What Plaid sees when you connect your bank account
Plaid can see your transaction history, account balances, and account type — the same information you see when you log into your bank's website or app. When you authorize a connection through Plaid, you are giving permission for Plaid to read that data from your bank on your behalf. Plaid does not see your password, and your bank does not share your login credentials with Plaid.
The specific data Plaid accesses depends on what the app or service you are connecting to actually needs. A budgeting app might request only transaction history. A loan application might request account balances and transaction history to verify income. A bill-pay service might request only account numbers and routing information. You should see a list of what data is being requested before you authorize the connection.
Plaid stores this data on its own servers temporarily so that the app you are connecting to can read it. Plaid does not sell your transaction data to advertisers or data brokers. It uses the data to provide the connection service and to detect fraud.
Key Takeaways
- Plaid can see your transaction history, account balances, and account type, but never your password or login credentials.
- The app or service you are connecting to determines what specific data Plaid retrieves — you should see this list before you authorize.
- Plaid stores your data temporarily and does not sell it to third parties, though it does use it for fraud detection.
- You can revoke Plaid's access to your bank account at any time through your bank's settings or through the app that requested the connection.
What Plaid cannot see
Plaid cannot see your password, PIN, or security questions. When you connect through Plaid, you are not handing over your login credentials. Instead, Plaid uses a secure connection directly to your bank's servers — the same way your bank's official app does.
Plaid also cannot see data from accounts you have not explicitly connected. If you have multiple bank accounts, Plaid only accesses the ones you authorize. It cannot see your credit card accounts, investment accounts, or retirement accounts unless you separately connect those through Plaid.
Plaid cannot initiate transactions, transfer money, or make payments on your behalf. It can only read data. Any app that wants to move money from your account would need a separate authorization — usually through your bank's own payment system — and that authorization would come directly from you, not through Plaid.
How to see what Plaid is accessing right now
Log into your bank's website or mobile app and look for a section called "Connected Apps," "Third-Party Access," "Authorized Apps," or "Security Settings." The exact name varies by bank. This section shows every app or service that has permission to access your account data, including Plaid connections.
From this list, you can see which apps are connected, what data they can access, and when the connection was last used. You can revoke access immediately by clicking a disconnect or remove button. Once you disconnect, that app can no longer see your account data, though it may retain data it already downloaded before the disconnection.
Some banks also let you set limits on what third-party apps can see — for example, allowing read-only access to transaction history but not account balances. Check your bank's settings to see what options are available.
The difference between Plaid and the app requesting the connection
Plaid is the middleman. It retrieves your data from your bank and passes it to the app you are trying to use. But Plaid is not the one deciding what to do with that data — the app is.
If you connect your bank account to a budgeting app through Plaid, Plaid retrieves your transactions and sends them to the budgeting app. The budgeting app then stores those transactions, analyzes them, and may use them to show you spending patterns or send you alerts. Plaid's role ends once the data is delivered.
This means you should read the privacy policy of the app you are connecting to, not just Plaid's policy. The app determines how long it keeps your data, whether it shares it with other services, and what it does with it. Plaid's privacy policy covers only what Plaid does with the data while it is in transit or temporarily stored on Plaid's servers.
When Plaid might not work or might show limited data
Some banks do not support Plaid connections. If your bank is not on Plaid's list of supported institutions, you may need to manually upload statements or enter account information by hand. Plaid's website has a searchable directory of supported banks.
If you have a very new account or a very old transaction, Plaid may not be able to retrieve it. Banks typically make the last 90 to 120 days of transactions available through Plaid, though some banks go back further. Older transactions may not appear in the app you are connecting to.
If your bank requires additional security steps — like a one-time code sent to your phone — Plaid will prompt you to complete those steps during the connection process. This is normal and actually a sign that your bank's security is working.
Revoking Plaid access and what happens after
To disconnect Plaid, you do not need to contact Plaid directly. Go to your bank's connected apps section and remove the connection. The app you were using will no longer be able to see your account data going forward.
Data that the app already downloaded before you disconnected will remain in that app unless you delete it separately. For example, if a budgeting app downloaded three months of transactions before you disconnected, those transactions will still be visible in the app — but the app cannot pull new transactions after the disconnection.
If you want to use the same app again later, you can reconnect through Plaid. You will need to authorize the connection again, and the app will start pulling fresh data from that point forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Plaid see my credit score or credit report?
No. Plaid only accesses your bank account data — transaction history, balances, and account type. It cannot see credit reports, credit scores, or any information held by credit bureaus. If an app needs your credit information, it would request that separately through a credit bureau connection, not through Plaid.
Is it safe to connect my bank account through Plaid?
Plaid uses encryption and secure connections to your bank, the same technology your bank uses for its own app. The main risk is not Plaid itself but the app you are connecting to — so read that app's privacy policy and only connect if you trust it. You can always disconnect later.
Does Plaid charge me money to use it?
Plaid does not charge you directly. The app or service you are connecting to may charge a fee for its own service, but that fee is separate from Plaid. Plaid makes money by charging the app developers, not the users.
Can I connect the same bank account to multiple apps through Plaid?
Yes. You can connect your bank account to a budgeting app, a loan application, a bill-pay service, and other apps all at the same time. Each connection shows up separately in your bank's connected apps section, and you can disconnect any one of them without affecting the others.
What happens if I change my bank password after connecting through Plaid?
Changing your bank password does not break the Plaid connection because Plaid does not store your password. The connection uses a secure token that remains valid even after you change your password. Your apps will continue to work normally.