01
4 min read
The Group Trip Money Checklist: What to Agree Before You Book
Eight decisions that take five minutes in the group chat and prevent every common money argument on a trip — plus a message you can copy and send.
Read articleField notes / shared money
Guides
The parts of shared spending a calculator can’t solve, fairness when incomes differ, currency fees nobody budgets for, and how to bring up money with people you like. Written and edited by Mark.
02
5 min read
Which Exchange Rate Should You Use When Splitting a Trip?
A Taiwan–Japan trip with TWD hotel costs and JPY cash purchases shows why a group needs to agree on one exchange-rate method.
Read article03
5 min read
Who Should Pay the Deposit? Handling Big Upfront Bookings
An upfront hotel booking needs a reimbursement plan, a cancellation rule and an agreed amount before the trip begins.
Read article04
5 min read
How to Split Bills When Everyone Earns Different Amounts
Income-based shares and opt-in expenses solve different problems. See the arithmetic and what BillSmart can record directly.
Read article05
5 min read
Bill-Splitting Etiquette Around the World
Questions to ask before paying a group bill abroad, with firsthand Taiwan context and sourced notes on payment methods and service charges.
Read article06
6 min read
How to Split Group Expenses Fairly
A group expense is rarely an expense for the whole group. Why every payment needs a payer and a set of people it covers, and what to agree before the money moves.
Read article07
6 min read
The Best Way to Split Expenses When Traveling with Friends
Three currencies in ten days and one person fronting the bookings. Picking a settlement currency, spreading the exposure, and charging each expense to the people it was actually for.
Read article08
6 min read
Cash vs Card When You Travel: How to Choose
The four places a payment abroad quietly costs more, why whoever withdraws the cash pays fees nobody else sees, and how to log both so the split stays fair.
Read article09
6 min read
Roommate Shared Expenses: The Costs That Actually Cause Arguments
Record shared supplies and bills with different service periods, including a worked example for a flatmate leaving mid-cycle.
Read article10
6 min read
How to Split Restaurant and Bar Bills for Big Groups
The drinks bill worked through in numbers, how service charges differ between Taiwan, Japan and the US, and why saying how you will split it before ordering changes what people order.
Read article11
6 min read
How to Split Concert and Sports Event Tickets with Friends
Agree on ticket reimbursement, exchange-rate method and resale risk before one person pays for the group.
Read article