When I was working, it was not acceptable to upcharge for credit purchases and if you did, the credit card company could revoke your vendor privileges if they caught wind of it. Apparently that is not the case now.When we were in Mexico recently, most restaurants charged 5% for c/c payment.

Maddielee, Crumble is a bake to order cookie place so the only way you avoid that wait is to order ahead. I would not have known that if FDIL did not tell me. I wouldn't want to have to wait 10-15 min or more for an impulse cookie purchase, so I'm glad she told me. She'd had them somewhere else and said they weren't worth it, but she tried the new one here anyway and says the location near us is good. I'll have a taste if they bring back warm cookies, but I wouldn't stand around waiting for them to bake.

More and more places are passing along credit card transaction charges. Hadn't heard of one for checks. But I've also seen places that are no cash - the rarer bird being cash only. We went to a little place for lunch while helping DS and FDIL's pack and move and after we sat down, my son said -- "oh yeah, this place is cash only." We were good -- but we had to double check.

The tipping for counter orders and to go orders, sometimes on top of a charge for to-go containers, etc. may just be the thing that pushes us to a real wages and tips being extraordinary service gratuities. I'd prefer it, but on top of the big jump in prices of late, it would seem to be a difficult time to make it too. I really dislike tipping before I have received an order or a service. The place I take my dog for grooming does that and I can't help but feel she's going to come out with purple or green ears and tail or some really awful cut. With food orders, it appears to be a jinx -- something in our order will be wrong or missing, so I tend not to prepay if I have the option.

I prefer not being asked to tip before the service is provided. I’ll pay cash to avoid a credit upcharge. We recently had a WH generator installed. The dealer said the price was the same whether we paid cash or charged. We charged and earned $200+ on our credit card. I couldn’t understand their logic.

Our rural water company charges a dollar extra to your bill to do a monthly draft from your bank account. I declined. Our electric utility discounts a dollar from your bill to allow them to draft from your bank account. We do that. Go figure.

I don't tip at fast food restaurants. What service are they providing that I would have to tip? A couple of years ago, a group of us were planning to dine at a particular steak house. After looking at their menu on line, I phoned my friend and told her there was a 3% surcharge for using a credit card. This was a first for all of us, and we all agreed to eat somewhere else. My personal opinion is....as high as the prices are on the menu, I would think that they would just swallow the surcharge. I also use cash for gas unless we're traveling.

I haven't run into the upcharge for using a credit card. I do notice that all the restaurants we eat at now have a tipping chart below the bill. We always pay by credit card but give the 20% tip in cash.

“Maddielee, Crumble is a bake to order cookie place so the only way you avoid that wait is to order ahead”

Well, in these parts the cookies are already baked, advertised as Freshly Made. The kitchen is in the open, there was no mixing and baking going on.

They are finished after ordering. Finishing means icing is squeezed out of a piping bag on to the already baked and cooled cookie. They are big and taste good. Much the same as a fancy cupcake just in different form.

" Dispensaries are a cash business, no credit/debit cards accepted (Federal law). "

The law doesn't have to do with cannabis dispensaries specifically but rather it's a banking law.

Cannabis and its related products are still classified as illegal substances under federal law. Banks are not permitted to offer their services to illegal businesses. Not a lot of pre-relationship investigations are done these days, it used to be more, but winding up with a cannabis business as an banking account customer gets a bank into big trouble with regulators. It does hamstring the cannabis businesses because they have to pay their expenses in cash too.

It has long been the practice (and is usually legal) in food and other retail business where tips are common that to some specific extent tips can be counted toward the minimum wage for workers. I have no emotional reaction or feel personal responsibility for people working at minimum wage levels. Those with skills for better jobs usually get better jobs and those without should get the skills they lack. It's no different at higher levels of income in our economy - one should prepare for the best job they will like and can learn, and get a better job when underpaid. Most know and follow these habits.

As far as fees for using cards, you can be sure that when such a charge isn't stated as a separate add-on, it's included if only indirectly in the price of the goods or services.

It's a small amount and whichever of the two ways a business decides to handle it is fine with me.

"I'm in California and I thought we paid the most for a gallon of gas."

Nope, WA state has edged out CA for the most expensive gas in the nation.

https://en.as.com/latest_news/in-which-us-state-is-gas-more-expensive-in-july-2023-and-where-is-it-the-cheapest-n/

There are other sources citing this too.

