Puzzle automatically links credit card payments between your checking account and your credit card account. In most cases, this happens seamlessly in the background.
Sometimes, however, Puzzle isn’t able to automatically match both sides of the payment. This article explains why that happens, what the warning means, and how to fix it.
What this article covers
How Puzzle matches credit card payments
Why payments sometimes show as unmatched
What the unmatched transaction warning means
How to manually add an offsetting credit card transaction
How to confirm everything is categorized correctly
How Puzzle normally handles credit card payments
When you pay a credit card, Puzzle expects to see two transactions:
Money leaving your checking account
A matching payment hitting the credit card account
When both transactions are present, Puzzle automatically:
Links them together
Categorizes them correctly
Clears the transaction without additional action
Why a credit card payment may appear unmatched
Sometimes Puzzle can’t automatically link the two sides of the payment. This usually happens because of:
Timing issues (one transaction syncs before the other)
Manual interaction with a transaction before both sides sync
Incomplete credit card sync
Missing transactions from Plaid
💡 Most common reason:
The checking account payment exists, but the credit card payment transaction hasn’t synced into Puzzle yet.
What the unmatched transaction warning means
When you try to finalize a transaction that Puzzle couldn’t automatically match, you’ll see a warning letting you know the payment hasn’t been linked to a corresponding transaction.
⚠️ Important:
This warning does not mean something is wrong. It’s simply a reminder to confirm that:
Both sides of the payment exist in Puzzle already
The transactions are categorized correctly
Step 1: Check whether the credit card transaction exists
Before making any changes, confirm whether the credit card payment exists in Puzzle.
Look for:
A payment transaction on the credit card account
A matching amount and date (or close date)
If you see money leaving checking but no matching credit card payment, continue to the next step.
Step 2: Understand why the credit card payment may be missing
If the credit card transaction is missing, it’s usually because:
The credit card account hasn’t fully synced yet
Plaid isn’t providing payment transactions for that card
The card provider doesn’t include payments in its transaction feed
📌 Note:
Puzzle assumes checking accounts reliably include payment transactions, even when credit cards don’t.
Step 3: Add an offsetting credit card transaction
If you know the checking account payment is paying off a credit card and the credit card transaction is missing, you can manually create it.
To do this:
Open the checking account transaction
Click Add Offsetting Transaction
Select the correct credit card account
Confirm the amount and details
Puzzle will now create and link the missing credit card transaction.
Step 4: Confirm the transactions are linked
Once added:
The checking account payment and credit card payment will be linked
The transactions will clear correctly
Categorization will be consistent on both sides
What if you see an unmatched credit card payment instead?
If you see:
A payment hitting the credit card
An unmatched clearing or offsetting entry
This usually means the checking account transaction was miscategorized.
In this case:
Review the checking account transaction
Confirm it’s categorized as a credit card payment
Update the category if needed
Best practices
✅ Let accounts fully sync before categorizing
Waiting until both sides sync reduces unmatched warnings.
✅ Use the warning as a checklist, not an error
It’s there to help you confirm accuracy — not to block you.
✅ Add offsetting transactions only when you’re sure
Only create one when you know the credit card transaction is missing from the feed.
FAQs
Is it bad if I see an unmatched transaction warning?
No. It’s just a prompt to double-check that both sides of the payment are present and correct.
Why doesn’t Puzzle always get credit card payment transactions?
Some credit card providers don’t send payment transactions through Plaid, even though the checking account always shows the payment.
Should I ever delete an unmatched transaction?
Usually no. Most unmatched issues are resolved by syncing, categorizing correctly, or adding an offsetting transaction.