Vendor Analysis

Understand your spending patterns by merchant. See where your money goes, identify recurring expenses, and track subscription costs—all automatically.

Overview

Vendor Analysis organizes all your transactions by merchant, showing:

• Total spent per vendor
• Transaction count and frequency
• Average amount per purchase
• Recurring patterns (subscriptions, monthly bills)
• Last transaction date

No manual categorization required—CshFlow does it automatically.

How It Works

Step 1: Vendor Grouping

After uploading your CSV, CshFlow:

1. Extracts vendor names from transaction descriptions
2. Normalizes names (removes store numbers, cleans formatting)
3. Groups transactions by normalized vendor
4. Calculates totals and averages

See Vendor Normalization for details on name cleaning.

Step 2: Pattern Detection

For each vendor, CshFlow analyzes:

• Frequency - How often you make purchases
• Amount consistency - Are charges similar each time?
• Historical duration - How long have you been a customer?

Step 3: Subscription Identification

Based on patterns, CshFlow classifies vendors as:

• High Confidence Subscription - Definitely a recurring expense
• Medium Confidence - Likely recurring, may need confirmation
• Low Confidence - Irregular spending, probably not a subscription
• One-Time Purchase - Single transaction or very irregular

The Vendor Table

Columns

Vendor Name

• Cleaned, normalized merchant name
• Click to see all transactions from this vendor

Total Spent

• Sum of all transactions over your entire history

Transaction Count

• Number of purchases made

Average Amount

• Mean transaction value

Frequency

• Detected billing pattern (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.)

Subscription Status

• High, Medium, or Low confidence indicator

Last Transaction

• Most recent purchase date

Sorting and Filtering

Sort by any column or filter to show:

• All Vendors
• Subscriptions Only
• Possible Subscriptions
• One-Time Purchases

Managing Subscriptions

Mark as "Not a Subscription"

If CshFlow incorrectly identifies something as recurring:

1. Click the vendor row
2. Select "Not a Subscription"
3. Vendor will be excluded from recurring expense calculations

Common False Positives:

• Grocery stores (weekly shopping, different amounts)
• Coffee shops (frequent but not a subscription)
• Gas stations (regular but variable)

Mark as Cancelled

When you cancel a subscription:

1. Find the vendor in the list
2. Click "Mark as Cancelled"
3. Enter cancellation date (optional)
4. Vendor excluded from future expense projections

Why This Matters:

• Daily spending calculator won't count this expense
• Historical data remains for reference

Vendor Details

Click any vendor row to see:

• Transaction List - All purchases from this vendor
• Spending Chart - Visual timeline of purchases
• Pattern Analysis - Detected frequency and averages
• Actions - Mark as cancelled, not a subscription, etc.

Use Cases

Find Hidden Subscriptions

1. Go to Vendor Analysis
2. Filter: "Subscriptions Only"
3. Sort by: "Last Transaction" (oldest first)
4. Look for services you don't use anymore

Audit Monthly Bills

Check if subscription prices have increased:

1. Click vendor with high confidence
2. Review transaction amounts over time
3. Look for gradual increases

Budget for Recurring Expenses

Calculate total monthly subscription cost:

1. Filter: "Subscriptions Only"
2. Note the monthly amounts
3. Add them up to know your committed spending

Track Spending by Merchant

1. Sort by: "Total Spent"
2. Top vendors show your biggest spending categories
3. Identify opportunities to reduce

Tips for Accuracy

Upload Complete History

More data = better detection:

• Upload 6+ months of transactions
• Include all accounts
• Keep uploads current

Review New Vendors

After each CSV upload:

• Check for newly detected subscriptions
• Verify amounts are correct
• Mark false positives

Keep Cancelled List Updated

Always mark cancelled subscriptions:

• Prevents incorrect expense projections
• Keeps daily spending limit accurate

Privacy

What's Stored:

• Normalized vendor name
• Total spent and transaction count
• Detected patterns

What's NOT Stored:

• Your raw banking CSV files
• Comparison with other users
• Third-party vendor data

Your vendor analysis is private and not shared with any third parties.

Related Features

• Daily Spending - See how recurring expenses affect your limit
• Settings - Manage cancelled vendors and manual expenses
• Vendor Normalization - How names are cleaned
• Recurring Expenses - How subscriptions are detected

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Vendor Analysis shows you where your money goes. Use it to find forgotten subscriptions, audit bills, and make informed spending decisions.