Same here. I've always been a generous tipper, but I find myself getting irritated by this constant request for a tip. Yesterday, I went through a drive-thru and bought a smoothie. When I paid by credit card, I got the ubiquitous Would You Like to Leave a 10%, 15%, or 20% tip?" Of course there is a tiny little "Skip This" box too. I've been going along with it, but lately am feeling bullied, and am now starting to skip it, though not without a nagging sense of guilt. Three or four years ago, a young woman (friend of a friend) really went off on me after she witnessed me putting the change from a cash coffee purchase in a tip cup. "They don't want your coins!" she spat at me. That devolved into a lecture about tipping being my opportunity to 'redistribute my wealth.' It's true that today, I don't have financial worries, but I've worked since I was fourteen, I've never inherited a cent, and I paid for my own college education and my own wedding. I have known some difficult days, and like many others, I've worked hard to arrive at a better place. Do I truly have to look for daily opportunities to 'redistribute my wealth?!?"

I don't tip at fast food or takeout only places. Dine-in restaurants, yes, but at a rate I feel commensurate with the service provided. And in most cases, the service is fine and I tip appropriately. I dislike the add-on to bill tip notices and the only one I generally acknowledge is at my hairdressers.

I have read that many dining establishments are including a "surcharge" on the bill although I have not encountered this personally. Apparently this is to cover 'additional expenses' (whatever those might be) and to provide tip income for staff that never encounter the public.

And don't even talk to me about gas prices!! I buy gas as cheaply as I can at the tribal stations and with my grocery discount points and it still is pushing $5 a gallon. Without those perks, I'd be doing much less driving!!

The world might be a lot better if some people just minded their own business and stopped trying to mind others', Bestyears.

There are two local independent coffee shops that I go to regularly and I do tip on the machine at those. I really need them to stay in business.

I do think that if people are using the self checkout at grocery stores or drug stores that they should get a discount of 5% at a minimum off their bills. Until that happens I'm using the regular check-outs and making someone bag my groceries for me.

There are markets and other businesses around here (central Missouri) that have added a surcharge if paying by card. At those places, I pay with cash. At the thrift store where I work, we have a $5 minimum purchase before we allow a customer to pay by card. We do not "up our prices" to have the customer pay the surcharge. Other thrift stores in the area have raised minimum purchases to $10 and because of their pricing, I suspect they are adding the surcharge cost to their customers.

Dining out, it tends to be the pricier restaurants that are adding the "pre-tip" to an order. A recent visit was on a holiday, and many restaurants were closed. It was buffet style due to the expected holiday rush, and we waited in line about an hour for luke-warm food and minimal selection. I won't go back, especially with the 25% pre-tip applied. Another restaurant also charges 25% for the privilege of eating their pricey food. While the food was very good, it was also annoying to see the mandatory 25% on the statement and then the spot for me to add my own, additional tip. Nope!

^^^^^wow...25%! and they expect additional tip? Oh, h*ll no, is what I say.

I have only ever seen that"pre-tip" at restaurants for larger parties. Like 6 or 8 people or more, and a tip is added to the bill. I'd never ever pay that for just the two of us, or even 4 people.

No, the tip I am referring to is when you pay with a CC at a kiosk, usually at a restaurant with no service. The local Smashburger does that. I don't tip in that circumstance. And the expensive places don't do it either. We had dinner for Jim's birthday last month, just the two if us, at an expensive steak and seafood place with excellent service. There was no added charge on the bill.

Also, every merchant pays a fee for credit card sales. The large companies, like McDonald's pay a smaller percentage fee than the local mom-and-pop place. And the high-end places just consider it a cost of doing business.

Anybody who is not charging extra is considering it a cost of doing business. Along with wages, rent, insurance, wholesale costs, etc. Let’s not assume they cover it out of the goodness of their hearts; it should be built into their pricing.

In NY it was illegal to charge extra for cc (except for gas I believe) but this recently changed and now many businesses are charging a 4% surcharge (the legal maximum) to use a card. Since I rarely carry cash anymore I typically pay it and hope it helps avoid cheating taxes.

I do get annoyed at regular wage places asking for tips. I’m happy to tip at a restaurant where the the waitstaff does not get regular minimum wage and it’s understood that I have some control over their pay based on their service. But short of that, businesses should be paying reasonable wages and not looking for us to hopefully pick up the slack. Charge us more and pay more if you think your employees deserve more.

