B1English

Paying & Splitting the Bill

Use these phrases when you have finished your meal and need to pay, leave a tip, or share the cost with your group.

Key Phrases

Voice
Asking for the bill · 3 ways to say it

Can I get the check?

casual

US English — very common in informal restaurants.

Could we have the bill?

neutral

UK English — the standard way to ask for the total.

We are ready to pay, please.

polite

A polite way to tell the server you want to leave.

Asking to pay separately · 2 ways to say it

Can we do separate checks?

casual

US English — ask this before you order, if possible.

Could we pay separately?

neutral

Good to ask before the server prints the receipt.

Suggesting how to share the cost · 2 ways to say it

Let's split it down the middle.

casual

An idiom meaning everyone pays exactly the same amount.

I will just pay for what I had.

neutral

Use this when someone ordered much more food than others.

Offering to pay for everyone · 2 ways to say it

It's on me.

casual

A friendly idiom to say you are buying the food.

Let me get this one.

neutral

Common when friends take turns paying for meals.

Asking about payment methods · 2 ways to say it

Do you take cards here?

casual

Ask this if you do not see a credit card machine.

Can I pay by card, or is it cash only?

neutral

A standard question for small cafes or food trucks.

Leaving a tip · 2 ways to say it

Please add a twenty percent tip.

neutral

Telling the server how much extra to charge on the card.

I have left a cash tip on the table.

polite

Use this when paying the main bill by credit card.

Dealing with the change

Keep the change.

casual

Say this when paying with cash so the server keeps the extra money.

Asking how much to pay · 2 ways to say it

What do I owe you?

casual

Ask a friend this if they paid the whole bill with their card.

How much is my share?

neutral

Asking for the cost of your specific food and drinks.

Practice Dialogue

Customer
Hi, can we get the check, please?
Server
Sure. Are you paying together today?
Customer
Actually, can we do separate checks?
Server
No problem. It'll just take me a second to split it.
Customer
Thanks. Oh, do you take cards, or is it cash only?
Server
We take cards. So, your share is twenty-five dollars and fifty cents.
Customer
Great. Please add a five-dollar tip to that.
Server
Will do. Just tap your card right here when you're ready.

More Eating & Drinking Out (B1)

← All English survival phrases