Is it possible to track 1099 transactions for a "Vendor" without making them a "Contractor"? QB charges us $4/month for our contractors but I don't want to pay that fee.

I'm here to ensure your vendors will show on your 1099, aarony-grsf-org. 

Yes, a vendor appears on the list if it meets the following criteria in QuickBooks Online: 

• You tagged it in QuickBooks Online as a 1099 vendor.
• It qualifies for the federal 1099-MISC threshold for the relevant boxes, after payments you made by credit card, debit card, or PayPal have been excluded.

To verify the settings, I suggest following these steps: 

1. Go to your Vendor list and click Prepare 1099s.
2. Click Continue with 1099s.
3. Review your company details, then Next.
4. Assign your vendor payments to categories defined by the IRS, and click Next.
5. Select your 1099 vendors, then click Next.
6. Review the payments and make sure that they're assigned to the correct 1099 categories, click Next.

• By default, QuickBooks shows 1099 vendors who meet the IRS threshold in the current tax year. If a vendor is missing some details, like an address or tax ID, just click the name and make the edits here.
• If you want to see vendors paid in a prior tax year, who aren't marked for 1099s, or whose total payments fall below the IRS thresholds, click the filter icon and update the settings.
• Click an amount to open the 1099 Transaction Details by Vendor report to see all of the payments that make up the total amount.
• Click an amount in the Excluded column to show any payments you made by credit card, debit card, gift card, or third-payment network such as PayPal. These payments are reported by card issuers and third-party payment networks on Form 1099-K. To avoid reporting payments twice to the IRS, your 1099-MISC forms should include only cash, check, EFT, ACH, and direct deposit payments. QuickBooks automatically tracks the right payment types for you.
• Click the Print icon to print a summary of 1099 vendors and payments, and the corresponding 1096 info for your accountant or your company records.

       7. If you're ready to file, choose how you want to distribute and file the forms.

 To learn how to prepare and file your Federal 1099s with QuickBooks Online, please refer to this article: Create and File 1099s. 

Additionally, I've included our Year End guide for reference. This article contains information that'll help you complete year-end tasks and end the year smoothly.

We'll be right here if you need further assistance in managing your 1099.