American Express multi-factor authentication issue (Q Mac)

Question

I am having an issue as of the past month auto updating my accounts in Quicken. My American Express credit card account now asks for me to authenticate via multi-factor authentication. Basically here is what happens:

* Amex would like to authenticate you. Please choose SMS or Phone Call to receive a code
 * I chose SMS, and receive the code from AMEX
 * I enter that code into the dialogue, hit enter
 * Wait for 1 - 5 minutes
 * Quicken returns with a "Could not connect to American Express" error code
 * My account never updates.

I tried de-activating my account, clearing the keychain, close/re-open quicken, and then re-enter the account, linking it to the existing Amex account in Quicken. That did not solve the problem.

I am on Mac using version 6.9.0 build 609.45401.100

Quicken Jasmine · Answer

Hello @Hodgdon,

Thank you for providing more information and for providing details as to how you reached a resolution.

I am happy to hear that we were able to get this resolved for you!

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any further questions or concerns!

Hodgdon · Answer

Thank you, Jasmine. That worked, and it prompted me to check a few things on the account settings.

It appears that my account was either switched, or already setup to connect via Quicken Connect vs. Direct Connect. It looks like the difference there is going through Quickens aggregation service as opposed to directly to American Express. I imagine the issue was somewhere between Quicken and American Express for the MFA request, but going direct connect fixed that issue.

What I did (note I am on a Mac):

* Select the account in the register
 * Go to settings 
 * Under Downloads, hit the Change Connection Type button
 * Find the bank (e.g. American Express) and hit continue
 * Ensure the option is Direct Connect
 * Re-authenticate with my credentials

Quicken Jasmine · Answer

Hello @Hodgdon,

Thank you for reaching out to the Quicken Community, though I apologize that you are experiencing this issue with MFA.

First, I suggest creating a test file and adding the American Express account(s) to see if the same issue occurs when completing the MFA process. You can create a test file by navigating to File > New > Start from Scratch. Please keep in mind that it is recommended to save a backup before proceeding (just in case).

Please let me know how this goes!