I always tip at restaurants, even fast food where I know the employees are minimum wage employees. The prices are low enough that a 15% or 20% tip isn't going to break me. I tip generously for something like pizza delivery because I know how expensive gas is and they are using their own cars. I pay for the food with a card and pay the tip in cash, hoping the employee gets to keep more of it.

I haven't run into a charge for using a credit card at any of our restaurants, but I might switch to cash if that happens. Some of the charities and political sites I donate to have an added service charge to up your donation to cover the cc surcharge. I will pay it for charities, and lower it to a dollar or two for political campaigns.

I really dislike tip jars on the counters of every single type of business these days, tho. Even though we have a high minimum wage, it is really not enough for anyone to live on and pay the outrageous housing costs in this area. I wish everyone were paid a true living wage and those at the top of the heap who aren't paying anything in taxes could pay their fair share and help make that happen.

Getting customers to pay part of the employees' wages just encourages the employer to pay lower wages. Tipping culture has run amok!

Well, the employees bear the brunt of low wages and it doesn't punish the employer to withhold tips, it punishes the employees. I agree about tipping culture, but the only way to unravel it is to require higher minimum wages and benefits so people can have a real living wage. So, until that happens and we will all pay more for labor, I will try to help the low wage workers survive via tips.

I take advantage of using credit cards for additional cashback or rewards. Most of the time if there is a surcharge I still break even or come out ahead. My hairdresser accepts credit cards but I ignore the tip button and always tip her in cash so she can claim the minimum required on her taxes.

I'd like to throw something else to ponder out here. At one time it was common knowledge that one doesn't tip the owner of a business. I have been to a few smaller restaurants where the owner acts as a server taking orders and bringing food to the table. What are your thoughts on tipping in this circumstance? If they were transparent and said all tips go to staff I wouldn't mind at all, or even if they said let customers know up front it is their business. But I did know of one place where the owner's wife would intentionally grab tables out from under her staff when she saw a more generous tipper come along. A lot of the staff quit over this but it was at a time where getting help wasn't as difficult as today.

We had a new restraunt try the credit card charge and they found no one would come so it went away. As far as tipping, there's always the "other" or no tip option and that is what I always choose at places that do their business through a counter. Those places also have a tip jar right there at the counter. When a tip is earned it's left cash at the table.

The reason the card reader asks you how much of a tip you would like to add is because that’s the way EFTPOS software is written these days. We get in here in Oz even though Oz is not a tipping culture. Usually we just hit the ”No tip” option and move on.

More and more businesses are adding a CC surcharge as they are no longer able to absorb the cost they pay to their bank for the processing etc. By law here the surcharge can only be enough to cover the cost to the business of accepting a CC payment. And if businesses do not offer the customer the opportunity to pay in cash (a few don’t), then they are not permitted to add a surcharge and can be prosecuted if they do.

A bff and I met in the middle each driving an hour to have lunch once a week at a teeny tiny chinese buffet place. We chat and nibble the day away. The place was always well used but due to her wheel chair we were always seated in a corner out of traffic and never was a line waiting for a table. COVID coupled with her major medical involvements took that from us so this week after a four year hiatus we met up again. Sadly the resturaunt has changed. No more buffet--even though the web page says there is. (We asked about it and the server said "Oh well you have to get to the correct web site ya can't just google) hmmm I did a SEARCH of the restaurants NAME!! It told me it was now a Korean/Thai infusion place but ok, sigh "And besides, she said, the price is the same and our luncheon specials are quick! People love them" The place was EMPTY. Any whoo when we went to pay the card reader gave the now typical tip option. What I found IRRITATING is the server appeared and looked over the shoulder of the gal at the register. I really wanted to march back to the table and take my tip. Pressure for a tip turns me off.

I have found that tourist areas are the places that add the cc fee. Most everyplace we ate in the 30A area had the fee and several in HHI had it also this summer.

I would rather it just be added into my meal.

With the last minimum wage increase, it also includes wait-staff and servers now. They were typically paid a lesser wage as they got tips. This has really created a conundrum with diners. Do they still leave a 20% or better, when their basic wage is the same as anyone else?

Also prices have vastly increased, as the cost of product has skyrocketed.

I dine out rarely, and usually for a reason, birthday etc.

I see a lot of talk on the local FB groups. Even now, you go pick up an order for take out and it asks for a tip.

****A big thing here we're finding out, is some unscrupulous owners keep the tips when they're added on to the bill via credit card. The server doesn't get them. For this reason a lot of people pay the tip with cash.

