Bill splitting apps
Scrap the cash and pay your share of the bill with an app.
Divvy up with an app
The new breed of bill splitting apps aims to make paying friends or housemates easy by sharing and tracking group expenses, and in some cases allowing payments through the app from person to person. So how do they work and are there any pitfalls?
Why split bills?
- Restaurant bills
- Share house bills
- Group travel bookings
- IOUs
- Group presents
- Bulk shopping
Splitr Free (Android, iOS)
splitr-app.com
In a nutshell: All-in-one bill splitting and payment app.
Splitwise Free (Android, iOS)
splitwise.com
In a nutshell: Logs shared expenses, but you still need to figure out how to receive or pay what you owe.
Plates Free (iOS)
plates.splitwise.com
In a nutshell: Simple app that does what it says on the tin, but may be doubling up by encouraging users to link with Splitwise.
Pay with Groupee Free (Android, iOS)
paywithgroupee.com
In a nutshell: Use this two-in-one app to pay bills and send or receive payments from others in the group.
EasyShare Free (Android, iOS)
geteasyshare.com
In a nutshell: All-in-one app may save household arguments and keep slacker housemates from dragging their heels on paying bills and rent.
OurHome Free (Android, iOS, web platform)
ourhomeapp.com
In a nutshell: Digital housekeeper with detailed ability to assign tasks, but will need significant set-up and management time.
Are bill splitting apps safe?
The advice for avoiding potential threats is familiar – use common sense, have good security measures in place and, if in doubt, check before interacting with strangers, sending money to someone or sharing financial information. There have been numerous reports of Venmo, one of the most commonly used apps in the US (it's owned by PayPal), being used by scammers. Users received money for items they'd sold and found that the transactions were later reversed, leaving them without the money and without the item they'd 'sold'.
It's reasonable to question the security of apps that require you to store your banking details in order to be paid by others. Here are some of the security measures these apps have put in place:
- Splitr encrypts the information and says it's stored on certified secure payment servers.
- Pay with Groupee uses bank-level data encryption to protect and secure your financial data and doesn't store card details in the app. It also monitors all transactions for potentially fraudulent transactions.
- EasyShare uses the NAB payment system to process payments through the app, although the details are stored securely by its partner PCI compliant bank and all data in transit is encrypted.
Tips to avoid scams and losing money through bill splitting apps
- Use a complex, unique password for the bill splitting app.
- Only transfer funds to and from people you know.
- Avoid using payment apps while on public Wi-Fi.
- If you have to use payment apps on public Wi-Fi, use a VPN.
- Turn on notifications for all account activity, if available in the app.
- Avoid connecting apps to social media accounts where possible.
- Ensure your login email address has a strong, unique password to protect against identity fraud.
- Use two-factor authentication, if available, such as fingerprint or security code login plus password.
- Beware the terms and conditions of the app (such as restrictions on paying strangers) that could result in accounts being frozen or transactions being voided.