Paypal has an update to their iPhone app to help that uncomfortable request for money when it comes time to split the bill from lunch or dinner. No need for folks to throw money on the table and look for change, some paying more than their share. And, no more worries about someone not having any cash for their part… this time.

Paypal on the iPhone is a free app, you just need a free Paypal account to go with it. Most folks you will deal with will have an acct to so it’s isn’t going to be strange when you ask for their acct ID (try using their email address if they ‘forgot’).

The app has the usual selection of options to send money, request money, your account history and others for collecting money. Previous to this update, you would either ‘Request a Payment’ or ‘Collect Money’. These are both valuable options but they work best for requesting money for your services or when you sell something to someone.

The updated Paypal app option to Split a Bill is key to all the things that happen when you eat at a restaurant. The bill, split by the number of the folks at the table, including the tip!

Just enter how many folks are dividing the bill up, what percent of tip should be included and what the total amount to be split is. The ‘total amount to split’ doesn’t always have to be the total of the bill on the table, sometimes others will still be able to pay their part so you may need to collect a partial, enter just the amount to have the Paypal app divide up.

Prior to sending the request, you can view how much each person will be requested to pay. Paypal included the option to ’round’ each person’s amount too. Round up, down or non. When you happy with the split amounts, tap request money to go to the screen to enter who will get the request and ‘send’.