I'm a cash girl, and the only discount I see is at the nail salon, you get 10% discount. I *wish* my hairdresser charged less for cash. Everytime I go, it seems it costs more. Not even a wash, just spritzing and cutting and blow dry.

There's one new restaurant in town that advertises they pay a "living wage" well above the minimum wage so people don't need to tip.

It is frustrating overall. Especially now, if they're making the same wage as a cashier.

I find "tap and go" to be convenient and quick. No fumbling for cash and change, less time spent at the cashier. CC fees are the price of doing business and restaurants and vendors should raise their prices 3 1/2% if they must-- I don't like the nickel and diming -- just put it in the price. If customers pay cash, the restaurant makes a bit more profit. I'm suspicious of the tip option added at a lot of counters -- I'm not convinced that the "tips" actually get to the employees. I prefer to tip in cash directly to the server. Tip jars at pickup windows are ridiculous -- delivery or actual service are different.

I tip very well when eating at restaurants and even for food I pick up-since they have to go to extra trouble and expense to put into containers and bag it. My thinking is, by me picking up our food (carry out) it does prevent a waiter from getting a tip since we are not eating inside the restaurant.

BUT, I refuse to tip on drive through windows i.e. Starbucks is famous for this. I feel like, if I don't tip at McDonalds, Chickfila etc. - why should Starbucks get a tip? They are providing the same service. I did tip for Starbucks etc during pandemic and a while later, due to the fact I was appreciative of people actually showing up for work-but I think they got use to it and now expect it?

Also prices have vastly increased, as the cost of product has skyrocketed as noted by Jasdip. Sometimes I am really slow on this kind of understanding. But we're now tipping higher dollar amts because the price of food as gone up so quickly. The quality of service sure hasn't increased. Time to start leaving a dollar amount and not a percentage when given a choice.

Extra credit card charges are common here but pretty much just with small businesses. If I'm not buying anything very expensive I just consider it part of the cost of the item. We did have a fairly expensive car repair done at a small local mechanic shop and I made a point of paying by check so I didn't have to pay an extra 4%. Tipping with every electronic system is common. I just don't add a tip or maybe a $1 if I thought the person at the register was pleasant. I would never add a tip in advance. We also have extra 3-5% surcharges at restaurants to supposedly help cover the cost of health insurance or some other commentary about retaining good people. I think that is kind of ridiculous - just charge enough to cover the cost of doing business. However if you're going to eat at one of these places you have no option other than to pay it or I guess reduce the tip by that amount. The worst case is the golf club we are social members of - 21% charge on every bill. I just look at the price of items on the menu and add 21% so I realize what I'm actually paying. DH wants to leave a tip on top of that and I do not - we usually leave a small tip. We only eat at this place about once a month but it annoys me every time.

My understanding is merchants are charged less if you use a debit card (and select debit not credit) rather than a credit card. I also read that they are not allowed to add a surcharge for debit card use but they all charge the same fee if you use a card of any kind.

I will absolutely not pay a tip in advance - wth is that about? Nope. Not happening.

When paying a bill after dining, if paying by card, I will often not leave a tip via the machine but instead leave cash on the table.

This is out of hand, IMO.

"I take advantage of using credit cards for additional cashback or rewards."

Those rewards are funded via (a fraction of) the fees charged to merchants and interest collected from cardholders on the premise that more purchases/charges will garner more fees and interest.

These are fees charged on a monthly merchant statement for a small business where I worked for many years as full-charge bookkeeper (among other duties). It permanently closed a couple years ago due to effects of COVID, and some other factors.

- AmEx Discount Fee

- AmEx Transaction Fee

- AmEx Prepaid Tier 1 Fee

- AmEx Emerging Market Tier 3 Fee

- AmEx Assessment Fee

- Discover Assessment Fee

- Discover Data Usage Fee

- Discover Discount Fee

- Discover Interchange Fee

- Discover Network Authorization Fee

- Mastercard Debit Interchange Adj

- Mastercard License Fee

- Mastercard NABU Fee

- Visa Assessment Fee

- Visa/Mastercard Discount Fee

- Visa FANF High Volume Cust Present

- Visa Financial Transaction Fee

- Visa Network Acquirer Proc Fee Sig Debit Adj

- Visa Network Acquiring Processing Fee

- Visa Transaction Integrity Fee

- Issuer Settlement Fee

- Service Fee

- Transaction Fee

- Customer Intelligence Suite

These are fees charge in the past but not on the statement above.

