What happens when you tip by card in restaurants?

[tigwig]

Does the waitress/waiter take the money from the til? I often tip this way as rarely have loose change on me and hope that it goes directly to the staff member.

[woofgang]

I doubt it tigwig..the good restauranteurs will make sure the staff get the money, the less good.....well......

[nicolab6]

Depends on the restaurant - I make a point of asking the waiter / waitress first. Frankie and Benny's provide the tip straight to the server, even the mandatory 10% one if there are more than 10 people there.

[joggerjayne]

The bottom line is ... we're not too sure ...

... so it's better to tip in cash whenever you can.

[tamborine]

Credit cards leave a paper trail for tax purposes that has to be accounted for. Cash can be disposed of without a trail.

[ummmm]

And that makes a difference how?

[tigwig]

Maybe I should ask, but usually when paying by card there is always the option to add a tip so I presumed the staff member got it. I never have any cash lol!

[bushbaby_de]

Most places I've worked in the past give you the credit card tips with your pay packet (less tax and NI obviously) but some places do remove a small percentage for admin. Cash goes straight into the staff member's pocket, so is the preferred option. I often ask for the discretionary 10% charges to be removed from the bill and leave an equivalent amount in cash if its somewhere with a bad policy for distributing tips to staff.