Upcoming Changes to Direct Import
Hello YNABers! :)
I hope this announcement finds you safe and healthy!
In the coming days, we’ll be making a few changes to Direct Import. This will impact bank connections for some YNABers, so we wanted to give a quick outline of what’s happening and what’s to be expected.
Quovo, our primary direct import partner, was acquired by an industry-leader, Plaid. Starting this week, some YNABers will see a notification in YNAB asking to update the bank connections. For the most part, this will be like the first time you linked your accounts, and you’ll see an in-app message with some extra (hopefully helpful!) prompts to walk you through it.
We’re hoping to give you some time to make this transition, so your existing connections will continue to import transactions until May 21st. After May 21st, transaction imports will be paused until you update. Once you receive the notification to update, other actions like adding a new connection, and editing an existing connection, will require you to update.
These changes won’t apply to all YNABers, but we wanted to make an announcement about it so you know this is expected and how to reach our support team for help. If you have any trouble with these changes, please fill out the Direct Import form and our team will help you get things on track!
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So 6 months down the line since Plaid and still no Direct Import for EU subscribers! Direct Import was promoted as a benefit of moving to subscription well over a year ago and this is still not delivered. No discount has been offered nor any credible explanation of why @YNAB is still failing to deliver. You even rub salt in the wound by directing your customers to a 3rd party paid for service - which is however excellent, provided by @syncforynab a one man part time operation.
Where is Direct Import for the EU on the product roadmap? When will it be made available? Not interested in platitudes or vagueness as there are no regulatory or legitimate technical issues for non delivery.
Failing the above, just come clean that a commercial decision has been taken to downgrade the service to your non North American customer base.
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Hi Tomato Colt !
I'm sure you've seen Todd's responses above, but I wanted to link to this one in particular. As he mentions, we aren't sure of the future for international direct import. While it is something we want to provide and have spent time and resources looking into, we still don't have a definitive answer. We haven't given up here, but I can't offer you any updates at this time.
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Things are looking up. Just went through the OAuth process with my Citibank accounts. It appears direct import is going to improve for many of us. Glad to see YNAB is working on this.
Then got a confirmation email from Citibank: "As requested, Ynab now has access to your Citi® account information"
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Superbone went through with capital one day or two ago and citi today. so far so good.
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Superbone Glad to hear that OAuth is working well on Citibank! We're excited about this change and really hope it means more connection stability.
Just wanted to be clear about security of your data: As a part of this OAuth process, you may be asked by your bank--like Citibank did--to authorize sharing information such as your name, street address, or phone number alongside your transaction data. As a part of this OAuth process, YNAB does not request, view, make use of, or store any data other than what's required to process and display your accounts and transactions. We will request and store individual transaction data (date, payee, amount, etc), as well as some account details (account name, balance, interest rate, etc), but we don't request or store other personal information. We’re not in the business of needing to know everything about you! Your privacy is important to us.
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Herman I still haven't gotten Cap One to work. You are doing direct import with Cap One? I had given up months ago but tried yesterday after seeing this update. Still no dice. I'm pretty fine with file import but direct import would be better.
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Cadet Blue Drill Hey there! You're right - we are still at "no dice" (for now!) on Capital One's integration with our import partner, Plaid. I'm thinking perhaps this is the import partner you're connected through. Users connected through our other import partner, Mx, have seen recent success with the rollout of Oauth on their connections.
Feel free to report a bank importing issue, and someone on the team will be happy to take a look at things and see if we can get you connected! -
Cadet Blue Drill as soon as oauth was added to my account it has been perfect. ETA: I'm not on plaid, I'm on MX
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I have some thoughts on the availability of direct import and would like to know more about it.
In his comment seven months ago, Todd mentioned that until now, you focused on making US/Canadian direct import better and that changes to EU banking regulations “may mean it‘s possible this will be a future part of the YNAB experience”. Please forgive me when the words “may”, “possible”, “will be”, and “future” don’t instill the greatest confidence in me. That sentence is the most noncommittal sentence I‘ve read in a while.
