate the Amazon transaction in your register. It appears as a split transaction with individual line items.
Click the transaction to expand the split details and review the items, amounts, and assigned categories.
If you have Compare to Register (C2R) turned on, click 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
To change the category on a split line item, click the category field for that line and select a different category from your list. To edit the memo or item details, click the memo field for the relevant split line.
Reverting a matched transaction
If you do not want to keep the suggested split and categorization, 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.
Tip: You can turn Retail Purchase Categorization on or off at any time from Edit > Preferences. When turned off, Amazon transactions are no longer split and categorized automatically during OSU.
Troubleshooting
This section covers common issues you may encounter when using Retail Purchase Categorization.
Orders are not being retrieved
Make sure Chrome is running and you are signed into your Amazon account in the browser.
Click the extension icon and verify that the retailer account shows as Connected.
If the connection has been lost, click Set Up again in the extension to reconnect.
If Chrome has not been open for more than 24 hours, the extension attempts to retrieve orders the next time Chrome is launched.
Transactions are not being matched
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. Pending transactions cannot be matched.
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 common Amazon payee names that contain "Amazon" or "Amzn," but if a transaction still is not matched, check the payee name in your register.
Orders paid entirely with Amazon gift cards or store credit cannot be matched to a bank transaction because no charge is posted to a linked account.
Chrome is not running or the extension missed the 24-hour window
The extension attempts to retrieve the latest orders the next time Chrome is launched. You can also retrieve orders manually by opening the extension and clicking the Download icon.
Token or session 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
Which retailers are supported?
Amazon US is supported. Support for additional retailers is planned for future updates.
Does this work with multiple Amazon accounts?
Yes. 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 Chrome profile and completing the setup for each file.
Will this work if Chrome is not running during OSU?
If Chrome 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 Chrome is launched. For best results, keep Chrome 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. Amazon transactions will no longer be split and categorized automatically. You can turn it 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.