Australia has something most countries do not: a regulated way for apps to read your bank data. The Consumer Data Right started for banking on 1 July 2020, and it lets you share your transactions with an accredited app after you give consent, without handing over your internet banking password. It is a real improvement. It still means a company outside your bank receives your full transaction history and keeps processing it for as long as your consent lasts.
If you would rather keep that history to yourself, you can budget from the CSV file your bank already lets you download. BudgetVault is our app built for exactly that: free, no account, no bank connection, and your data stays on your device. This guide shows how to use it with an Australian bank, and when an open banking app is the better fit.
Two ways to get your transactions in
Open banking (CDR). An accredited app asks for your consent, your bank confirms it, and the app receives your transactions on an ongoing basis. You can see and withdraw the consent later. It is convenient and regulated, and the data lives on the app's servers.
A CSV file. You download your transactions from internet banking and import the file yourself. Nothing is shared until you decide, and with BudgetVault nothing leaves your device at all. The cost is a minute every few weeks.
Importing from your Australian bank
Australian banks generally let you export your transactions from internet banking as a CSV file. The steps are similar everywhere:
- Sign in to internet banking on a computer. Exports are often missing from the phone apps.
- Open the account or credit card and find the option to export or download transactions.
- Choose a date range and CSV as the format.
- In BudgetVault, choose Import a CSV file and pick the file. It is read on your device and never uploaded.
CommBank and other files with no column names
Some exports, including CommBank's, are bare rows with no header line: the date, the amount, the description and the running balance. BudgetVault reads those too. It works out which column is which from the values, ignores the running balance, and shows its guess next to a preview so you can correct a column before anything is imported.
Day-first dates
Australian files write dates day first, as in 14/10/2026. BudgetVault reads them that way. When every date in a file could be read both ways, for example a statement covering only the first twelve days of a month, it shows you the choice before importing.
Credit card statements
On a credit card, money coming back is usually a refund, and the payment from your everyday account is not income. Tick This is a credit card statement when you import a card file. Refunds then lower the spending of their category, so a $100 grocery shop with a $40 return counts as $60 spent, and payments such as "PAYMENT RECEIVED, THANK YOU" are skipped as transfers between your own accounts.
Australian dollars
BudgetVault picks your currency from your browser's language and region, so a browser set to English (Australia) starts in AUD. You can change it on the first screen or in Settings.
How the options compare
| Cost | Who holds your transactions | Effort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget apps using open banking | Free or a subscription, depending on the app | The app's company, under your CDR consent | Low: transactions arrive by themselves |
| Your bank's own app | Free | Your bank only | Low, but only that bank's accounts and its categories |
| A spreadsheet | Free | You | High: every purchase typed in, formulas to keep working |
| BudgetVault | Free, no paid tier | You, on your device | Import a CSV every few weeks, or add spending in two taps |
If you are weighing a spreadsheet, our BudgetVault vs Excel comparison covers when each one wins. For more apps that work without a bank connection, see budget apps that don't connect to your bank.
Setting up BudgetVault in Australia
- Open the app. There is nothing to sign up for. Check that the currency says AUD.
- Import your everyday account, then your credit card with "This is a credit card statement" ticked. Transfers between your own accounts can be skipped so they do not count twice.
- Set a few budgets for the categories you want to watch: groceries, eating out, fuel. Each one shows what is left this month and opens the transactions behind it.
- Keep it current. Add spending in two taps as it happens, or import a fresh file every few weeks. Transactions you already have are recognised and skipped.
- Back up now and then from Settings. Your budget lives in this browser on this device, which is what keeps it private, and also why a backup file matters.
On a phone, add BudgetVault to your home screen: it opens like an app and works offline.
When an open banking app is the better choice
If you want every account to update by itself and you are comfortable with an accredited company holding your transactions, an app that uses the Consumer Data Right saves you the downloads, and it is a safer way to connect than sharing a password. If you and a partner want the same budget on two phones, BudgetVault cannot do that: it has no sync, by design. If you want to see where the money goes and keep your history to yourself, a CSV file every few weeks is enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does BudgetVault work in Australia?
Yes. It runs in any modern browser and does not connect to any bank, so it works the same with any Australian bank whose internet banking lets you export a CSV file.
Can I import a CommBank CSV?
Yes. CommBank's export has no column names; BudgetVault recognises the date, amount and description from the values, ignores the balance, and shows a preview before importing.
Is open banking safe?
The Consumer Data Right is regulated, uses consent instead of your password, and lets you withdraw that consent. It is a far better way to connect than giving an app your login. The question is only whether you want a third party to hold your transactions at all.
Is BudgetVault really free?
Yes. There is no paid tier and no account. You can read how we think about the hidden costs of free budget apps.
Where is my data stored?
In your browser, on your device. Your transactions are never uploaded to a server, which is why there is nothing to sign in to and why backups are your job.