- AmEx Interchange Fee

- AmEx Network Fee

- AmEx Prepaid Tier 1 Fee

- AmEx Service/Prof Service Tier 1 Fee

- AmEx Travel & Entertainment Tier 3 Fee

- AmEx Restaurant Tier 4 Fee

- AmEx Prepaid Gift/Discount

- Mastercard Assessment Fee

- Mastercard AVS Fee

- Mastercard Cross Border Fee

- Mastercard CVC 2 Fee

- Mastercard Discount Fee

- Mastercard Intl Support Fee

- Mastercard Merchant Location Fee

- Mastercard Final Auth Not Cleared in 7 Days Base Rate

- Mastercard Final Auth Not Cleared in 7 Days Minimum

- Visa Credit Voucher Proc DB/Prepaid Trans

- Visa Discount Fee

- Visa FANF Cust Not Present and/or Fast Food

- Visa Int Acquirer Fee

- Visa Misuse of Auth Fee

- Visa Intl Serv Fee-Purch

- Visa Zero Floor Limit Fee

- Interchange Fees

- Manual Entry Fee

- Miscellaneous Fee

- EMV Non-Acceptance Fee

- Merchant Specialist Fee

- Reporting Fee

Thanks for sharing that, Dadoes. I tend to look at the obvious participants--myself as the consumer, the low-wage worker, and the business owner. It's much more than just us.

I've always tipped generously, and amped it up during Covid. But I, too, dislike being prompted for a tip when I've only briefly interacted with a staff member on a single transaction. In the moment, though, I usually cave and select the 20% option. For restaurant service, I do the simple double-the-total, and add a buck or two. Some friends argue that you should only tip on the pretax amount, etc. But my math skills are suboptimal, and I don't take the time to calculate all that. I should start looking out for extra charges based on this thread, though.

Along the lines of Blfenton's comments, I'm doing a lot more work myself in, in general, in stores and other places of business.

I agree with this quote of Elmer's: "As far as fees for using cards, you can be sure that when such a charge isn't stated as a separate add-on, it's included if only indirectly in the price of the goods or services".

An add-on ccard fee imposed by the merchant is part of the total transaction amount, and thus is also subject to the merchant processing fees.

A few of the fees are a monthly flat-rate. Majority are based on $-amount or number of transactions subject to the respective fee.

There is no tipping culture here either. Tipping in the US is a minefield for foreigners. I am sure we have committed multiple faux pas when we've visited. We do not tip anyone for anything except waiting staff if service was particularly good. And that is done as colleninoz described, by an optional service charge on the bill. Unless the service was exceptional we say no. It wouldn't occur to me to tip someone in a shop or cafe, or a delivery person. It would embarrass me and them. We're just back from three weeks in Italy and didn't pay a single tip for anything. It's not expected there either. There are also no add-on card fees at point of sale. They are illegal in the UK.

The other thing which is difficult to grasp in the US is how much stuff actually costs. Here the price marked is the price you pay. They don't hit you with an unexpected tax at the cash desk. I was embarrassed a couple of times by thinking I had just enough cash on me for the item I wanted and then having to leave it because it cost more than the ticket said. (That was when I still carried cash.)

dadoes, don't get lost in the weeds. There are fees charged, period. What they are isn't info a customer needs to know.

One of our granddaughters, a full time college student, waits tables at a popular restaurant here (Tampa). Some shifts she goes home with $50.00 in tips. Most nights, much more. Yesterday she worked a ’double’, 11 am to 10 pm. She arrived home with $540.00 in tips. It would have been $900 something but they split with other staff.

Good money yesterday. What she knows is that she does not want to make her current job a career. And she is now a better tipper when she goes out to eat.

dadoes Not sure why you chose to use my rewards statement as a heading for your long, exhaustive list. I am fortunate to have an excellent credit rating which allows me flexibility in managing my finances. I can take a hit by dropping cards and looking for the best deals. I have even done some light churning. Of course nothing is free in life. I'm in a position at this time of my life I can use other people's money as a short term loan (which is what a credit card really boils down to) and get rewarded for it. Should I stop doing so because somewhere down the line fees are collected? Should no one use credit cards because some people use them irresponsibly in turn paying for the lower rates the responsible consumer gets?

