If you pay for almost everything with Mercado Pago, the problem isn't spending. It's remembering to log every QR payment, purchase and transfer. Connect your account once and Kesef brings them in on its own, with the merchant and the category, ready for your summaries. It's part of Kesef Pro, with a 14-day free trial on the yearly plan.
What comes in on its own
From the moment you connect, every new movement in your Mercado Pago account shows up in Kesef without you logging it:
- QR payments in a shop.
- Purchases you pay for with Mercado Pago.
- Transfers you send, as expenses, and the ones you receive, as income.
Each one comes in with its date, its amount and the merchant or person, and you get a notification when it lands. It can take 10 to 30 minutes to show up: that's how long Mercado Pago takes to send the update, not Kesef.
Categorise it once, and it learns
Each movement comes in with a category suggested by the merchant. If it's not the one you want, you change it, and Kesef remembers: the next payment to the same merchant or person already comes in categorised the way you left it.
And if the expense was a shared one, like the dinner you paid for or the household groceries, you move it into a group and it's split like any other group expense. No need to log it again.
How to connect it
- Sign in to Kesef. It's the free account, with Apple or Google: the connection is saved there and not on the phone, so it keeps working if you switch devices.
- From More › Integrations, authorise on Mercado Pago. You enter your password on Mercado Pago's page, never in Kesef.
- Choose where to start: only from now on, or also the last 30 or 90 days.
If you were already logging expenses by hand and brought in past movements, some may repeat. Kesef shows you the ones that look alike and you choose which to keep in each case; by default it keeps the one you logged.
What stays out, on purpose
Topping up your Mercado Pago balance or moving money into an investment isn't spending, so it's not logged: if it came in, your month would look more expensive than it was. Mercado Pago doesn't report your balance either, so Kesef asks you for it when you connect.
An instalment purchase comes in as a single movement, for the total: that's how Mercado Pago reports it.
Connected or by hand
The same thing, side by side: what changes in your day when Mercado Pago is connected.
| With Mercado Pago connected | Logging by hand | |
|---|---|---|
| QR payments and purchases | Come in on their own, with merchant and category | You log them one by one |
| Transfers you receive | Come in as income | You log them yourself |
| Category | Suggested by the merchant, and it learns from your changes | You pick it every time |
| What already happened | Bring in the last 30 or 90 days | You rebuild it from memory |
| Account balance | It asks you when you connect | You enter it yourself |
Before you connect, keep in mind
- It's part of Kesef Pro, with a 14-day free trial on the yearly plan.
- It needs you to sign in to Kesef, with Apple or Google: the connection lives in your account.
- It works in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.
- A payment can take 10 to 30 minutes to show up.
- Topping up your balance and moving money into an investment aren't logged, because they aren't spending.
- An instalment purchase comes in as a single movement, for the total.
Your money isn't touched
Kesef only reads your activity to log it. It can't pay, transfer or move money from your account, and it never sees or stores your password.
Disconnect whenever you want from More › Integrations. Kesef stops bringing in new movements and the ones already logged stay as they are, or you delete them in the same step if you'd rather leave nothing behind.
Available in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay: the seven countries where Mercado Pago has personal accounts that can be authorised.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Mercado Pago integration free?
It's part of Kesef Pro, which costs USD 5 per month or USD 35 per year, with a 14-day free trial on the yearly plan, or USD 100 as a one-time lifetime purchase. The rest of Kesef is free and uncapped: logging by hand, groups, recurring expenses and 150+ currencies.
Which Mercado Pago movements are imported?
QR payments, purchases you pay for with Mercado Pago, and transfers: the ones you send come in as expenses and the ones you receive as income. Topping up your balance and moving money into an investment aren't imported, because they aren't spending.
Is my Mercado Pago balance imported?
No: Mercado Pago doesn't report it. That's why Kesef asks for your balance when you connect the account.
Can Kesef move money from my Mercado Pago account?
No. The authorisation is read-only: Kesef can read your activity to log it, but it can't pay, transfer or touch your balance. You enter your password on Mercado Pago and it never goes through Kesef.
Do I need an account?
Yes, for this feature. The Mercado Pago connection is saved in your Kesef account and not on the phone, so it keeps working if you switch devices. The account is free and you create it with Apple or Google.
How long does a payment take to show up?
10 to 30 minutes: that's how long Mercado Pago takes to report the movement. You get a notification when it lands.
Can I bring in movements I've already made?
Yes. When you connect you choose to bring in only what comes from now on, or also the last 30 or 90 days. If any of them looks like an expense you already logged by hand, Kesef asks which one to keep.
Can I move a Mercado Pago movement into a group?
Yes. The movement comes in as your own expense, and from there you add it to a group, which splits it like any other shared expense. You can also change its category, and Kesef remembers it for the next payments to the same merchant or person.
Does it work on Android?
Yes, on Android and iPhone, in the seven countries where Mercado Pago has personal accounts: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.
What happens if I disconnect my account?
Kesef stops bringing in new movements. The ones already logged stay as they are, or you can delete them when you disconnect.