Would you ask to be paid back this amount of money?

[Cla7]

Some time ago I was at an event where I happened to meet a colleague, he drove there and I took public transport. We live almost next door to each other, and at the end he gave me a ride home (I don’t even remember who brought it up first, me or him, it kind of evolved from the conversation). When I got out of the car, I said ‘let me know what I owe you for patrol’, more out of politeness. It was not a very long distance and I’d have expected him to say ‘no worries, that’s alright’. He said he’ll have to work it out first. Later that evening I received a payment link for…£2.56. It made me giggle. I’m not saying he did anything wrong and I don’t expect free lifts (or any lifts for that matter, if I go somewhere on public transport then I’m fully prepared to go back the same way), but is it a bit strange? I wouldn’t ask for anything in this situation, and for longer rides, it’s more like ‘petrol comes in at around £15 each’ rather than a calculation to the penny.
I think my threshold for asking to be paid back any money that’s technically owed is at £10 with colleagues or acquaintances, and with friends at £20, below that I’d just say it’s fine.
(This is light hearted chat because I’m ill in bed and bored, and for some reason it just popped up in my mind).

I was about to say give him £2.55 and see if he asks for the extra penny 😂

Give him £2.60 and tell him to keep the change

I wouldn't, but also I wouldn't judge him harshly for this. He might be literal, he might have had a moment of social doubt.

Why on earth did you say anything? It's weird. All you needed to say was thanks

Is this for real?

I agree with this.

My ND brain would do similar. Luckily I have masked forever and i hope I would realise not to do that.

Vaguely similar situation where a colleague drove to an event and offered me a lift, rather than me getting the tube. I had £2 so put that it the car where coins/pens/crap gets left and said 'thanks for the lift, this is for petrol'.

You asked how much for petrol so either he took it literally or was so baffled, maybe he thinks you need to pay as some sort of work expense? Who knows?

Thats the sort of response I would text, jokingly though.

If he’s being serious I couldn’t be friends with someone that tight fisted

See, I'd probably have got him a bottle of wine as a thank you gift - which is worth more than £2.56 obviously - but if he's asked for money than that's what he can have, to the penny. Weird!

I think it’s pathetic. You cost no more in petrol because you were going the same place

Well I hope you paid it at once @Cla7

Yes, I had to dip into my savings, but I’m debt free 😁

Maybe I should just have said Thank you, but it involved driving from one town to another, albeit short, so I thought it’s polite to offer a contribution which he can then decline. Anyways, it was just a moment of being a bit perplexed/amused when I got this payment link for such a small and specific amount, but of course I just paid it and it’s all good.

He sounds odd, but maybe he is.
You have paid, all is good, and if he gives you a lift in the future and you offer to pay, you will know what to expect.

Get a little bag of pennies from the bank and put a bow on the front.

Pay him a tenner and say: "keep the change, I can't bring myself to transfer anything less than that because it's too petty" - then never accept a lift again.

Ahahaha just to add.. tell him you calculated £2.37 and ask to see his calculation method 🤣🤣🤣

So was it £5.12 for the both of you coming back in petrol or are you having to pay his half as well?

get him to confirm he’s using the agreed HMRC rate per mile

It’s batshit, but you were only marginally less batshit in bringing up petrol money in the first place. Who on earth does that for a short lift between acquaintances? You said you live ‘almost next door to each other’, so it’s not like it cost him anything significant in either time or money. I think your question probably threw him off completely, and then - being possibly quite socially awkward anyway - he felt he had to follow through.
TLDR: you’re both ridiculous.

It’s funny how different people can be about money, I’m the same as you OP and wouldn’t have asked for payment for this! But I do work with a man who regularly will ask for payment for (what I think are) ridiculous amounts. He often brings chewing gum in or packs of biscuits, offers them to others and then asks for £0.12 to be transferred🤣 the first time I heard it I honestly thought he was joking but 5 years later and he still does it!

I think it’s weirder to offer to pay petrol money if you have no intention of paying. Maybe I’m the strange one though ( and I’d have told you don’t be ridiculous if you said that to me)

I’m a bit skint can I pay in 10 monthly installments of 26p 🤣

This thread has really show how intolerant some posters are of other people‘s idiosyncrasies!

Agree with this. It might sound petty to you, but joking aside or not , you asked him what you owed and he has taken it literally. For a short journey, you should have just said thanks for the lift.