Tip screens are all over the place now, and plenty of customers are fed up.
In keeping with a brand new Bankrate survey, 41 p.c of Individuals say tipping tradition has gotten uncontrolled — up 6 share factors from final 12 months. Amongst Gen Xers and child boomers, that share rises to 45 p.c.
“The high cost of living is a headwind, and many people resent all of the tip creep that has occurred in recent years,” Bankrate senior business analyst Ted Rossman stated in an announcement.
Pre-entered tip screens have turn out to be a selected ache level, with practically two in 5 respondents saying they discover them annoying. That negativity coincides with an increase in digital tipping tech, now showing all over the place from takeout counters to espresso retailers — even self-checkout machines on the airport are asking for ideas.
New fee terminals have made it simpler than ever for companies to ask for ideas — a possible enhance for employees — however in addition they enable employers to funnel extra money to their employees with out footing the invoice, Rossman stated.
“It’s essentially a way to raise prices without actually raising prices,” he stated.
Lots of these surveyed, 41 p.c, stated companies ought to pay their staff higher somewhat than relying a lot on ideas.
Nonetheless, solely 16 p.c of respondents stated they’d be prepared to pay larger costs if tipping have been eradicated.
Older generations are grumpier however tip extra constantly
Older generations usually tend to maintain unfavorable attitudes about tipping, however they’re additionally extra prone to tip, Bankrate discovered.
Greater than 80 p.c of Gen Xers and child boomers stated they all the time tip at sit-down eating places in comparison with 61 p.c of millennials and 43 p.c of Gen Zers.
The generational tipping hole confirmed up throughout different companies too, with older generations way more seemingly than youthful ones to all the time tip barbers and rideshare drivers.
As for the scale of the tip, about one-third (35 p.c) of respondents stated they sometimes tip at the very least 20 p.c at sit-down eating places, although solely 16 p.c of Gen Zers stated so in comparison with 49 p.c of child boomers.
Bankrate’s survey reveals fewer Individuals all the time tip in comparison with the peak of the pandemic in 2021, however the post-COVID tipping backlash has largely leveled off.
“Whereas extra Individuals are complaining about tipping, the frequency of tipping is stabilizing after declining steadily lately,” Rossman stated.
Here’s a breakdown of how many individuals all the time tip for numerous companies in 2025, in keeping with Bankrate:
Servers at sit-down eating places: 70 p.c
Hair stylists/barbers: 54 p.c
Meals supply folks: 52 p.c
Taxi/ride-share drivers: 43 p.c
Lodge housekeepers: 25 p.c
Espresso store baristas: 18 p.c
Furnishings/equipment supply employees: 15 p.c
When choosing up takeout meals: 12 p.c
House companies/restore employees: 9 p.c.
Bankrate’s newest tipping survey was based mostly on a pattern of two,445 U.S. adults and carried out between April 29 and Might 1.
