Answered
How do I track spending across several cards and payment apps?
Put every account in one tracker, record each spend against the account it came from, and treat moves between your own accounts as transfers, not spending. Do those three things and you get one honest total no matter how many cards and apps you use.
The most common mistake is counting the same money twice. Here's how to avoid it.
Free · No ads · 140+ currencies · Android (iOS coming soon)
Balance - Expense Tracker by Clarzen on Google Play
Set up every account once
List everything money leaves from: bank accounts, credit cards, debit cards, wallets, payment apps and cash. Add each to your tracker with its current balance. It takes ten minutes and makes everything after it simpler.
Record spends where the money actually left
- Paid by card? Record it against that card.
- Paid with a payment app linked to your bank? Record it against the bank account, because that's where the money left.
- Paid from a wallet you top up? Record the spend against the wallet.
Transfers aren't spending
Paying your credit card bill, topping up a wallet or moving money to savings is a transfer between your own accounts. If you log it as an expense, the purchases themselves get counted twice: once when you bought them and again when you paid the bill. Log these as transfers so they change balances without changing your spending total.
Check balances weekly
Once a week, compare each account's balance in your tracker with the real one. Small differences tell you something's missing before it becomes a mess.
Doing it in Balance
Balance supports unlimited accounts, cards and wallets, and has separate expense, income and transfer entries so card payments and top-ups never double count. Each spend is linked to an account, and analytics break spending down by account as well as category. On Android it can pick up spends from bank SMS alerts (Indian banks today) and from notifications of payment apps you choose.
Frequently asked questions
Should I record my credit card bill payment as an expense?
No. Record each card purchase as an expense when you make it, and the bill payment as a transfer from your bank account to the card.
Does Balance connect to my bank?
No. Balance never asks for a bank login or net-banking credentials, and it never links to your bank account. You add transactions by scanning a receipt or payment screenshot, entering them manually, or, on Android, letting Balance pick them up from bank SMS alerts if you turn that on.
Does Balance read my SMS?
Only if you turn on automatic capture (Android). Balance then reads bank transaction alerts on your phone and ignores personal messages, OTPs and promotions. The full message text never leaves your device; only the amount, merchant, date and account are saved. You can turn it off anytime, and the app works fully without it.
Keep exploring
Track every expense. Ask anything.
Free to download, no ads, no bank login. Get Balance on Google Play and start tracking in minutes.
