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 give an app permission to use Plaid, you are telling Plaid to look at those details and pass them along. Plaid does not see your password, your Social Security number, or any information you have not stored in your bank account itself.
The depth of what Plaid sees depends on what the app you are connecting to actually needs. A budgeting app might request only your transaction history and current balance. A loan process might request the same information plus details about your account age and whether the account is in good standing. Plaid shows you what data the app is asking for before you approve the connection.
Plaid acts as a middleman between you and the app. Your bank does not share your information directly with the app — instead, Plaid retrieves it from your bank and passes it to the app on your behalf. This is why you connect through Plaid rather than giving the app your banking login credentials directly.
Key Takeaways
- Plaid can see your transaction history, account balances, and account type — the same information visible in your online banking.
- Plaid cannot see your password, Social Security number, or any personal information stored outside your bank account.
- You control what data Plaid shares by choosing which accounts to connect and reviewing the permissions the app requests before you approve.
- Plaid is encrypted and regulated, but you can revoke access to any app at any time through your bank's settings or Plaid's website.
What Plaid cannot see
Plaid cannot see information that is not in your bank account. Your Social Security number, tax returns, credit score, employment history, and insurance information are all invisible to Plaid unless you have stored them in your bank's system (which most banks do not do). Plaid also cannot see passwords, PINs, or security questions.
Plaid cannot access accounts you have not explicitly connected. If you have a savings account, a credit card, and a brokerage account, Plaid can only see the ones you choose to link. You decide which accounts to connect and which to leave out.
How Plaid protects your information
Plaid uses encryption to protect data in transit, meaning the information traveling between your bank and Plaid is scrambled so that no one intercepting it can read it. Plaid is also regulated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and state financial regulators, which means it must follow rules about how it stores and uses your data.
Plaid does not sell your transaction data to advertisers or data brokers. The company makes money by charging the apps that use its service, not by selling your information. However, Plaid does retain some data about your accounts — how long you have had them, their balances over time — to help detect fraud and verify your identity if you reconnect later.
You can see what apps have access to your bank data and revoke that access at any time. Most banks let you manage connected apps in their settings menu, usually under "Security" or "Connected Apps." You can also revoke access directly through Plaid's website by visiting plaid.com and signing in with your email address.
The difference between Plaid and giving an app your password
Before Plaid became common, the only way to let an app access your bank account was to give it your actual banking password. This was risky because the app could change your password, move money without your permission, or store your credentials insecurely. If the app was hacked, your banking password was compromised.
Plaid works differently. You log into your bank through Plaid's find connection, not through the app. Plaid then retrieves the data and passes it to the app — the app never sees your password. If the app is hacked, your banking credentials are not exposed because the app never had them in the first place.
What happens to your data after Plaid shares it
Once Plaid sends your data to the app, that app's privacy policy takes over. Plaid is responsible for protecting the data while it is in Plaid's hands, but the app is responsible for what it does with the data after it receives it. This is why it is worth reading the app's privacy policy before you connect — you are trusting that app with your financial information.
Some apps store your transaction history on their servers so they can show you trends over time. Others retrieve your data fresh each time you open the app and do not store it. The app's privacy policy should explain which approach it uses. If it does not, that is a sign to be cautious.
Controlling what Plaid can access
You have control at multiple points. First, you choose which accounts to connect — you do not have to link every account you own. Second, you can see what data the app is requesting before you approve the connection and decline if the request seems excessive. Third, you can revoke access at any time if you change your mind about using the app.
If an app asks for access to accounts you do not want to share, you can create a separate login at your bank just for that app and connect only that account. Some people do this with apps that do not need access to their full financial picture. Your bank can walk you through creating a limited-access login if you ask.
Red flags when connecting through Plaid
Be cautious if an app asks for access to accounts you would not expect it to need. A budgeting app should not need access to your investment accounts. A bill-pay service should not need to see your entire transaction history going back years. If the request seems broad, you can decline and look for an alternative app or contact the app's support team to ask why it needs that access.
Also be cautious if an app asks you to connect through a method other than Plaid — for example, if it asks you to enter your banking credentials directly into a form on the app's website. That is a sign the app is not using a find intermediary and is storing your password itself, which is riskier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Plaid see my credit card accounts?
Plaid can see credit card accounts if your bank allows it and you connect them. However, many banks do not make credit card data available through Plaid, so you may not be able to link a credit card even if you want to. Check whether the app you are trying to use lists your card issuer as supported.
If I disconnect an app from Plaid, does it lose access to my data?
Yes. Once you revoke access, the app can no longer retrieve new data from your bank through Plaid. However, the app may still have copies of data it downloaded before you disconnected — that is governed by the app's privacy policy, not by Plaid. If you want the app to delete stored data, you may need to contact the app directly.
Does Plaid charge me money to use it?
No. Plaid does not charge you. The apps you connect through Plaid pay Plaid a fee for using its service. You never pay Plaid directly.
Can my bank see which apps I have connected through Plaid?
Your bank can see that you have authorized a third-party app to access your account, but the bank may not know which specific app it is or what data it is accessing. If you want to know what your bank knows, you can check your bank's connected apps settings or call your bank's customer service.
What should I do if I think Plaid has been hacked?
Contact your bank when ready and let them know you are concerned about unauthorized access. Your bank can monitor your account for suspicious activity and help you change your password if needed. You can also check Plaid's security page or contact Plaid support directly through plaid.com.