6 Friends Open Joint Bank Account to Pay for Girls’ Trips Without Stress (Exclusive)

Three years ago, on a weekend getaway to Hobart, Australia, six women in their early to mid-30s found themselves tangled in the all-too-familiar post-trip math of splitting bills. 

After hours of trying to figure out who owed what, one of them suggested a simple solution: what if they had one shared bank account just for their group trips? The idea stuck. 

Since then, Kim Brindell, 34, and her friends – most of whom live in Melbourne, Australia, with a couple just a short drive away – have been contributing to a communal travel fund. 

Whenever a trip comes up, whether it’s a beach weekend or a city escape, their shared account covers everything from accommodation to cocktails. 

The arrangement has made planning easier, reduced stress, and strengthened their bond. What started as a practical fix has now become a symbol of their commitment to prioritizing friendship – and travel – together.

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“We actually started with $10 AUD ($7 USD) a week because the priority was it feeling accessible for everyone,” Brindell tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Once we realized how much easier and more fun it made holidaying, we upped it to $20 AUD ($13 USD).”

At one point, the account got up to $30,000 AUD (nearly $20,000 USD). The group uses the money to buy cheap flights and book accommodation early – a key strategy for keeping trips affordable yet indulgent.

Brindell and her friends also use the account to pay for the smaller things, including meals, drinks, groceries, Ubers and other forms of transportation. 

The friend who first suggested the shared account remains the only one with access to it. 

“The rest of us don’t even know how much is in the account. If we need to know the balance, she just sends us a screenshot. We’ve honestly never thought twice about it; it’s all built on trust,” Brindell admits.

While one friend manages the balance, the group shares a physical card during their travels, handing it off as needed for things like grocery runs or filling up the rental car. 

“We got a lot of questions on the TikTok about how we navigate times when people order more expensive meals or don’t partake in activities,” Brindell says.

“The short answer is: we don’t sweat the small stuff. If someone orders a more expensive meal or drinks an extra cocktail or two, we still put it on the card as it almost always comes out in the wash.”

Overall, Brindell says the challenges have been minimal. On one trip, when one of their friends was pregnant, the group decided to cover any alcohol purchases individually to keep things fair.

In another instance, a friend had to cancel last minute, and the group refunded her contribution from the shared account.

Creating a shared bank account has made an overwhelmingly positive impact on their friend group, allowing them to actually plan and follow through on their vacations. 

“Before this, we’d always talk about trips, but they often fizzled out because the logistics or costs felt too hard,” Brindell says. “Now with the account, we’ve managed three years of girls’ trips in a row.”

The group has traveled all around their home country, from enjoying the wineries in Adelaide to basking in the sunshine in Noosa Heads and shopping in Hobart – the trip where it all started.

After each getaway, they create a list of dream destinations and let flight prices decide their next adventure.

“There is no more scrambling with calculators at the end of dinner or awkward texts to chase up a friend that forgot to transfer you,” Brindell tells PEOPLE. “Once the trip starts, money disappears as a stress factor and we just focus on hanging out and eating good food – the best part obviously.”

Most of the group has been friends for over 20 years, with four having attended high school together and others meeting through early jobs. Their deep trust in one another made sharing money feel natural and uncomplicated. 

“Keep it simple and start small. $10 a week adds up quicker than you’d think,” Brindell emphasizes. “Oh and trust your friends! It’s all about the experience itself, not the dollars, so don’t micro-manage the account and just enjoy yourself.”