Remember what the table came to.

Why bother

Why remember the bill at all?

Not to count anything. The bill is part of the story: the splurge dinner that was worth every bit, the hotel breakfast that wasn’t, the noodle bar that’s still somehow cheap after ten years. Next time someone asks “is it pricey?”, you know. PlateDiary treats prices as a memory, never as a plan.

By hand

A price on any dish, a bill on any night.

• A price per save — optional, on any dish or drink.
• “What was the bill?” on any moment.
• Bill total is the number you typed; Table total is the prices on the saves added up. When both exist, your bill wins.
• Leave it all blank and the app looks exactly the same.

Receipt scan

Scan the receipt, on your phone.

1. Open the momentFind the night on your board.
2. Scan the receiptTake a photo of it. The text is read on your phone, with no connection needed.
3. Match the linesEach line you can use is offered against your saves as a switch. Accept what fits; skip what doesn’t.
4. DoneThe receipt photo is deleted right after reading. A price you typed yourself is never quietly replaced.

Travel

Trips in other currencies.

Set your home currency in Settings, and every price keeps the currency it was paid in. PlateDiary never converts — exchange rates change, and the number on the receipt is the true memory. A trip that mixes yen and dollars shows both, side by side.

Premium

Priciest saves and worth-it picks (Premium).

With Premium, prices turn into a few gentle insights: At the table on your You tab shows your priciest save and your worth-it picks, and a place page can say what a visit there usually comes to. Entering prices and scanning receipts stay free for everyone.

In Share Studio, the receipt keepsake card can print prices too — that’s off by default.

Tips

Getting a clean read from any receipt scanner.

• Scan the same night. Thermal paper fades, especially in a warm pocket.
• Flatten it. A fold through a line can split a price in two.
• Get the whole receipt in frame, top to total.
• Light from above, not behind. Your shadow is the biggest enemy.
• Check the lines with modifiers (“+ egg”, “large”), which scanners often read as separate items.

Reading a receipt

Five things a receipt remembers that you won’t.

• The exact names. “The green one” on the night is “Pandan basque cheesecake” on paper.
• What you forgot you ordered. That second round of gyoza is on there.
• The time. Useful when a photo’s clock was off, and fun when it says 1:42 a.m.
• The service line. Whether service was included is the question everyone asks next time.
• The registered name. Small places often print their company name, which helps when the sign changes.

Honestly

What it doesn’t do: split the bill.

PlateDiary remembers what the table came to; it doesn’t work out who owes what or send requests. For that, see our guide on how to split a restaurant bill fairly — then keep the total in PlateDiary as part of the night.