Originally Posted by
DYKWIA
Although tipping is nowhere near as compulsory in the UK, bar staff have become used to getting a "keep the change" type tip. With more and more people switching from cash to contactless, the tips have fallen substantially.
A few places have a "TipJar" machine. This is a QR code device where you can easily leave a tip using contactless / ApplePay / GooglePay etc. There's also an app where you can do the same thing.
As an aside, 8 of us went for a meal a couple of weeks back. None of us had cash, so we paid by card. We asked the server to put a tip on the bill, and she refused saying that tips have to be cash only
I always give cash, since the establishment owner charges the visa/MC/Amex transaction fees to the tip as well, so the servers end up getting 2-3.5+ less money.