Import Transactions from CSV

Import credit card transactions from CSV files to automatically match against benefits and identify statement credits.

Usage

/credit-card-benefits:import <file.csv> [--card card-name] [--format format]

Arguments

• file.csv (required): Path to the CSV file
• --card (optional): Which card these transactions are from
• --format (optional): CSV format hint (auto-detected if not specified)

Supported Formats

American Express

Date,Description,Amount
01/15/2026,UBER EATS,-25.00
01/15/2026,STATEMENT CREDIT,15.00

Columns: Date, Description, Card Member, Account #, Amount (or Reference, Amount)

Chase

Transaction Date,Post Date,Description,Category,Type,Amount
01/15/2026,01/16/2026,LYFT *RIDE,Travel,Sale,-25.00
01/16/2026,01/17/2026,SAPPHIRE RESERVE CREDIT,Rewards,Payment,25.00

Capital One

Transaction Date,Posted Date,Card No.,Description,Category,Debit,Credit
01/15/2026,01/16/2026,1234,CAPITAL ONE TRAVEL,Travel,300.00,
01/16/2026,01/17/2026,1234,TRAVEL CREDIT,Rewards,,300.00

YNAB Export

Account,Date,Payee,Category,Memo,Outflow,Inflow
Amex Platinum,01/15/2026,Uber Eats,Restaurants,,25.00,
Amex Platinum,01/16/2026,Statement Credit,,,15.00

Generic CSV

Must have at minimum: Date, Description/Payee, Amount columns

Auto-Detection Logic

The importer will:

1. Read the CSV header row
2. Identify the format based on column names
3. Parse dates (handles MM/DD/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, etc.)
4. Normalize amounts (handle negative vs positive conventions)

Matching Logic

Benefit Transactions

Match purchases to benefits based on merchant patterns:

Pattern	Benefit	Card
UBER, UBER EATS	Uber Cash	Amex Platinum
LULULEMON	Lululemon Credit	Amex Platinum
SAKS, SAKSFIFTHAVENUE	Saks Credit	Amex Platinum
DISNEY, HULU, ESPN+	Entertainment	Amex Platinum
EQUINOX	Equinox Credit	Amex Platinum
RESY, known Resy restaurants	Resy Credit	Amex Platinum, Delta
LYFT, UBER (rides)	Rideshare Credit	Delta Reserve
CAPITAL ONE TRAVEL	Travel Credit	Venture X
CHASE TRAVEL	Travel/Hotel Credit	Sapphire Reserve
DELTA.COM/STAYS	Delta Stays	Delta Reserve

Statement Credits

Identify credits by:

• Negative amounts (outflow) or Credit column populated
• Keywords: CREDIT, STATEMENT CREDIT, REWARD, BONUS
• Match timing to recent purchases (1-5 days later)

Annual Fee Detection

Look for transactions matching:

• "ANNUAL FEE", "ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEE", "YEARLY FEE"
• Amount matching known annual fees ($895, $795, $650, $395)
• Use posting date as the card anniversary date

Output

After import, display:

Import Summary: amex-january-2026.csv
=====================================

Transactions Processed: 150
Date Range: 2026-01-01 to 2026-01-31

BENEFIT MATCHES FOUND:
- Jan 5: UBER EATS $18.50 → Uber Cash (Jan)
- Jan 8: LULULEMON $89.00 → Lululemon Q1
- Jan 12: DISNEY PLUS $15.99 → Entertainment (Jan)
- Jan 15: CARBONE NYC $125.00 → Resy Q1

STATEMENT CREDITS FOUND:
- Jan 6: UBER CASH CREDIT $15.00 ✓
- Jan 9: LULULEMON CREDIT $75.00 ✓
- Jan 13: ENTERTAINMENT CREDIT $15.99 ✓

ANNUAL FEE DETECTED:
- Jan 15: ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEE $895.00
  → Setting card anniversary to January 15

UNMATCHED CREDITS (review manually):
- Jan 20: STATEMENT CREDIT $50.00 → Unknown source

Update checklist with these matches? [y/n]

Data Updates

When confirmed, the importer will:

1. Update used amounts for matched benefits
2. Add transactions to the transaction arrays
3. Update accountOpenDate if annual fee detected
4. Update lastAnnualFeeDate for tracking
5. Save changes to checklist.yaml

Example Transaction Entry

transactions:
  - date: 2026-01-08
    amount: 89.00
    merchant: LULULEMON
    creditReceived: 75.00
    creditDate: 2026-01-09
    importedFrom: amex-january-2026.csv

Tips

1. Download statements monthly to keep tracking current
2. Use card-specific exports for best matching accuracy
3. Review unmatched credits - they may be benefits you forgot about
4. Annual fee date is the most reliable anniversary indicator