The lifecycle
How a Room works.
Nine stages, from the idea to the closed loop — told with one honest example all the way through: Lisbon, June. €1,500 for the villa, four people, €375 each.
SandboxNo real money moves here.
The life of a Room
Pick a stage. See what actually happens.
Each stage shows what the Room does, how it looks from both sides, the exact money language in force, and the trust rule that holds.
Stage 1 of 9
Draft — Name it before anyone pays.
You open a Room with a purpose ("Lisbon, June — the villa, five nights"), the amount (€1,500), and the rule: split four ways, due June 12. Nothing has been sent to anyone.
If you organise
The Room is yours alone until you invite. Change anything freely — the first event in the record will be “The Room opened,” with the rules already set.
The words we use
There are no money words yet. A target of €1,500 is a plan, not a debt — nobody owes anything until they commit.
The trust rule that applies
A Room starts with its rules visible — amount, split, deadline — before a single invitation goes out.
The words, exactly
Seven words, never blurred.
Sandbox — no real money moves hereEvery amount in a Room carries one of these words, with its own texture — so a promise never looks like a payment, and money in motion never reads as arrived.
- InvitedYou've been asked. You owe nothing.
- CommittedA promise, written down for everyone to see. Dashed outline — drawn, but empty. Not a payment.
- Payment initiatedYou chose to pay. We hand the amount to our payment partner.
- ProcessingThe partner is moving it. Wash-blue stitch — visibly in motion, and still not paid.
- SettledThe partner confirmed it arrived. The only state that ever reads as paid.
- FailedNothing moved. The thread shows a clean break, and the fix is one calm retry.
- RefundedMoney coming back. It travels with the same visible states as money coming in.
Start
Ready when the group is.
Create the Room before anyone pays — or read exactly how we keep the record honest first.