If you have been manually downloading bank statements and uploading CSV files every time you want to update your books, that era is officially over. We just launched automatic bank feeds in UrTravelPro Books, and it changes the entire bookkeeping workflow for travel agents.
This is the feature our beta testers have asked about most, and we shipped it fast. Here is what it means for you and your agency.
What Are Bank Feeds and Why Do They Matter?
Bank feeds create a direct, secure connection between your bank account and your bookkeeping software. Instead of downloading a CSV from your bank's website, mapping columns, and uploading it into your books, transactions flow in automatically. Every deposit, every payment, every transfer — it just shows up.
For travel agents juggling commission payments from multiple suppliers, host agency fees, client refunds, and day-to-day business expenses, this is a massive time saver. Instead of spending 30 minutes every week on data entry, you spend that time actually reviewing and categorizing your transactions — the part that actually matters for your tax preparation and financial clarity. The SBA recommends reconciling your books at least monthly — bank feeds make that realistic even on a busy schedule.
How It Works
The setup takes about two minutes:
Click "Add Bank Feed" on the Banking page inside UrTravelPro Books.
Sign in to your bank through a secure popup powered by Plaid — the same provider behind Venmo, Robinhood, and most major financial apps. Your bank login credentials never touch our servers.
Pick which accounts to connect — checking, savings, or both. We walk you through linking each one to an account in your books.
That's it. Transactions start flowing in immediately.
Once connected, new transactions appear in your books within seconds of your bank publishing them. No manual downloads, no file uploads, no column mapping headaches.
Built for How Travel Agents Actually Work
We did not just bolt a generic bank feed onto a generic accounting tool. Every detail was designed around the way travel agencies handle money:
"In Books" vs "At Bank" balances. For every connected account, you see both numbers side by side. When they match, your books are current. When they do not, you know exactly how many transactions are waiting for review. No more guessing whether your books are up to date.
Smart duplicate detection. If you have been importing CSVs and now switch to bank feeds, we automatically flag potential duplicates with an orange badge — right in your Needs Review tab where you are already working. Click the badge to see exactly which existing transaction it matches, the date, the amount, and why we think it is a match. No duplicated entries silently throwing off your reconciliation.
Opening balance helper. After your first sync, we calculate what your opening balance should be and pre-fill it for you. If you have already been tracking this account via CSV imports and your balance is correct, you can skip this step entirely — it is a real choice in the setup wizard, not a hidden link in a corner.
Real-time sync, not scheduled polling. Your bank notifies us when there is something new, and we pull it immediately. A daily safety-net sync also runs overnight, but most of the time your transactions arrive the same day they are published by your bank.
Try UrTravelPro Books Free
Bank feeds are available on our Growth and Pro plans. Every new account starts with a free trial so you can connect your bank, import your transactions, and see how it feels before committing. Create your free account here.
Smarter Permissions for Your Team
If you have a bookkeeper or accountant helping with your books, this update also brings clearer role boundaries:
Owners control billing and bank feed connections — the financial decisions that affect your subscription.
Admins handle day-to-day settings, user management, and manual bank account setup.
Accountants get full bookkeeping access — transactions, categorization, journal entries, chart of accounts, reconciliations, reports, and CSV imports.
Everyone sees exactly the tools they need, nothing they do not. And if a bank feed ever needs reconnecting, team members who cannot do it themselves will see a clear message explaining who to contact — no confusion, no broken buttons.
We Are Shipping Fast — and Listening
This is the second major update to UrTravelPro Books in two weeks. We are a small team building this product specifically for travel professionals, and we are moving quickly based on what real users tell us. Features our beta testers have asked for are already in the app — not on a roadmap for "Q3."
Bank feeds are currently rolling out to a select group of beta testers. All beta participants will have access soon, and if you want immediate access, you can upgrade to a paid plan today.
If you are in the beta and run into anything — a transaction that looks wrong, a screen that is confusing, something that could just be better — open a support ticket or reply to any email from us. We read every one and are often shipping fixes the same day.
What Is Coming Next
We are already working on auto-categorization rules — set a rule once and matching transactions get categorized automatically as they arrive. Combined with bank feeds, this means less time sorting through transactions and more time tracking your commissions and growing your agency. (If you are new to commission tracking, the IRS self-employment guide is worth bookmarking.)
Recurring transaction detection, improved CSV import flows, and deeper reporting are also on the immediate horizon.
Ready to Stop Uploading CSVs?
Sign up for UrTravelPro Books and connect your first bank account in under two minutes. Your books will thank you.
Already have an account? Log in and head to Banking to get started.
UrTravelPro Books is cloud-based bookkeeping software built specifically for travel agents and small travel agencies. Whether you are an ASTA member or just getting started as an independent advisor, from commission tracking to clean financial reports, everything is designed around how your business actually works.
