How to re-consent or update your Open Banking bank feed connection

This article explains why Open Banking bank feeds require re-consent every 90 days and how to reconnect your bank account to FreeAgent. It also explains how to update your bank feed connection manually.

To make sure your Open Banking bank feed is kept active, you’ll need to reconnect and re-consent with your bank every 90 days as part of the Open Banking standard.

Reconnecting your bank every 90 days ensures that your account is secure and that you’re in control of the apps that access your banking data. 

If you have set up a bank feed integration with Starling Bank, you’ll need to re-consent directly with the Starling Bank app every 90 days.

How to re-consent your Open Banking bank feed

Navigate to the relevant bank account

Navigate to the 'Banking' tab at the top of the screen and select 'Bank Accounts' from the drop-down menu.

Select the relevant bank account from the list.

FreeAgent will display an ‘Expiring soon’ warning in the 'Bank Connection' box on the right-hand side of the screen 10 days before a bank feed is due to expire. When this alert appears, select 'Update connection'.

Re-consent the bank feed

To begin the re-consent process, select 'Connect to my bank'.

Review your bank accounts that are linked to FreeAgent and select 'Connect your accounts'. You’ll then be redirected to your bank, where you’ll have the option to reconnect all your available accounts at once.

The re-consent process may differ from bank to bank, so please follow the prompts given by your bank to complete the reconnection with FreeAgent.

Afterwards, you’ll be taken back to your FreeAgent account and your bank feed will function as normal for the next 90 days, after which you’ll need to re-consent it again.

What happens if I don’t re-consent my bank feed in time?

Don’t worry if your feed expires - once you reconnect to your bank, FreeAgent will automatically import data from your last transaction date, so no data will be missing.

How to update your Open Banking bank feed connection manually

If you need to update your bank feed connection manually, which you may need to do if your bank feed was set up before 4th May 2021 and you want to fully enable FreeAgent’s ‘Balance at bank’ functionality to include the mismatch alert, please follow the steps below.

First, navigate to the drop-down menu at the top-right of the screen and select ‘Connections’.

Next, select ‘Manage bank connections’.

Choose the appropriate bank account from the list.

Select 'Update Connection’ at the top-right of the screen. 

Select 'Connect to my bank'. 

Next, you’ll be prompted to review your bank accounts that are linked to FreeAgent. Select 'Connect your accounts' and you’ll be redirected to your bank’s website to finish the re-consent process.

Why can’t I update my bank feed connection?

If your bank feed connection fails to update after following the steps above, please wait 24 hours and then follow the steps again. If you’re still unable to update the connection, you will need to disconnect your bank feed and set it up again.

To do this, navigate to the drop-down menu at the top-right of the screen and select ‘Connections’.

Next, select ‘Manage bank connections’.

Choose the appropriate bank account from the list.

Select ‘Disconnect from bank’ at the top-right of the screen.

A pop-up window will appear. Select ‘Disconnect’ to complete the process.

Once you’ve disconnected your bank feed, you’ll be taken to an Open Banking screen. Select ‘Go to your accounts’ and follow these steps to set up the bank feed again.