How to split travel expenses in multiple currencies

Euros for the hotel, dollars for the tour, pounds for dinner. Here’s a simple, fair way to split group travel costs across currencies, with a worked example.

The problem with splitting per currency

If you track each currency separately, the trip ends with something like “you owe $12 and are owed £8”. Nobody knows the real number, and settling takes more payments than it should.

The method, in 3 steps

1. Pick one trip currency. Usually the currency most people will settle in, or where most of the money is spent.
2. Convert every expense on the day it happens, and keep that rate. Use that day’s rate and never recalculate it later. Rates move, and recalculating at the end quietly shifts money between people.
3. Settle once, in the trip currency. Work out each person’s net balance, then have the people who owe pay the people who are owed, with as few payments as possible.

Worked example

Three friends on a trip with euros as the trip currency (rates are illustrative):

Split equally, each person’s share is €169.40. Subtract each share from what that person paid:

• Alex paid €300.00, so Alex is owed €130.60
• Sam paid €138.00, so Sam owes €31.40
• Jordan paid €70.20, so Jordan owes €99.20

Two payments settle the whole trip: Jordan pays Alex €99.20 and Sam pays Alex €31.40.

Let an app do the math

A spreadsheet works for three expenses. For a week-long trip, SkySplit does all three steps for you: add an expense in any of 160+ currencies and it’s converted at that day’s rate and locked in. Everyone sees one balance, and the Settle tab shows the fewest payments. It works offline too, using the last rates it downloaded.

Want to try the math first? Use the free trip cost calculator. Coming from Splitwise, where conversion is a Pro feature? See SkySplit vs Splitwise.

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