Are cash tips still expected in cities where nearly everything is cashless?

As an example I've recently been to Paris and the level of credit card adoption there is so high I didn't once need to take out cash. I likewise assume many of the locals avoid cash altogether and only pay by card.

But what's the etiquette in places where tips are common, like bars and restaurants? Are you supposed to keep cash just for the tips? Or is it up to the waiter/barman to offer you a tip option on the card terminal? I've tried asking the wait staff if I can leave a tip by card but they either misunderstood me or their POS terminal didn't have such a feature.

payment-cards tipping

Best Answer

The U.S. is unusual in that tipping is essentially required, forming part of staff's assumed compensation. In the U.S., adding a tip to the credit card slip is standard practice. Outside the U.S. it's common that tips should be given in cash directly to the person being tipped, as anything added to a credit card charge slip might never get to the staff, and anything left on a table might go to someone else. If there's a tip jar, then dropping cash into it is the right way to tip.