Plaid

Connect US bank accounts with advanced technical setup

Using Plaid for personal use might be against their terms of service. This integration is intended for technically savvy users who understand the implications and requirements.

Plaid integration currently only works for Western users. Plaid Production support is not available to European users.

For Plaid integration, your Sure instance needs to be accessible from the internet behind a domain with working SSL. See additional context in maybe-finance/maybe#2419.

Plaid is a US-focused banking provider that offers comprehensive account connectivity. However, it requires significant technical setup and may not be suitable for personal use according to their terms of service.

Prerequisites

Before setting up Plaid:

• Your Sure instance must be publicly accessible via HTTPS
• You need a valid domain with working SSL certificate
• You must be comfortable with technical configuration
• You should review Plaid’s terms of service for personal use

Creating a Plaid account

1. Go to dashboard.plaid.com and register for a new account
2. Complete the registration process
3. Request production access based on your bank type (see below)

Requesting production access

The process differs depending on whether your bank requires OAuth authentication.

For banks without OAuth

1. On the Home page, find “Learn how to build with Plaid” and click Unlock real data
2. Enter your real name and phone number
3. In the description box, write:

   This is for personal use only on a self-hosted version of the Sure Finance software. I am only using it to manage my finances, sync my bank accounts, track my spending, and create a budget.

4. Leave “Additional products” unchecked
5. Click Request Access
6. Wait for approval (may take more than 24 hours)

For banks with OAuth

Per Plaid Support as of July 2025, certain banks have extended OAuth approval timelines:

• Chase Bank: 3-4 months
• Schwab: Up to 2 months

1. In the left sidebar, click Get production access
2. Enter your real address
3. For business profile, write:

   This is for personal use only on a self-hosted version of the Sure Finance software. I am only using it to manage my finances, sync my bank accounts, track my spending, and create a budget.

4. Leave company website blank
5. Enter your real name, phone number, email, and date of birth
6. Click Next
7. Indicate:
   • 0 employees
   • Your country of data access
   • You do not sell data
   • No security breach in past 12 months
8. Click Next
9. Select industry: Budgeting and financial management tools
10. Click Next
11. Enter any name for your application
12. Upload a logo (1024x1024px, under 4MB)
13. Leave brand color as #22CCEE
14. Set Website URL to: https://github.com/we-promise/sure
15. In “Reason for data access”, enter:

    This is for personal use only on a self-hosted version of the Sure Finance software. I am only using it to manage my finances, sync my bank accounts, track my spending, and create a budget.

16. Enter your real email as support email
17. Click Next
18. Enter your country for “Where do you want to launch?”
19. For products:
    • Payments: Check only Auth and Balance
    • Credit Underwriting: Leave all unchecked
    • Fraud & Compliance: Leave all unchecked
    • Financial Management: Check all products
20. Click Next
21. For use cases:
    • Payments: Select Consumer bill pay
    • Financial Management: Select Personal budgeting and financial advice for all products
22. Click Next
23. Select Pay As You Go plan
24. Click Next
25. Enter billing details and check agreement boxes
26. Click Next
27. Click Start Security Practices Questionnaire
28. For each question:
    • Select Other - please see comments
    • Write in notes:

      This is for personal use only on a self-hosted version of the Sure Finance software. I am only using it to manage my finances, sync my bank accounts, track my spending, and create a budget.

29. Continue through all sections, repeating step 28
30. Click Submit
31. Wait for approval (may take more than 24 hours)

Configuring Sure

After your Plaid account is approved:

1. Go to dashboard.plaid.com/developers/api or click Developers > API
2. Click Configure next to Allowed redirect URIs
3. Click Add new URI
4. Enter your domain with /accounts appended (e.g., https://budget.yourdomain.com/accounts)
5. Click Save changes
6. Go to dashboard.plaid.com/developers/keys or click Developers > Keys
7. Copy your client_id and Production secret key

Docker Compose configuration

In your docker-compose.yml file, add these environment variables:

PLAID_CLIENT_ID: ${PLAID_CLIENT_ID}
PLAID_SECRET: ${PLAID_SECRET}
PLAID_ENV: ${PLAID_ENV}

Environment variables

In your .env file, add:

PLAID_CLIENT_ID=ENTER_CLIENT_ID_FROM_PLAID_HERE
PLAID_SECRET=ENTER_SECRET_KEY_FROM_PLAID_HERE
PLAID_ENV=production  # Use 'production' for Full/Limited Production Access, or 'sandbox' for Sandbox Access

Restart Sure

After updating your configuration, restart your Sure instance. You should now see the Link account option in the Sure UI.

Features

• US bank coverage: Comprehensive support for US financial institutions
• Real-time data: Access to account balances and transactions
• OAuth support: Secure authentication for supported banks
• Multiple accounts: Connect accounts from different institutions

Pricing

Plaid uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model. Check plaid.com/pricing for current rates.

Limitations

• US-focused: Primarily supports US institutions, not available for European users
• Complex setup: Requires significant technical configuration
• TOS concerns: Personal use may violate Plaid’s terms of service
• Public accessibility: Requires publicly accessible HTTPS endpoint
• Long approval times: OAuth-enabled banks can take months to approve
• Technical expertise: Not recommended for non-technical users

Alternatives

Consider these alternatives to Plaid:

• SimpleFIN: Simpler setup, more affordable, US-focused
• Enable Banking: Free, EU-focused, easier setup
• Lunch Flow: Global coverage, paid service

Troubleshooting

Link popup closes after selecting a bank

If the Plaid popup closes immediately after you select a bank, and Sure shows no useful app logs, the problem may be on Plaid’s side rather than in your Sure configuration.

Things to verify first:

• Your instance is publicly reachable over HTTPS
• Your allowed redirect URI is set correctly in Plaid, for example https://budget.yourdomain.com/accounts
• PLAID_ENV=production when using Limited or Full Production access
• Your PLAID_CLIENT_ID and PLAID_SECRET are the Production credentials, not Sandbox keys

If all of that looks correct and the flow still closes with no obvious error, Plaid may need to review or reprocess your onboarding / client registration.

This has happened in the wild with Sure. In one confirmed Chase case, the integration started working without app changes after Plaid support escalated the issue to their Chase team and reprocessed the user’s client registration.

When contacting Plaid support, include:

• Your Plaid environment and access tier (for example, Limited Production)

• The institution you are trying to connect (especially if it is Chase or another OAuth-heavy institution)

• Confirmation that /link/token/create succeeds (can be verified in the Activity section of your Plaid Dashboard)

• Confirmation that your redirect URI is configured correctly

• A note that the Link popup closes without completing the connection

• A request for them to verify or reprocess your client registration / onboarding

Support

For Plaid-specific issues, consult the Plaid documentation or contact Plaid support.