We take some troubleshooting measures to help fix the issue, @k1s1. Let me share some information about the automatic categories in QuickBooks Online. 

When you add a receipt in QBO, the system automatically recognizes the information and selects a category based on the details of the forwarded transaction to make it easier to categorize the transaction. However, if this isn't the one you want, you can change its category manually by following these steps:

1. Click the Review button to examine the transaction details.
2. Select the appropriate category that fits the transaction in the Account/Category dropdown.
3. Click Save and next or Save and close.
    

By following these steps, you can ensure that the transaction is correctly categorized in QBO. 

Also, you can turn off the enabled suggested categorization in your bank settings. You can uncheck it so you won't get category suggestions.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Transactions, then Bank Transactions.
2. Select the small Gear Icon.
3. Turn off or uncheck the Enable suggested categorization.

I'll add this article when you want to categorize your transactions: Categorize online bank transactions in QuickBooks Online.

Don't hesitate to notify me if you have further questions about categorizing transactions in QBO. I'm always here to help. Take care.

This;

"...the system automatically recognizes the information and selects a category based on the details of the forwarded transaction to make it easier to categorize the transaction.." ...is complete fantasy. The reality is 100% failure to ever select the correct category, but that's not the point.

The point is, it doesn't need to guess the category because it's already been told in the supplier details default expense category field. 

The steps you describe sound straightforward, but add the scrolling and multiply by 100-300 receipts per quarter and you've got 1-3 hours of correcting QuickBooks useless automatic categorisation.

In fact, it's worse than useless, because of you're not careful, you can be suckered into overlooking QuickBooks miscategorisation, leading to more hours correcting errors in taxation filling, etc. 

What you describe to turn off the dumb miscategorisation doesn't work for the receipts review.

Hi @k1s1.

I understand that categorizing transactions with the correct items would be of great convenience for you and your business. However, it's currently unavailable yet in QuickBooks Online.
 

You can send your feedback to our product engineers. This way, they can consider adding this feature in future updates.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Choose Feedback.
3. Type in your product suggestions, then click Next to submit feedback.

You can visit our QuickBooks Online Feature Requests website to track the status of your submitted feedback.

I'll be including these articles for more details and guidance about managing your accounts in QBO that can be helpful in the future:

• Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online
• Learn the reconcile workflow in QuickBooks

Let me know if you have further questions about categorizing transactions. I'm just a reply away. Keep safe!

Thanks for your response, but I think you're misunderstanding the issue.  I'm not requesting a new feature to increase convenience, I'm reporting that the existing feature: setting a default expense category for suppliers is not only being not used - it's being actively over-ridden causing extra work, errors and wasted time.

Any normal company would consider this a bug - and work hard to fix it - not merely suggest that the customers enter it as and idea for a future feature in some feedback black hole

I'd like to get in on this, as it is happening to me too. The "Receipts" feature does not seem to be at all connected to the rest of QBO. Not only does it not pick-up the specified "default category" that I've set, but it also doesn't appear to remember what has been previously selected (eg parking has been selecting correctly for awhile now then today it tried to assign parking receipts to Bank Charges)

Automatic categorisation fails 95%+ of the time. It's utterly pointless, and *adds* time and likelihood of errors, and creates more work for the user having to correct QBOs wild stab in the dark, rather than saving time. 

QuickBooks has had many many users report this issue, and make so called product suggestions, all ignored over many years