6 friends opened a shared bank account for vacations. Here’s how it changed the way they travel.

Vacationing with friends is all fun and games until you reach the last day. Then it’s time to crunch numbers and determine who owes what money to whom.

Australian native Kim Brindell said her group of friends learned that the hard way on their first vacation together in 2023.

As they ate breakfast and divided the amounts, one woman in the group joked, “It would be easier if we had a shared [bank] account.”

Brindell told Business Insider the group quickly realized the idea could actually work.

“We laughed, but then we ended up opening one,” she said. “The more we thought about it, the more it made sense.”

Multiple vacations later, they swear by the practice.

Six friends, one bank account, and yearly vacations

Brindell, the COO of Australian hospitality group Nudo, said her friend Ellie took the lead at that monumental breakfast and opened the shared bank account.

To this day, she’s the only person who can make deposits and withdrawals.

“Most of us have been friends for 20+ years, so we trust [Ellie] managing the account without us all needing access,” Brindell told Business Insider.

Each of the six girls contributes $13 ($20 AUD) — an increase from their original $7 ($10 AUD) — a week. They send their shares to Ellie, who later transfers them into the shared account.

They’re also flexible with deposit dates, as each girl receives her paycheck on different dates.

So far, the group has used the account to take trips in 2024 and 2025: first to Adelaide to tour its wine regions and then to Noosa Shire “to get some sunshine,” Brindell said.

Both times, they’ve used their shared bank account to fund flights, hotels, shared meals, groceries, and transportation like Ubers.

Now, though, the group is expanding the account’s purpose.

“Because we’ve upped the amount, we’ll also start using it to buy birthday presents for each other,” Brindell said.

No rules — just fairness and fun

Brindell says her friend group has approached their joint travel plans and bank account “pretty loosely.” The most important thing to them is being fair.

When one member of the group was pregnant, for example, they chose not to spend their shared money on alcohol.

Another year, the group had already booked flights and accommodations for a trip when a member got invited to a wedding and had to back out.

“We ended up giving her money back out of the account as she had contributed all year and then didn’t come,” Brindell said. “It was a no-brainer at the time. We always approach things openly and compassionately.”

Overall, Brindell says sharing a bank account with friends makes the little things easier, like lunches.

“There are no awkward dances to try and split the bill or transfer money to each other,” she said. “And no one is held back financially, as we’re all using the same money for most of the trip.”

But the main reason she recommends sharing a bank account with friends is that it encourages vacation dreams to actually leave the group chat.

“It’s something we look forward to every year,” she said.

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