You “aren't sure of the future for international direct import” since you launched US/Canadian direct import. It’s been five years of “we still don't have a definitive answer” and “I can't offer you any updates at this time”. Your unwillingness to commit, to give clear answers or to give a timeframe is annoying. The fact that you’ve been doing it for five years comes off to me as condescending.
A single person, Scott Robertson (founder of Sync for YNAB), managed to get more progress in this area than your entire team has. I’m not making stuff up to be confrontational; it‘s merely a statement of fact.
I see four ways to resolve this situation.
- The first would be quick and simple, but would impact your finances a lot.
- The second is the obvious one.
- The third would be the most complicated on your side. But maybe you’re already doing that?
- The fourth is to just come clean.
Option One
Right now, you suggest international customers sign up with Sync for YNAB. That service is £43.09 (or $57) annually. I already pay you $75.59, combined it would be $132.59. I believe that’s a bit much.
The quickest solution would be to offer your international customers a discount of the price of a Sync for YNAB subscription. Sync for YNAB offers the feature you’ve been unable to offer for the last five years. Sync for YNAB charge £43.09 for the feature. Since you’re not able or willing to provide it, you could offer the corresponding discount instead. This would push your subscription price down to just $18.59 annually. If that sounds bad to you, keep in mind that this is exactly how you sound when you tell us fork over the same $57.
Option Two
The obvious solution would be to offer direct import internationally. One of your current partners for direct import, Plaid, already offers some level of international support with some banks. I’m rather confused why you don’t at least offer international direct import with the banks supported by Plaid. You already implemented their API. What’s keeping you from using them in other countries?
Sync for YNAB also doesn’t connect to banks itself. Sync for YNAB uses TrueLayer to connect with banks. It might involve more work, but you could add TrueLayer to your pool of direct import providers. You already offer direct import through MX and Plaid, you could add a third provider. That would get the exact same banks supported as Sync for YNAB and make the additional subscription redundant. Why isn’t there an international direct import provider in YNAB?
Option Three
A company (Sync for YNAB) offers a service that complements yours. You could buy the company and offer the service to your customers. Maybe that’s already on it’s way — Scott Robertsons Twitter bio (https://twitter.com/scottymeuk) suggests to me that he works at YNAB now. However, it also suggest to me that Sync for YNAB will continue to operate independently.
You have agreed that direct import is a key feature of YNAB. Assuming Scott Robertson is your employee and assuming Sync for YNAB stays independent: How do you justify that I should pay your employee for something that you consider a key feature in your service?
However, if YNAB actually bought Sync for YNAB, then why isn’t Sync for YNABs international direct import included in my YNAB subscription? Why do you expect me to pay you and your subsidiary individually?
Option Four
Just tell us that international direct import is never going to happen. And that discounts won’t happen either. Who cares about foreigners anyway?
To recap my questions
- Are you willing to offer a $57 discount for Sync for YNAB customers?
- Why don’t you offer international direct import with Plaid?
- Why don’t you offer international direct import with TrueLayer or another API provider?
- If Scott Robertson is a YNAB employee or if Sync for YNAB your subsidiary, why do I have to pay twice?
Your international customers have been waiting for an answer for five years. To let us wait even longer is insulting.
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Hey Reemt Rühmkorf ,
Most of our team is out for holiday break and I would like to share what I know right now. Transparency is important! Scott has recently joined the YNAB team. Which is amazing news that we’re really excited about!
Changes this year have made the future of Direct Import for international banks closer than ever before. Releasing Pending Transactions and OAuth are two important projects for awareness and connection stability. We’ve also simplified from four import partners to two and plenty of "behind the scenes" work. All help to strengthen the base before adding new layers. Todd’s words about Plaid, and challenges to EU/UK import from earlier this year still apply, but we’re making progress in that direction.
We have the full intent to support international institutions. The specifics how, and when aren’t ones I have today—but they will be addressed, to give you & our community of international YNABers the response you deserve. -
Nicole That's really good news! We made an open source connection between YNAB and the Dutch bank bunq (https://github.com/wesselt/bunq2ynab). It would be awesome if bunq could join the list of YNAB's supported direct imports. Let me know what I can do to help!
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Great news about Scott and the clear statement of intent about supporting international institutions.
