Ask privately, name the expense and give the amount. If you need the money by a particular date, say so. You can adapt these messages for shared expenses such as dinner or a trip.

How to ask a friend to pay you back

Send the first message once you know their share. Include a payment method or your details if they do not already have them.

Saturday's dinner was £58, so your half is £29. Could you send it over this week?

There is no need to apologise for asking. Attach the receipt if it will help them check the amount.

How to politely remind someone to pay you

Repeat the amount so your friend does not need to search the chat. Use a deadline you actually need; you do not have to invent a reason to ask.

Following up on the £29 for Saturday's dinner. Could you send it by Friday? Let me know if you need more time.

If they miss the date, ask privately when they can pay. If they dispute the amount, check the bill together before sending another reminder.

A message for a group

Send everyone the total and the calculation. Follow up with individual people privately.

The house was £240 and the van was £72. Between four of us, that's £78 each. I've attached the breakdown; please check your share before paying.

This example uses equal shares. If people had different rooms or stayed fewer nights, agree the holiday-house split first.

Keep several shared expenses in one room

For one bill, a message may be enough. For a trip with several payers, Peanut Split gives the group a shared record to check. Anyone with the room link can open it and add expenses. Keep the link in the group chat: there is no account or password recovery.

The room opens in a browser, with no app-store install required. A shared record can help explain an amount, but you may still need to ask for payment. If a suggested payee seems unfamiliar, check how debt simplification works.

Pay by your usual method, then record the payment in Split. Split does not send the money or check it with a bank; a paid status means someone marked it paid.

Split is free to use and has no paid tier. If your group already uses another app, the Splitwise and Settle Up comparison can help you decide whether to keep using it.

Keep your shared expenses together.

Start a split