Opinions and tests on Tricount – the solution for accounts between friends
« With Tricount, managing your accounts while traveling or sharing a flat becomes child’s play »: that’s the promise of Tricount, a solution for managing accounts between friends. Tricount helps you manage your expenses while you’re out and about. You can create, synchronize and share your accounts with your friends. They’ll be able to add their own expenses and make reimbursements themselves!
The possibilities for using this application are almost endless, but it will be particularly useful when traveling with friends. With Tricount, there’s no need to worry about money. After all, isn’t it said that good accounts make good friends?
We’ve tested the Tricount app for you. Read our review of this solution for accounts between friends, an application that will make travelling with friends a whole lot easier!
What is Tricount?
Photo Credit: Facebook – Tricount
Launched in 2010 without a business model, Tricount aims to solve a recurring problem among groups of friends. The two founders, Guillebert and Jonathan, came up with the idea when they were struggling to do their accounts after a trip. They then realized that an online application would be a handy way of solving this problem, and could even be of service to many travelers. Tricount and its key concept were born.
What’s its concept? Based on empowerment and trust between group members, the free application pools expenses. It then provides account balances and, at the time of account closure, the best settlement solutions to minimize the number of transactions between participants. Money worries between friends will no longer spoil your travels.
Enjoy your vacation, and when it’s over, all you have to do is settle up quickly. What’s more, the app isn’t just for travelers. You can use it for any project involving a group or different participants who have expenses to pool: preparing an event, sharing a flat, etc.
How does it work?
Photo Credit : App Store
Available for download on Android and iPhone, Tricount is designed to be simple and effective. It’s designed to save you time and hassle when it comes to expenses.
Once you’ve installed the application, you’ll be taken to a » menu » interface where all your tricounts are listed. In this menu, simply press the blue « + » button at the bottom right of the screen to join a tricount or create a new one.
Join a tricount
By clicking on this option, you can copy the link sent by your friends. You can also click directly on the shared link to join the tricount.
Create a tricount
The second option lets you create a tricount. You’ll need to :
- Enter a title (required – 50 characters maximum)
- Fill in a description (500 characters maximum)
- Enter the currency used (Euro for example)
- Optional email address
- Add participants
Once the tricount has been created, you have access to two tabs: Expenses and Balances.
Expenses tab
In this tab, you can view a list of expenses incurred by each group member.
– At the bottom center, a blue « + » button lets you add a new expense. You’ll need to insert a title, the amount, a date and the person who made the payment. You can also indicate a money transfer (hand to hand) and add a photo as proof.
– Underneath, you’ll also indicate the people to whom the payment applies. If you’re paying for admission to a museum for just three of your friends, just list those three. If you’re paying for dinner for the whole group, you can leave all participants as the default.
– An » Advanced » function lets you specify a different breakdown. For example, if you’re paying for drinks for everyone, but one of your friends drank two, you can enter the amount as two (two shares).
Please note: once the tricount is balanced, it does not disappear. You still have access to the various expenses incurred. You can delete it from the menu by long-pressing the desired tricount. The interface then turns red and a » trash » button appears in the top right-hand corner for deletion.
Balances tab
In the Balancing tab, you can quickly view the breakdown of expenses for each participant. Just below, a » How to balance » tab shows you the most efficient transactions between each participant to settle the tricount.
Example: Bruno owes Alex €27.40. In » more options « , shown just below the example, you can either mark as paid or invite the participant to pay. In the latter case, you can notify him via another application, such as Messenger, SMS or e-mail.
Tricount options
In the tricount interface, you also have several options in the top right-hand corner:
- Share the tricount (via a messaging application)
- Modify tricount, sort expenses
- Switch to individual mode
- Access advanced functions (Tricountpremium and paidmodes )
Please note: The premium mode allows you to save an allocation for future spending, remove ads, get 24/24H support and help Tricount grow.
Tricount: Advantages and disadvantages
Photo Credit: Facebook – Tricount
Advantages :
- The application is easy to use and free. The premium functions are not essential and are aimed more at very regular users or groups for a low price(€1).
- With Tricount, you simply enter your expenses and the app tells you how to balance them easily. There will be no more dissatisfaction or doubt: Tricount is impartial.
- The application gives you the best solution for balancing expenses between each person. This reduces money transfers and the associated costs.
- Tricount can help you enjoy a more relaxing vacation, improve your roommate’s life or organize an event without worrying about who’s paying for what!
Disadvantages :
- Tricount has just one drawback: it is not yet possible to pay your friends or group members directly via the application.
Tricount: our opinion
For groups of friends on a trip, or for any other group project, Tricount is a virtually indispensable application! Despite its minor shortcomings when it comes to payments – the need to use an additional app, or to make hand-to-hand payments – it’s useful, efficient, simple and free.
Thanks to it, you can solve money problems within a group easily and forever. Personally, I use it every time I go on a trip with friends.
Used for the first time on a city-trip with friends to Berlin, it makes life much easier for the group. Imagine: one friend pays for accommodation, another for cabs or transport tickets, and another for museum admission. You can pay for a drink for two friends, and enter it into the app. In the end, it will give you the best solution to keep everyone happy. So don’t hesitate, we recommend you include Tricount in your arsenal of apps for traveling with friends!