We recently spotted a TikTok etiquette question around getting paid back after a pricey dinner out with friends. The problem, it seemed, was that when one person covered a check that couldn’t be split, most of her friends were quick to pay back the $250 they each owed—but one acquaintance seemed unbothered about settling up.
When one person covers the meal—or buys the concert tickets, covers the AirBNB, or books the flights—it can be a delicate situation to get paid back… Especially if you’re not close with the people you’re splitting with. While apps like Venmo are simple to use amongst friends, when there’s someone who isn’t paying you back, you need something that falls between a formal invoice and professional reminders and sending DMs asking for a Venmo transfer. That’s where Payable can help!
We’ve talked about using the Payable add-on with Google Forms for group vacations, barbecues, and group gifts, but thanks to how simple it is to set up a Form and send the payment link to friends, it’s incredibly quick to create one-off ‘pay up now’ Forms for even a group dinner. (It also helps distance you from the awkward ‘hey, where’s my money?’ moment—perfect for those who often end up picking up the check, but struggle to get paid back.)
You can get as in-depth as you want with the Form. You can create a simple Form with a single amount for everyone to pay, or you can opt to split it in different ways (i.e based on how many glasses of wine you have!).
If your buddy isn’t getting the hint, you can even use the Form more like an invoice, and fill it out for them (a full tutorial is here) so they receive the checkout link in their inbox. And within the connected Payable Sheet, you can opt to send reminders, so if they haven’t paid, they’ll get an email reminding them that they owe you.
Sure, some people just will go to any length to avoid paying for dinner. But most people, if prompted enough, will get the message and pay up!