How to Connect Plaid and ACH Transfers to a Bubble App

Many finance apps start with the same need: let users connect a bank account safely. Plaid is the service that does this, and our free Ez Plaid Connect & ACH Transfers plugin brings it into Bubble. It has 23.5k+ installs. This guide explains what the plugin does and walks through the setup, step by step.

What Plaid and the plugin do

Plaid is a financial technology company that connects financial accounts to apps and services. It sits between consumers, banks and fintech apps, so users can securely link their bank accounts and cards. Its tools let developers work with financial data for features such as account verification, balance checking and transaction history.

The [Ez Plaid Connect & ACH Transfers](/one_plugin/ez-plaid-connect--ach-transfers-1700482343294x635465155869533000) plugin lets your Bubble app enable authorization and perform ACH transfers. It integrates the Plaid JavaScript library and interface in an element called the Auth Window, which keeps the authorization flow simple.

You can see it working in our Ez Finance Dashboard template, which includes a live demo.

Before you start

• A Bubble app where you will install the plugin.
• A Plaid account. You need a client ID and a secret key, and you can get them for free by signing up on Plaid's dashboard.
• A test mode first. Plaid has three environments: Sandbox, Development and Production. Start in Sandbox and move on when the flow works.

Step-by-step setup

1. Install the plugin. Add Ez Plaid Connect & ACH Transfers to your Bubble app from the plugin marketplace.
2. Get your keys. Every call in the plugin needs two values: the client ID and the secret key. Create a Plaid account and open the Keys page of the developer dashboard to find them. Treat the secret key like a password.
3. Choose Sandbox. Fill the environment parameter in each call. For testing, use Sandbox.
4. Set your redirect URL in Plaid. In the Plaid dashboard, add the page where users should return after they authorise their bank. Add one link for the test version of your app and one for the live version.
5. Create a link token. Use the plugin's Get Link Token data call. Pass the user ID, your application name, the link to a backend workflow (the endpoint for the webhook) and your redirect URI. Save the token, for example in a field on the current user.
6. Add the Auth Window element. Place the plugin element on your page and give it the saved link token. In the preview you can pick a bank to connect; for Sandbox testing, Chase works well.
7. Handle the return. After authorization the user comes back to your redirect URI, and the link contains an oauth_state_id parameter. When the page loads, run a workflow whose first step is the plugin action Handle Public Key.
8. Use the plugin event. Add the plugin event that fires when the public token is generated successfully.
9. Exchange the token. Inside that event, call Public Token Exchange to swap the public token for the main access token.
10. Save the access token. Store it, for example on the current user. With it you can run ACH transactions or use the same token with other Plaid plugins for Bubble.
11. Read account data. To get the current account and the available payment methods, use the Get Account Info call.

Tips for a smooth integration

1. Test in Sandbox until the full flow works, including the redirect back to your app.
2. Keep keys and tokens out of the page. Store the access token on the user record and protect it with your privacy rules.
3. Use a backend workflow for the webhook so Plaid can reach your app reliably.
4. Plan the user experience. Explain why you ask users to connect a bank before opening the Auth Window.

Frequently asked questions

Is the plugin free?

Yes. Ez Plaid Connect & ACH Transfers is free.

Do I need my own Plaid account?

Yes. Every call needs your Plaid client ID and secret key. Signing up for Plaid is free, and the keys are in your developer dashboard.

Where can I see it working?

In the Ez Finance Dashboard template, whose live demo shows the bank connection flow. The full plugin documentation is also available in our documentation.

Need help building a finance app?

If you are building a fintech or finance product and want a team to wire this up, we can help. See Bubble finance templates, Bubble MVP development or hire Bubble developers. We work at $40 per hour, and a typical MVP takes about four weeks.