Venmo's receipt scanner makes splitting lunch easier

Venmo adds receipt scanning this week

Venmo's new feature lets users snap or upload a receipt photo. The app itemizes it and calculates proportionate tax and tip before sending payment requests.

Gen Z struggles with splitting bills

Venmo surveyed five thousand eighteen to twenty-two year olds in the US. Twenty percent prefer everyone pay exactly what they ordered, fifteen percent want to divide evenly, twelve percent take turns.

We tested Venmo against rivals

Amanda Yen and two Business Insider colleagues tested Venmo's receipt scanner on Monday at Blue Park Kitchen in downtown New York City, comparing it to Tab and Splitwise.

Venmo read the receipt accurately

Venmo accurately transcribed the totals from the receipt photo. Tab, a rival app, sometimes misreads the date or check number as the amount paid, causing inaccurate balances.

The app split costs by item

Dan ordered a bowl with extra protein, raising his subtotal above Grace's and Yen's seasonal specialty bowls. Venmo calculated the proportionate tax and tip each person owed.

Venmo matched Splitwise's math

Yen loaded the same receipt into Splitwise to verify Venmo's calculations. Both apps produced identical totals, but Venmo's biggest advantage is handling everything within one app.

The feature reduces friction but not guarantees

Venmo's receipt scanner might reduce confusion about etiquette and arguments over amounts owed. Grace repaid immediately, but Dan didn't respond until Yen asked him verbally.

“I'd rather have a neutral, third-party app like Venmo tell me what I owe in tax and tip than a friend who might be overcharging me.”