Why does Quicken categorize bonus points used in Amazon purchases as credit card payment?

Antognini

I am using Quicken Classic Premier for Windows version R65.29/Build 27.1.65.29.

1. I open a new Quicken file, add American Express, go through AmEx's web site authentication, do a download of my AmEx data.
2. On 17 Dec 2025, I see a payment of $64.27 under category Bills & Utilities:Credit Card Payment.
3. On 17 Dec 2025, I see a charge of $64.27 under category Shopping.

Going to the AmEx web site in a browser (Edge),

1. On 17 Dec 2025, I see a charge of $64.27, categorized as "AMAZON MARKETPLACE PAMZN.COM/BILL WA."
2. On 16 Dec 2025 (yes, the sixteenth day of December), I see a credit of $64.27, categorized as "AMAZON SHOP WITH POINTS CREDIT." The credit was because I used AmEx bonus points at Amazon to pay for the concerned item.

It appears that Quicken interprets the $64.27 bonus points credit at AmEx as a credit card payment.

Unfortunately, if I have first added my Bank of America checking account to the new Quicken file (that is, if the BofA account exists when I download data from AmEx), the BofA account shows an uncleared entry of $64.27 on 17 Dec 2025. It is as if Quicken found the bonus point entry in the AmEx account and, in the BofA account, created a payment of $64.27! But there was never a payment at BofA of $64.27 in my checking account! (I checked the BofA web site.) This manufactured entry of $64.27 in the BofA account means that Quicken account is incorrect in relation to the real world.

Why is Quicken misunderstanding the AmEx credit as a BofA payment? And how do I prevent that?

Tom Young

If I'm understanding your situation, you're using your AMEX points to purchase stuff on Amazon, and using AMEX points to pay for the purchase. The net effect of all this is that you don't owe Amazon or AMEX a dime. Instead the number of AMEX points you had went down.

Since your Quicken AMEX Account accounts for the DOLLARS you owe AMEX that combination of downloaded transactions achieves the intended result; you owe no DOLLARS to AMEX for the purchase.

I don't understand how the BofA Account gets into the mix, I take it that the dollars appearing in the BofA Account are not related to any download, so I'm guessing that Quicken is creating it for some reason. Maybe take a gander at the memorized payee list to see if there's something there that's at fault. Maybe some aspect of "Transfer Detection" under "Preferences" is playing a role? Make sure that option is turned off completely.

It also sounds like you have Quicken automatically entering downloaded transactions. I'd turn that off too.