Should I Lend Money to a Friend in Need?

It started with a “small” $100 bus-fare loan, but this Reddit post turned into a full-on trust test between friends. OP wasn’t dealing with a one-time favor, it was another request layered on top of a stack of unpaid IOUs.

The friend just landed a new job and suddenly needed transportation, so he asked OP for $100, promising $200 back after payday. On paper, it sounds like a quick fix. In real life, OP says this same friend already has hundreds in loans, with no real repayment and plenty of excuses, plus attitude when OP said no.

Now OP is wondering if refusing the loan makes him the asshole, or if the friend is just angry the cycle might finally stop.

Original Post

Basically my friend is broke, like 0 money, but just got this new job (h**l yeah moving up) alright, problem is he needs transportation and is broke so no car, but buses exist, so hit me up asking for $100 loan to pay for bus fare and in exchange he‘d pay me back $200 when he gets paid. Now I know what you might be thinking,it‘s only $100 and if you guys are friends then you shouldn’t ahve a problem with helping because friends help each other, I think the same however, this is someone that has hundreds worth of loans from me and hasn’t paid me back, now so far the reason fir this has been no job, so I let it slide.

But honeslty I‘m pissed having somehow get back to back loans from me and make no effort to even a little back. So that‘s what I said, no I won‘t loan you any money because I‘ve given you multiple and you never pay it back.

So he responds it‘s not that I won‘t I can‘t, and you‘re being a b***h over just a few hundred in loans, and I didn‘t have opportunities like you, $100 isn‘t even that much, youmre rich So now I don‘t know what to think because yes it’s true he hasn’t been able to pay me back because no job, but secondly I have very little faith/trust because it’s multiple back to back loans and no attempt to payback like with through trying side-huetles/gig work, obviously not everyone can do those, or have thst available, but it’s the laxk of effirt to even attmpt that So then am I the AITA for not giving the loan?

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This reminds me of the sisters who turned a parenting seminar into a full-on rift over discipline rules.

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OP says he’s already handed out multiple loans to this friend, so the new $100 request for bus fare felt less like help and more like a repeat performance.

The friend shows up with a “I just got this job” story, offering $200 back, while also calling OP “a b***h” for not treating the past unpaid loans like they never happened.

OP tries to explain the real issue is the lack of effort, like no gig work or side hustle attempts, just back-to-back borrowing and silence until payday that never comes.

When the friend snaps back with “you’re rich” and “$100 isn’t even that much,” the whole conversation turns into a showdown about money, fairness, and whether trust is gone for good.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Share your perspective in the comments below.

Nobody wants to bankroll a “new job” that keeps coming with the same unpaid bill.

Before you lend that $100 for bus fare, read how one son handled his mom’s jewelry split demand with siblings.