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The 6 best bill splitting apps

By WTOP Staff

We’ve all been there. You’ve enjoyed an evening out with friends or work colleagues, eaten a nice meal, shared pleasant conversation — and then the check arrives. Some of you are paying cash. Some are paying with plastic. At least one of you is put out that the group is splitting the avocado and deep-fried onion appetizer evenly, and not just among those who dared to try it.

Eventually it gets sorted — and God help the server back at the register keeping it all straight.

But there’s an easier way. In fact, there are six easier ways, each as close as your smartphone.

1. Divvy

Divvy is one of several smartphone apps that employ optical character recognition to capture details such as items ordered and prices from the restaurant check. From there, you assign items and amounts to each member of your party. It calculates and divides the tip, allows you to sort guests into groups for those who would like to pay together (or pay for the avocado-fried onion appetizer they hogged) and more. When it’s done, you’ll know exactly how much everyone owes.

Available for iOS.

Cost: $0.99

[Read: 5 Ways to Save Money When Dining Out.]

2. Billr

Billr works a lot like Divvy, except Billr doesn’t rely on OCR to capture an image of the check. Instead, you enter items and amounts manually. Like Divvy, you can split items like avocado and fried -onion appetizers among several guests. Once everything’s entered, the app calculates everyone’s share. From there you can settle up at the table, or send text or email reminders to everyone.

Available for iOS.

Cost: $1.99

3. Plates by Splitwise

A much more ambitious app than a mere restaurant check-splitter, Splitwise helps groups divide and settle all sorts of bills, such as rent, utilities and groceries. Plates by Splitwise simplifies the app to suit the diner (or the bar or the food truck). The app tracks IOUs over time, so, for example, if you picked up lunch last week at the upscale bistro, while your cubicle-mate picked up lunch this week at the corner deli, you’ll both know how much you’re still owed. It will even send out a friendly email reminder to pay up.

Splitwise is available for Android, iOS and via the Web. Plates is available for iOS.

Cost: Free

[Read: The Best Ways to Split Rent With Roomates.]

4. Cover

The people who make Cover have inked deals with hundreds of restaurants in San Francisco and New York to allow users to pay for dinner using the app. Just let your server know you intend to pay with Cover, and you’re set — no waiting for the check. The app handles the splitting and calculation, too. Payments are made via a credit card you register when you install the app. If you’re splitting the check, other members of your party will have to have Cover installed, too.

Available for Android and iOS.

Cost: Free

5. PayPal and MyCheck

PayPal has teamed up with restaurant bill paying service MyCheck (much like Cover, above), to add restaurant check splitting and payment capabilities to the PayPal smartphone app. Like Cover, users inform staff they intend to pay with PayPal, and bypass the end of meal check drop-off and wait to pay routine. Users can split the check evenly, by percentage or by item. When you’re all square, pay via PayPal and manage the IOUs that way, too.

Available for Android, iOS and Windows Phone.

Cost: Free

6. Splittr

While Splittr is designed to share the costs of weekend getaways or other big, hard to account for events, it can also handle a night out on the town. Set up an event, enter attendees and start tracking expenses. At the end of the trip or evening, the app splits the expenses, no matter who paid for what and when, and sends all guests a report covering who owes what to whom.

Available for iOS.

Cost: $1.99

[Read: 11 Ways to Save Money at the Bar.]

What about settling up?

Most of the apps noted here simply help you divide and tally your group’s expenses. But what about settling up among your group?

The smartphone payment and money transfer market is moving fast (you may have heard about Apple Pay, Apple Inc’s recently announced payment service). Several banks now allow money transfers via their proprietary smartphone apps. PayPal will let you quickly and easily send money to another PayPal user. Google offers a transfer service, too, via Wallet, as does mobile payment service Square. All you need to send someone cash with those services is an email address.

Put it all together, and at the end of the night nobody should feel like they paid more than their fair share for that crummy plate of avocado dip and deep fried onions.

More from U.S. News

Your Ultimate Tipping Guide

7 Apps That Help Save You Money

8 Ways to Maximize Your Credit Card Rewards

The 6 Best Bill Splitting Apps originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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