AUTOMATIC TRACKING
How to track Apple Pay purchases automatically on iPhone
Since iOS 17, the Shortcuts app can run an automation every time you tap a card from Wallet and pass the amount, merchant and card to a budgeting app. Here’s how to set it up, what it catches and how to fill the gaps.
How does automatic Apple Pay tracking work?
The Shortcuts app on iPhone can run an automation when something happens. For payments, the event is the Transaction trigger: Apple describes it as running “when I tap” a card you select in Wallet.
The automation receives the transaction as input. A budgeting app’s action can take three fields from it — Amount, Merchant and Card — and turn them into an expense. In Budget AI, that action is Track Apple Pay. If you leave the category and account empty, Budget AI uses the choices it remembered for that merchant and card or asks AI to suggest them.
What you need:
- An iPhone with iOS 17 or later and a card in Wallet.
- The Shortcuts app and a budgeting app that offers a Shortcuts action, opened at least once.
- For Budget AI: consent to AI processing, an internet connection and notifications allowed, so you can see what was recorded.
How to set it up on iOS 27 and later
On iOS 27, an automation can come inside a ready-made shortcut, so setup takes about a minute:
- Open the Apple Pay guide on your iPhone and tap Add shortcut. On the “BudgetAI Track Apple Pay” screen, tap Add.
- Open the shortcut in the editor. In the Wallet trigger at the top, make sure Automation is on. Keep Any Card or pick specific cards.
- Run the shortcut once with the ▶ button. When iOS asks whether it may run Budget AI actions, tap Allow. You’ll see the “Budget AI is connected” notification.
- Pay with Apple Pay and check the amount, category and account of the new entry.
How to set it up on iOS 17–26
On older versions, build the automation yourself. It takes a few minutes:
- Open Shortcuts → Automation and tap + or New Automation.
- Choose Wallet (called Transaction on iOS 17–18), select your cards, choose Run Immediately and tap Next.
- Create a blank automation, tap Add Action, find Budget AI and choose Track Apple Pay.
- Tap Amount → Shortcut Input, then tap the inserted variable again and choose its Amount property. Do the same for Merchant and Card.
- Save the automation and make a test purchase.
The step-by-step guide shows each screen.
What doesn’t the Wallet trigger catch?
The trigger is built around tapping a card. Payments where you don’t tap a Wallet card at a reader may not run it:
- purchases with a physical card;
- many online and in-app purchases;
- subscriptions and other charges that happen automatically.
The automation also depends on Wallet receiving the transaction. Developers have reported that it can occasionally run late, or even for a declined payment, so glance over automatic entries once a week. If a purchase is missing, first check whether it appears in the Wallet app.
How do you cover the rest with bank texts and notifications?
For payments the Wallet trigger misses, add a second source — but only for those payments:
- Bank texts (iOS 17+). A Message automation filtered by your bank as sender and a word like “Purchase” passes the text to the Track Text or SMS action. On iOS 27, use the ready-made bank SMS shortcut.
- Bank app notifications (iOS 27+). The Notification trigger can watch your bank app for a payment keyword and pass the alert to Track Notification. See the notifications guide.
Avoid duplicates: if the Apple Pay automation is on, don’t select Wallet or Messages in the notification automation, and make sure the same purchase isn’t also tracked from a bank text.
What if it doesn’t work?
- The automation asks for confirmation. On iOS 17–26, choose Run Immediately. On iOS 27, run the shortcut once and allow the Budget AI action.
- You can’t find the action. Open Budget AI at least once, then search Shortcuts for Track Apple Pay.
- Nothing was recorded. Check the cards selected in the trigger, AI processing in Budget AI and your internet connection. Open Budget AI to process queued payments.
- A purchase appears twice. Two automations handle the same payment; keep one.
More fixes are in the troubleshooting guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to open the budgeting app after each purchase?
No. Shortcuts runs the action in the background. You only open Budget AI to review entries or to process payments that waited for a connection.
Does it work with every card in Wallet?
It works with the cards you can tap from Wallet. You choose which cards run the automation: all of them or specific ones.
Does it work on iPad?
No. Budget AI offers Apple Pay tracking on iPhone.
Do I have to give the app my bank login?
No. The automation passes only the amount, merchant and card name of each purchase.
Sources
This article is for general information and isn’t financial advice.
