Tips triple in French restaurants using suggested-tip payment terminals

Some restaurant customers have complained of feeling pressured to leave tips with the rising popularity of payment terminals giving suggested amounts.

One reader, who was repeatedly invited to pay 5%, 10% or 15% of the bill on top during a recent stay in Nice, said it “flies in the face of the accepted practice of not tipping, other than to leave a small pourboire [literally, money to buy oneself a drink]”.

The system was introduced in 2022, though it had already been used in some other countries, such as the US. 

It came alongside a legal change allowing tips paid by bank card to benefit from tax exemption, which previously only applied to cash tips.

According to Yavin, a company describing itself as “the French leader in smart terminals”, restaurants that have adopted the technology have seen their tips triple.

This should, however, be put into context: a February 2024 TF1 report noted that only a third of French people habitually tipped, and that over the previous 10 years tips had dropped by an estimated 80%, partly due to fewer people carrying small change.

In France, tipping is strictly optional as restaurant meals always factor in an obligatory service charge (usually 15%).

This is in contrast to the US, where waiting staff are paid low wages based on a cultural expectation of tips, with 20% considered standard.

In the UK, a service charge of 10–20% is often added and itemised. It is not obligatory to pay it but most people do and often leave a tip on top.

The hand-held terminals now used in many French restaurants can be set up in several different ways, including, if the restaurateur wishes, inviting the customer to enter an amount. 

More commonly they invite customers to click on set amounts or percentages (often rising higher than the typical French 5-10%), though there will always be ‘no tip’ or ‘other amount’ options as well.

According to Yavin, customers appreciate the chance to leave a tip in this simple way.

Not everyone agrees, with a customer quoted by the financial website Moneyvox complaining: “The waitress [in a Paris restaurant] put the terminal under my nose saying I could give €1, €2 or €5, or another amount – it was a bit disagreeable, and you felt obliged.”

However, a waitress in the same restaurant said she used to make €100/month but now made €300 – a welcome boost, considering a typical waiter makes only around €1,450 per month after social charges.

A government report dating from the start of the system urged restaurateurs to “seize this opportunity”. 

It quoted the president of a hospitality union saying: “It’s very good news because now that everyone pays with bank cards or apps, very often they don’t have any change to add €3–€5 for the service. With the possibility of leaving a tip on the bill it’s much easier.”

What is your experience of tipping in France? Let us know at feedback@connexionfrance.com