Money Moral Dilemma: Should I share my discount with my friends?

TBagpuss

To me it would depend whether you're only using the card when you go out with friends. Personally I go to the theatre a lot, and with different friends and by myself, so if I bought it for me, I'd be doing it for myself, and would just ask my friends for what their actual tickets cost me,.

However, if the card was bought specifically for the discount for a particular show, and isn't something you'd normally buy, then I think it would be reasonable to ask the friends to pay the full price for their tickets, until you have covered 'their share' of the cost of the card.

Given that tickets usually show on the face of them what the price paid was, i would be open with them about what you're doing, as otherwise, if they see that the ticket says (say) £50 but you've asked them for £60, it doesn't look at all good!

aussie2

You've paid out £40.
Charge full price until that is recovered - then they can benefit.

ripope

Are they your friends?
Do you want to keep them?

Halle524

I would personally share the discount with my friends!

If the card was bought for me and my benefit, why not let it benefit your friends?

If they ever found out you made a profit from it would it affect your friendship? If it was the other way round how would you like to be treated?

Violet7

I Just wanted to point out that you might not be going to the theater if it was not with friends.
So the really, the question might be how much do you save? and would it embarrass your friends to be included in the discount?
I would err toward giving them the discount. unless it's so little that it only covers booking fees.

crmism

You're the one who's doing all the work, so keep the discount. Look upon it as a commission. There's certainly no reason why your friends should share in it.

KianM

Amortize the cost over the length of the card and factor that into how much they pay.
E.g. Assuming you only use the card for trips with your friends:
You pay £d per ticket with the discount card and go to the theatre n times with m friends in the period of validity.
This means you're spending £(d*(m+1)*n + 40) for all the tickets in the period of validity (I've done m+1 because it's m friends + you)
So everyone should pay (d*(m+1)*n + 40)/((m+1)*n) per ticket
Equally fair would be to pick a different number of trips and amortize the cost over that number (i.e. change n) then everyone would pay the discounted cost after that

If you'd go without these friends a significant number of times in that period/number of trips, e.g. 10% of n, I'd say you should factor that in as you're benefiting more from the card. To do this I would say, if o is the number of times you visit by yourself then:
Let c = o + (m+1)*n (Total number of tickets bought with discount card)
Let t = d*c + 40 (Total spent on tickets using the discount card)
Let a = t/c (Ticket cost + amortized discount card cost)
You should pay (o + n)/c * a (The fraction of tickets you bought on the card multiplied by the amortized cost)
and each of your m friends should pay n/c * a

The_Mighty_Gusset

Are these people really "friends" or are you some sort of low rent ticket tout ?

Patricia01

Ask them to pay their share of the card, then split the discount

gaving7095

Firstly there's no "moral dilemma" here - as usual.
Anyway you paid for the card & you're taking on the hassle of buying the tickets. I would just continue having them pay full price - I guess I'm a bad friend :-D
But honestly if roles were reversed I wouldn't complain. It's like somebody taking you shopping, then you letting them have your reward points on their card because you don't have one. Who cares?

But yes what you suggest (re: giving them the discount once the card is paid off) seems perfectly fair to me.

But... are you going to let them foot the full £40 bill for the card, though? Or are you factoring in what you've saved each time as a virtual contribution towards the card? XD
More hassle than it's worth iof you ask me.