Guides

How to split the Christmas meal without the awkward bit

Twelve people, a set menu, four bottles of wine that only half the table drank, a deposit someone paid in November, and a bill that arrives at 11pm. The Christmas meal is the hardest bill of the year to split.

Here’s how to do it fairly, whether it’s the work do, the friends’ Christmas dinner or the family meal out.

Before the night

• Agree how drinks work up front. “Food split evenly, drinks you pay for yourself” is the rule that avoids the most arguments, and it’s fair to the non-drinkers.
• Write down who paid the deposit. Deposits paid weeks earlier are the money most often forgotten. Log it as a bill the day it’s paid.
• Ask for one bill, not split bills. Restaurants often refuse to split a big party’s bill at the table anyway. One bill plus a fair split afterwards is quicker.
• If work is putting money in, say how much per head. A fixed amount per person is easy to take off everyone’s share. A lump sum for “the table” causes arguments.

On the night: three taps

1. Snap the receipt

Whoever pays takes a photo of the bill. Owecrew reads in every line, including the set menus, the bottles and the service charge.

2. Hold up the QR

A big table rarely has one group chat with everyone in it, especially at a work do. Let people scan the QR code on your phone instead. It opens in their browser, they pick a name, and they’re in. No app, no sign-up.

3. Everyone taps what they had

Set menus and shared bottles split between whoever had them. Service is spread across the table. Everyone sees what they owe on their own phone before the coats are on, and Owecrew works out the fewest transfers to settle up, deposit included.

The tricky bits, sorted

• Non-drinkers. Wine and rounds are only split between the people who had them. Nobody subsidises a bottle they didn’t touch.
• People who left early. They can tap their items before they go, and see exactly what to send.
• The deposit. Logged as its own bill, it’s netted against the night automatically.
• Secret Santa or a group present. Add the gift as a bill, shared between everyone chipping in, and it goes into the same balances.
• Nobody wants to get their phone out. With Table round (Premium), you pass one phone round the table or just ask everyone what they had. Every crew gets a free go.

Going away for New Year?

For a trip with lots of bills in a few days, a Trip Pass (£4.99, once) adds trip mode, foreign currencies and a group budget for one crew for 14 days. One person pays and the whole crew gets it. See splitting costs on a group trip.

FAQ