Generous boyfriend covers $1250 of girlfriend’s work trip expenses, she secretly pockets company’s reimbursement instead of paying him back:"It wasn't for her to decide how to spend my money"

Author image for Ely Bulnes
Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Jul 16, 2025 4:00 PM EDT

Every couple handles their finances differently; there isn't a particular method that will work for everyone. I know plenty of long-term couples that Venmo each other for every little thing — even for a cup of coffee or a vending machine honey bun. Others only worry about paying each other back for big expenses like flight tickets, hotel rooms, or shopping sprees. Some couples operate with a "my money is your money" mindset. The issue is that it is often paired with a "and my money is my money" mindset as well.

In our story today, a young corporate girlie seemingly treats her man to an all-expenses paid getaway. Well, kind of. She lets him tag along during her work trip, and while he does have to pay a bit out of pocket in the moment, he expects to be reimbursed by the company. But months go by, and he doesn't get his money back, and his girlfriend gets real dodgy every time he brings it up. Scroll down for the rest. 

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  • 01

    Fiancé lied and spent all of the money she was reimbursed for after her work trip that I paid for. AITAH?

    INO
    via Mikhail Nilov from Pexels

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02
    My fiancé had a work trip planned to attend a conference. I decided to tag along because it was a city that I had never been
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    to before. She informed me that her work would reimburse her after the trip once she submitted an expense report. Her credit
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    card was completely maxed out and didn't have enough money to cover any of the costs so I offered to help pay since she was going to be reimbursed.
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    So I ended up covering 4 nights in the hotel that her conference was located in ($800), her plane ticket ($450), my plane ticket
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    ($350), and the rental car ($400). I knew from the start that I would have to cover my ticket since I was just tagging along and I
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    was fine with that. So in total for travel | spent right around $2000 on my credit card.
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    via Jacob Lund

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    After the trip I helped her submit the expense report, and at that time she told me that her work would not cover the rental car,
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    and would only cover the Ubers to and from the airport since the conference was at the hotel and all of the breakfasts/lunch/dinners were catered. I was bummed about hearing
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    that because I was out another $400, for a total of $750 for the trip and that was a lot more than I was planning on spending. We
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    submitted the expense report for a total of $1250, she said she would pay me back once she received the money, I said that was fine and submitted a Zelle request.
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Fast forward two weeks the Zelle request expired, I asked her about the money and she said they still hadn't paid out the
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    expense report, I figured whatever and submitted another request. Two more weeks went by and still she had not received the expense report, I told her to ask and she let
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    me know that they would pay out on her next paycheck that was 2 weeks away, I submitted another Zelle request.
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    On her payday (yesterday) we went out for drinks and I asked her about it again. She admitted that she had received the money a
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    few weeks back, and had already spent it on "us". I got upset because she had promised me that money, and I told her it wasn't for her to decide how to spend my money,
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  • I'm curious what she spent the money on that she is trying to justify her lies, selfishness, and wastefulness with it. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10529198848
    via Dean Drobot

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    money that wasn't hers. She got defensive and said that it wasn't my money, and that they had paid it into her account. Obviously I got furious and said some things that I
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    probably shouldn't have, and she finally sent me $800, which was the rest of her paycheck for the next two weeks. Honestly I don't want her paycheck, I want the expense
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    report money, I want the money that she promised to repay me and didn't. I feel lied to and cheated on in a way and now she is ed because she doesn't have any p
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    money. Also if she gives me her whole paycheck then I am going to have to cover all of her expenses anyways so it doesn't make sense, and will just create more resentment over the next 2-4 weeks..
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    She is mad at me, but she still hasn't apologized, or even recognized any wrong doings because she feels like the money her work gave her is hers, and it's fine because she spent it on "us".
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  • This wasn't a small lie; she let it go on for months for her selfish reasons. Trust is totally broken, and so is the relationship.

  • 25
    SensibleFriend NTA - She is TA for continually lying and not paying you back. How are you going to stay in a relationship with a person who lied and
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    stole your money and doesn't even seem to care? If you stay, YTA to yourself and whatever else happens in the future is your own fault.
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  • 27
    NOLACenturion Ditto. She lied because she intended to stiff you. Drop her. This will not be the last bit of deceit
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    imamakebaddecisions This is a marriage deal breaker for me. If there ain't trust, there ain't us.
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    Ornery_Layer7618 Can't trust someone who has a maxed out credit card to actually reimburse you.
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    Take this as a learning opportunity, you cannot marry this person until you fully know their financial situation. As once you are
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    married, their debt is your debt. This behavior will repeat again and again over time if they do not get a true grasp on their finances now.
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boyfriend relationship advice marriage selfish relationships girlfriend engaged couples breakup engagement red flag money toxic relationship healthy relationship dating
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