When to ask for the bill
Ask for the bill when you are ready to pay. This is often at the end of the visit, but you can pay earlier too: you do not need to wait until all the plates are empty.
This is different from questions about the menu (what to order) or booking a table (when to come)—those phrases relate to the beginning or middle of the visit, not its end.
Customers often get the server’s attention themselves with a short Excuse me because the server does not always see that the table is ready to pay.
Excuse me, could you bring us the bill when you're ready?
Excuse me, could you bring us the bill when you're ready?
Excuse me gets the server’s attention, while when you're ready softens the request and shows that the customer is not rushing the server.
We're finished, thank you.
We're finished, thank you.
This signals that the meal is finished, after which it is natural to wait for or ask for the bill.
Main formula: Can/Could I have the bill?
The standard request form is modal verb (Can or Could) + subject (I/we) + have or get + the bill/check + please.
Could sounds slightly more polite than Can, but both options are completely natural in a café or restaurant at A1 level.
The article the before bill points to the specific bill for this table, not a bill in general, so it cannot be omitted.
Can/Could + I/we + have/get + the bill/check(, please)?
Could we get the bill when you have a moment?
Could we get the bill when you have a moment?
The same pattern, with the additional polite phrase when you have a moment.
Can I settle the bill now, please?
Can I settle the bill now, please?
Settle the bill means to pay the bill; have/get the bill means to ask for it to be brought. These are related but different actions.
Questions about the payment method
After the bill has been brought, the customer often asks about the payment method: by card, in cash, or in separate parts.
Remember these common expressions: pay by card—“pay using a card,” pay in cash—“pay with cash.” There is no article before card or cash here.
If the payment method is unusual (for example, dividing the amount between a card and cash), describe it in two parts: part by card and part in cash.
Do you take contactless payments here?
Do you take contactless payments here?
This is an alternative way to ask about the payment method without the verb pay.
I'm afraid I only have cash today.
I'm afraid I only have cash today.
This warns the server about a limited payment method before asking for the bill.
Asking to pay separately
When several people are at the table and each person wants to pay for themselves, use a separate construction: We'd like separate bills, please. or Could we have separate bills?
Would like combines with a noun (separate bills) or with the to-infinitive of a verb (to split the bill)—both options are correct; the important thing is not to confuse the verb form that follows it.
When the group wants one shared bill instead, the short answer to the server’s question is Together, please.
Could you split the bill between the four of us?
Could you split the bill between the four of us?
The verb split directly names the action of dividing the amount, while four of us specifies the number of people.
I'll pay for my coffee, and she'll pay for hers.
I'll pay for my coffee, and she'll pay for hers.
This describes splitting the payment without making a direct request to the server—it simply explains the situation.
Bill or check: the British and American versions
In British English, the usual word for a restaurant bill is bill; in American English, check is often used. Cheque is the spelling for a “bank cheque,” not the usual name for a restaurant bill.
In this context, bill and check refer to the same bill. Both words are understood; the choice depends on the region and the speaker’s habit, not on the speaker’s origin.
For an American context, you can choose check; for a British context, bill. Using the other understandable option does not make the request grammatically incorrect.
In London, people usually ask for the bill.
In London, people usually ask for the bill.
Bill is the typical British word for a bill at a food-service establishment.
In New York, people usually ask for the check.
In New York, people usually ask for the check.
Check is the typical American word for the same concept.
Politeness and addressing the server
Excuse me is the standard way to get the server’s attention from a distance or when the server is busy with another table.
Please at the end of a request is not grammatically required, but it is expected in a polite conversation in a café or restaurant.
Could sounds softer than Can, so when speaking with a stranger (a server), people often choose Could, although Can is also completely acceptable at A1 level.
Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but could we pay now?
Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but could we pay now?
The double softening (Excuse me + sorry to bother you) creates a very polite tone.
When you're free, could you bring the bill?
When you're free, could you bring the bill?
When you're free softens the request by showing that the customer is not in a hurry.
From recognition to your own dialogue
First, it is important to recognize the request for the bill among several phrases and not confuse it with a question about the menu or a table booking.
Next, build the formula yourself, correct a common mistake, and translate the meaning in both directions.
The final step is to carry on a short dialogue with the server from asking for the bill to completing the payment, including unusual situations (the terminal is not working, an ATM is needed, or the group is splitting the amount).
That's everything, thanks — could we have the bill, please?
That's everything, thanks—could we have the bill, please?
The customer finishes ordering and asks for the bill to be brought.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:Could we get bill now, please?
Correct:Could we get the bill now, please?
The definite article the is missing before the specific bill for this table, which is known to both speakers.
Incorrect:Do you can split the bill?
Correct:Can you split the bill?
Using the auxiliary do and the modal can together is impossible: in a question with the modal verb can, can itself comes first, and do disappears completely rather than being moved.
Incorrect:We'd like splitting the bill, please.
Correct:We'd like to split the bill, please.
After would like, use either a noun or the to-infinitive of a verb (to split), not the -ing form.
Incorrect:Can I pay with card?
Correct:Can I pay by card?
In a normal complete sentence, use by card or with a card / with my card. By card is the simplest fixed expression for the payment method.