Can I ask for separate checks at Paris restaurants and cafes

Might be seen as 'the ugly american' type of request. I know once I was in a cafe and I told my waiter I had tickets to something at a certain time, and he was insulted that we might not stay long.

Wait staff will not care how you settle the bill. I regularly split the check with another party. Just say 50/50 or however you want to pay. It is just not a big deal as long as you keep it simple.

You can do exactly what you like.

Although frankly you would save time if one person paid and two people got their phones out and sent the payer their share of the money before you leave the table.

If you intend to split everything 4 equal ways, then I’d suggest 1 couple pay all the bills with a credit card and then you can settle up at the end of the trip. It is possible to split the bill but it would not be a usual request in France where generally one person pays for the table.

We often pay moitié-moitié. It never causes a problem. What might cause issues is if people insist on separate bills only showing what they personally or as a couple ordered.

We have often split 50 50 with other couples. I think if you expect more divisions than that, someone needs to pay the bill and be reimbursed by their dining partners. It is inconsiderate to expect multiple bills for a table.

I used the app Splitwise to keep track of things like this - it easily allows you to put in actual amounts or just do 50-50 (or in your case 33-33-33) and then settle up at the end of the trip.

Situations like this should be discussed prior to the trip so each couple knows what to expect prior to it actually happening. Some people only want to pay exactly what they ate while a ball park figure works for others. A 50/50 split won’t work if one couple tends to have a few drinks while others don’t drink at all.

On a recent trip with another couple, we alternated paying the bill, but one person kept a very informal tally of who owed what. By the end of the trip we were about even. What’s a Euro or two between friends.

When it comes to dividing the bill in order to obtain a separate invoice for everyone to be reimbursed for meal expenses by their company, it is not a problem to ask for an individual bill. But in your case, as tourists, it would probably be easier for one couple to pay for the whole table and then be reimbursed by the other two couples.

Splitting bills used to be a pain, but now it is very easy in France. Waiter comes to table with credit card machine, each payer says how much they pay, et voilà. It works best if you do the math before the waiter comes, or if you just split the total 4 ways. It is very commonly done, no worries at all!