New data from digital tipping platform Paynt and URocked suggests the way customers pay is having a growing influence on whether they leave a tip, with tipping rates across UK hospitality almost halving in less than two years.
Analysis of more than one million transactions processed through URocked between June 2024 and February 2026 found the proportion of customers leaving a tip fell from 10.9% to 5.5% over the period.
However, while fewer customers are choosing to tip, those who do are leaving significantly larger gratuities. Average tip values increased from £4.87 to £14.39, indicating a shift towards less frequent but more generous tipping behaviour.
The data points to payment method as a key factor. Contactless transactions now account for 62.6% of all payments but generate the lowest tipping rate at just 4.6%. In comparison, customers paying via chip and PIN leave a tip in 14.9% of transactions.
The findings suggest the continued rise of contactless payments may be reducing opportunities for customers to make discretionary spending decisions at the point of sale, including leaving a gratuity.
Midweek evenings remain the strongest period for tipping. Wednesday recorded the highest tipping rate at 11.1%, while Thursday generated the highest average tip value at £8.52. Across food and drink venues, the dinner period between 7pm and 9pm consistently produced the largest average tips, ranging from £8.37 to £9.61.
Despite being the busiest day for hospitality transactions, Saturday recorded one of the lowest tipping rates at 6.1%, less than half the level seen on Wednesdays.
Restaurants, bars and food venues continue to dominate tipping activity, accounting for 96.8% of all tipped transactions and 89.3% of total tip revenue.
According to Paynt, the data highlights the growing importance of payment design in influencing customer behaviour.
Swati Deshpande, Marketing Manager at Paynt, said:
This data highlights a clear shift in tipping behaviour across the UK hospitality sector. More importantly, it shows how payment methods are increasingly shaping customer behaviour at the point of transaction.
While fewer customers are choosing to tip, those who do are showing greater generosity, suggesting a change in how and when people engage with tipping. As contactless payments become the dominant way to pay, businesses need to consider how the payment experience influences discretionary actions such as tipping. Businesses need to make tipping a more intuitive and accessible part of the payment journey.
The findings come as hospitality operators continue to adapt to changing payment habits and new tipping legislation, with digital payment experiences increasingly playing a role in how customers reward service staff.
