Before you connect your accounting software to Swipey, it helps to understand what's actually happening under the hood. This article covers the core concepts, so when you go through the setup wizard, nothing feels like a mystery.
The setup wizard (powered by Alfie, our AI assistant) will guide you through connecting your account but this article helps you understand why you're doing each step.
Every time money moves whether you're depositing funds into Swipey, topping up a card, or making a payment your accounting system needs to know about it. Money doesn't appear out of thin air; it always moves from one account to another.
This is why every transaction has two sides:
Both sides must always balance. This is true for every transaction in Swipey: deposits, card spends, top-ups, and clawbacks.
Your accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero, or Bukku) comes with a predefined list of accounts called a Chart of Accounts. This includes things like Sales, Cost of Goods Sold, and your bank accounts.
However, your accounting software has no idea that Swipey exists. So when you move money into Swipey, you need to tell your system where that money went, which means creating a Swipey entry inside your Chart of Accounts.
💸 Example: depositing RM5,000 into Swipey
When you connect your accounting software to Swipey, our AI assistant (Alfie) will either find your existing Swipey accounts or help you create new ones. You won't need to manually navigate your Chart of Accounts.
During setup, Alfie will ask whether you want to track Swipey with two separate accounts (Master + Cards) or a single general Swipey account. Here's what each means:
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Two accounts: Master + Cards
Track funds separately between your Swipey Master (the wallet) and Swipey Cards (employee spend). Gives you full visibility into internal movements like top-ups and clawbacks.
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Treat all Swipey money as one bucket. Internal movements (top-ups between Master and Cards) won't be synced — only deposits and card expenses. Good if internal tracking isn't a priority.
🤔 Not sure which to pick?
Once connected, the accounting page in Swipey is split into two tabs. Here's what each one covers:
For Expenses, Swipey pre-fills the From Account (your Swipey Cards account) automatically. You only need to select the To Account — the expense category, e.g. Software, Travel, Equipment.
For Internal Transfers, both accounts are pre-filled based on your setup. A deposit will show automatically as: From → your bank, To → Swipey Master.
When you connect for the first time, Alfie guides you through a short setup flow. Here's what happens at each step:
For QuickBooks, a login pop-up appears, sign in and select your company. Learn how to set up here.
For Xero, a login pop-up appears, sign in and select your company. Learn how to set up here.
For Bukku, you'll generate an API key from your Bukku account and paste it into Swipey. Learn how to set up here.
Alfie reads all your existing accounts and looks for anything that looks like a Swipey account. This takes a moment, you'll see a "Connecting, please check back later" message.
Check my existing accounts: if you've been tracking Swipey manually, Alfie will suggest the best match. You can accept it or choose a different account from the dropdown.
Start from scratch: Alfie creates the Swipey accounts inside your accounting software for you automatically.
Alfie walks you through linking both accounts (or one, if you chose single-account setup). Once done, you'll see a green "Linked" label and you're ready to start syncing.
Once your accounting software is connected, avoid disconnecting it. This may cause your sync settings to be lost. If you run into issues, reach out to the Swipey support team before disconnecting.
📌 Next: connect your PREFFERED accounting software
📗 Connect QuickBooks to Swipey → 📘 Connect Xero to Swipey → 📙 Connect Bukku to Swipey →