A bill item by item
Enter what was on the bill line by line, then let each person claim what they had, so everyone pays for their own.
An itemised bill lists what was ordered, one item to a line, and each person claims what they had. Use it when people ordered different things and an even split would not be fair. While it is being set up, a bill has four steps: People, Items, Claim and Pay.
How to start an itemised bill
- Press the + button in the app's bar, then choose Itemised bill.
- On New bill, check the Title, Date and Currency. Type a title or tap one of the names suggested under it; left empty, the bill is named what the field shows in grey, such as Lunch. The currency is the one for where you are, when your browser shares your location, or the one in your settings.
- The bill starts as paid by you. You can change who paid on the bill.
- Press Add items. The bill is made, and the Add item sheet opens on it.
- For each item, enter its Name, its Quantity and its Total, the price the receipt prints for the line. Press Add item. The sheet stays open for the next one and says what was added.
- Close the sheet when the last item is in.
To scan the receipt instead of typing it, see Scan a receipt.
The four steps
The steps are along the bottom of the bill, with the Add to this bill button between them. Above them, the bill's total, what is still unclaimed and your share are always in view.
- People. Everyone on the bill and who paid it. Add people from Add to this bill, or press Share link so they can join and claim for themselves.
- Items. What was on the bill, with any service, tax, tip or discount beneath. Tap an item to change it.
- Claim. Who had what. Each person taps what they had. See Claim what you had.
- Pay. Each person's total so far, and the Ready for payment button once nothing is stopping it.
A bill's photos open from the photo at the top of the bill, and are added in Bill settings. On Items or Claim, on a bill that is ready for payment, on a bill in a tab, and on Check the receipt after a scan, Side by side in the photo lays the receipt beside the list, to check each line against the paper; Close receipt puts it away. It stays beside the list from one step of the bill to the next, at the same photo, width and zoom. Drag the receipt's right edge to make it narrower, down to a strip, then drag the photo to show the prices; the phone remembers the width. On a computer or a wide tablet the receipt is a column of its own beside the bill, and the line between them drags it wider or narrower. Where the bill was is Where in Bill settings, which opens the map of this bill alone. See The gallery and The map.
Only you can see the bill until you share its link or add someone to it. Then it is open for claiming.
Worked example: dinner at Luigi's
Maya starts an itemised bill called Luigi's Trattoria, in GBP, and adds the items.
| Item | Quantity | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Margherita | 1 | 12.50 |
| Diavola | 1 | 14.00 |
| Carbonara | 1 | 15.50 |
| Garlic bread | 1 | 6.00 |
| Peroni | 3 | 15.60 |
| Tiramisu | 1 | 7.00 |
For the Peroni she sets the quantity to 3 and the total to 15.60, and the sheet works out 5.20 each. On the Items step the row reads 3 x 5.20. The items come to 70.60, and service of 10% adds 7.06, for a bill total of 77.66.
She adds Tom, Priya and Alex, and everyone claims what they had. Once all is claimed, the shares are:
| Person | Items | With service |
|---|---|---|
| Maya | 17.00 | 18.70 |
| Tom | 25.90 | 28.49 |
| Priya | 17.50 | 19.25 |
| Alex | 10.20 | 11.22 |
If something stops you
- You are offline. The bill is saved on this phone. A bill in a tab needs a connection to be made.
- Add items does nothing. The bill needs a title and a date. The field that is missing one says so.
- Nobody else can see the bill. Share its link from the People step, or add them from Add to this bill.