Growing number of Americans say tipping culture is ‘out of control'
Tip screens are everywhere now, and many consumers are fed up.
According to a new Bankrate survey, 41 percent of Americans say tipping culture has gotten out of control — up 6 percentage points from last year. Among Gen Xers and baby boomers, that share rises to 45 percent.
'The high cost of living is a headwind, and many people resent all of the tip creep that has occurred in recent years,' Bankrate senior industry analyst Ted Rossman said in a statement.
Pre-entered tip screens have become a particular pain point, with nearly two in five respondents saying they find them annoying. That negativity coincides with a rise in digital tipping tech, now appearing everywhere from takeout counters to coffee shops — even self-checkout machines at the airport are asking for tips.
New payment terminals have made it easier than ever for businesses to ask for tips — a potential boost for workers — but they also allow employers to funnel more money to their staff without footing the bill, Rossman said.
'It's essentially a way to raise prices without actually raising prices,' he said.
Many of those surveyed, 41 percent, said businesses should pay their employees better rather than relying so much on tips.
Still, only 16 percent of respondents said they'd be willing to pay higher prices if tipping were eliminated.
Older generations are more likely to hold negative attitudes about tipping, but they're also more likely to tip, Bankrate found.
More than 80 percent of Gen Xers and baby boomers said they always tip at sit-down restaurants compared to 61 percent of millennials and 43 percent of Gen Zers.
The generational tipping gap showed up across other services too, with older generations far more likely than younger ones to always tip barbers and rideshare drivers.
As for the size of the tip, about one-third (35 percent) of respondents said they typically tip at least 20 percent at sit-down restaurants, though only 16 percent of Gen Zers said so compared to 49 percent of baby boomers.
Bankrate's survey shows fewer Americans always tip compared to the height of the pandemic in 2021, but the post-COVID tipping backlash has mostly leveled off.
'While more Americans are complaining about tipping, the frequency of tipping is stabilizing after declining steadily in recent years,' Rossman said.
Here is a breakdown of how many people always tip for various services in 2025, according to Bankrate:
Bankrate's latest tipping survey was based on a sample of 2,445 U.S. adults and conducted between April 29 and May 1.
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