I quoted you simply as an opening to clarify that card points aren't as much a gift from the cardbank as some people may believe. I have never paid interest on a credit card in 30+ years of having them, and was told by the title agent when buying my house that my credit rating was "one of the highest we've seen" (her words).

The topic references "credit card fees" meaning extra fees that merchants charge for card transactions vs. cash. I provided the list as an example of fees that are charged to merchants by card service providers for the benefit of people who may not realize how many different kinds of fees are involved on that side of the equation.

My bad on all angles.

My bad

Not at all. I think the list is interesting, with all those different kinds of fees.

I've got a new one. SO wanted me to order a large flag for him to hang in his shop. When I went to check out, it gave an option to "tip our designers." NO.

I always tip and yes, over tip at restaurants,even takeout orders. I tipped 20% on a measly taco salad on my way to work today. But it is getting out of control. There is a tip jar at the tobacco store that SO goes to. There is a tip jar at the checkout of the winn dixie I go to in order to tip the cashiers. I ordered a pizza for pickup the other day. PICKUP. They asked me to tip. Every card transaction everywhere it seems asks for a tip. It is exhausting.

dadoes Thanks for clarifying. I see you were merely trying to provide info for people who may not know what to me are obvious facts. I guess I just assume people who use credit should know this. But considering how so many people don't manage their credit well at all i should know better. That's my bad. LOL

Many of our vacations are on cruise ships and therefore we belong to some Facebook groups for the cruise lines. The arguments about tipping on those groups is legendary. Basically it boils down to folks from non US countries, where they pay their people more than we do here, do not at all understand our tipping culture. And they get angry that they are expected to tip workers on the ship.

My feeling is I wish we were more like other countries and servers' income is not based on the generosity of the paying public. But until that happens, I will happily tip. And because I was a waitress during college and am thankful everyday that I didn't have do that once I graduated, I'm a big tipper.

At first the tips for counter service annoyed me. I do not think those people are paid less than minimum wage and expect tips to make up the difference? But it's been going on so long, I'm over it and I just tip. In the grand scheme of things, it's not very much money to me and maybe I'm helping one of the workers pay for college.

Very infrequently we've had a surcharge added at a restaurant when using a credit card. It's slightly annoying, but I do not want to have to carry large amounts of cash all the time so I just pay it. I tell myself that my AmEx points make up for the surcharge since I haven't paid actual cash money for an airline ticket in I can't remember how long. I'm probably wrong about that, but shush, I will continue to tell myself that.

" Thanks for clarifying. I see you were merely trying to provide info for people who may not know what to me are obvious facts. "

What benefit do you derive from thinking you know these "facts"? Do you also want to know how much rent a store pays for its space, or how much the monthly energy cost is?

A charge is a charge, paid whether separately stated or not. When separately stated, there's no obligation to disclose whether the charge is less than or greater than the underlying cost. It doesn't matter.

PS - a credit score is nothing to manage directly. Management of one's occupation and employment, income level, and spending habits translates into the credit history. Do each to the best of your ability and the scorekeeping the credit reporting agencies think they do meaningfully takes care of itself.

I am also feeling frustrated and bullied by the constant tip requests everywhere on machines. I have always tipped dine-in, often tip something for take-out. But now everywhere wants tips before the service, and then proceed to give bad service. And places are calculating the tip including the tax which is really frustrating when there is no option for me to specify a dollar amount or see my full bill. I'm just expected to push a percent button. And the amounts have gone up. It used to be 15-20% was a "good" tip. Now I'm seeing machines minimum 20% and up to 30%. And it's not like I can do the calculation in privacy at my own table now. Instead I have someone holding onto the machine while I'm expected to push a button while they watch. And it's not the fault of the staff. The industry has decided not to pay these people a living wage and expect us to compensate with tips. I've heard of restaurants that remove tips then add a 22% "service charge". That seems like a bait and switch to me.

But now everywhere wants tips before the service

I have experienced that too and to me it doesn't make sense. I thought the whole point of a tip was to help reward good service. My most frequent tipping is grocery delivery, all want tips before delivery; some stores allow one to change the amount for 24 hours after the completed delivery. But some don't. I guess the easy answer is to not tip online but instead keep cash at home, but I forget to get cash sometimes.

Just back from buying a large container of lemon sorbet from an Italian restaurant with a pastry/gelato counter service bar. I was in a hurry. The total pops up, then the tipping possibilities, 15 percent is the lowest, no thank you. I hit other, several times, no luck. Finally hit 15 percent and miraculously that button works. Ha!