Culture
The Digital Tip Trap
Cashless payments are great, but not if they nudge us toward paying more than we meant to.
Deciding whether and how much to tip for small-ticket items like coffee can be a pain all by itself, but new tools that facilitate digital tipping are making the etiquette of our everyday transactions even trickier.
Earlier this month, Starbucks added tipping to its mobile payment system. Customers who pay for their drinks through the company's iOS app are now able to tip their baristas right on the same transaction screen (the feature will come to Androids later this year). As seen below, you can choose to leave a tip of $0.50, $1, or $2, for up to two hours after you've paid.