Opinion/Observations on Pending Transactions feature

Chris_QPW

I have to believe that this feature targets a certain type of user.

My opinions:

• If you pre-enter all your transactions, this feature isn't for you.
• If have your transactions go through the Downloaded Transactions tab this feature isn't for you.
• The type of user I see this feature benefiting is the one that needs to know "Am I near my credit limit? (or going to overdraft a checking account)" and expects this to be as automated as possible. And they most likely have to have good success with automatic transfer detection.

Why do I say this?

If you combine pre-entering and downloading directly to the register you are going to get duplicates. Pending transactions aren't matched to your existing transactions. Let's say you don't pre-enter any transactions except for payments/transfers. This is a case where you need downloaded transactions to match to the existing transaction and what you are going to get is both the transaction you entered (or a reminder entered) and the pending one. From what I have seen it will "resolve itself" (maybe I haven't done a lot of checking on this) because I believe the pending transaction will be removed when the cleared transaction downloads, and the downloaded one will match to your existing transaction, but for the period of time of the pending payment your balance is going to be off by the payment amount. You can turn off the pending transactions affecting the balance, but then what is the point?

Note you can use this as a way to do "pre-entering" sort of, and then it might make more sense. And in you can edit the pending transaction and that will turn it into a transaction that will be matched when the cleared transaction is downloaded.

If you have your transactions go through the Download Transactions tab, the pending transactions can't affect that balance, and so the purpose of using it can't be to make sure you aren't at the limit/over drafted unless you are going to do the math, and I doubt anyone is going to do that. You can't save the pending transaction and make it a transaction that it will be matched to/pre-categorize it like you can if it goes directly into the register, the only thing you can do is delete the pending transaction.

Note that even with this limited use case I have found that for some unknown reason sometimes Quicken doesn't detect that a cleared downloaded transaction is the same as the pending one. It might be if the pending transaction date and the cleared one is too far apart, I don't know, but it has happened to me.

Also, I have found that if I need open an old data file to recover (in my case from testing something for someone) or if I have to reauthorize my account(s) for download that is almost guaranteed to cause it not to "connect" the pending transactions to cleared ones and it doesn't remove the pending transaction when the cleared transaction is downloaded.

In summary, for me at least the only benefit for this feature is that for my Amazon purchases I have it set not to categorize them because they vary too much. With the pending transaction I can change it into a "pre-entered" one by entering the category while it is fresh in my mind instead of later when it clears (and I usually end up going to Amazon to remind me of what item/category is needed).

miklk

I like having the Pending Feature on BUT only with C2R being used also.

I can choose to ignore the pending or choose to see what will be coming for a heads up on charges BUT do not have to worry about strange changes in my register.

Almost all problems reported with the feature are from people that have Auto Enter Turned On. Many people see unexpected results (not bugs),

Just seems to me that with Auto entry on, users are expecting too much from Quicken with changing temp authorizations etc..

I am a big believer in keep it simple.

Chris_QPW

Just for the record, if you are in the "ignore" group but use downloading directly into the register, you can just set it so that the pending transactions don't affect your balance.

I do feel that this is one of the features that people ask for with taking into account that because of the limitations of the data they get it will never be 100%. But I have to say there is also bugs in this software. The "not removing" of pending transactions when a cleared transaction comes down is a bug for instance.

And then there are "possible enhancements" like pending transactions matching existing transactions.

miklk

I just NEVER liked auto add to registers.

So for me, pending is a nice feature to see what's coming in the C2R and it works perfectly for me that way.

Randy 415

I use Pending Transactions to see those transactions that come thru each month with a different amount. Usually, I have to wait until the transaction is downloaded, and then I update the auto transaction in the register (estimated amount), to the actual amount. But now, when the real transaction is downloaded (no longer pending), it matches instantly. Not that much of a big deal, but it gives me a chance to be more accurate, sooner, with my register balances. I just wish the "Bills" system worked better.

Chris_QPW

@Randy 415 do you change the pending transactions into actual entered transactions or leave them as pending transactions?

Chris_QPW

Here is another observation. For a feature that was billed by some to be extremely important to them, I see very little positive feedback on it. I notice that a lot about Quicken users/this forum, threads that make it seem like a given feature is vital to surviving another a day, and then it gets implemented and basically nothing, unless it has problems (which unfortunately happens a little too much).

The best I have seen is my impression that at times it is "sort of nice", but it was never a feature that I requested. My only hope was that it was done in a way that didn't disrupt the existing use cases. It took three tries but think they did achieve that goal.

Randy 415

@Chris_QPW I leave them as pending transactions. I was not aware I could change them into actual entered transactions. No worries. The pending transactions are really not that useful to me. But I do use them on occasion as mentioned. I thought that they would be more useful, but not so.