Amid high levels of inflation and the increasing prevalence of digital payment methods, people in Switzerland are tipping far less than they did previously, according to a new survey. 

People in Switzerland tipping less often than two years ago

When it comes to tipping in Switzerland, good service and friendly staff are usually rewarded with a small token of appreciation. Nine out of 10 Swiss people say that they generally tip when the service is good. However, a new survey by Bank Cler, a Swiss bank, has revealed that people are tipping a lot less than they did two years ago. 

According to the representative survey of more than 1.000 people from German- and French-speaking Switzerland, four out of 10 people say that they are tipping less than they did two years ago. Just 4 percent of those surveyed said that they now tip more. 

Inflation and digital payment methods influence tipping behaviour

Bank Cler attributes this new attitude to two factors: the fact that inflation has been squeezing people’s budgets over the past two years, and the rising use of digital payment methods. 80 percent of survey respondents said that they were feeling a strain on their finances thanks to the rising cost of living, leading them to tip less often. 

At the same time, almost a quarter (24 percent) said that the value of the tip they give depends on how much cash they have on them at the time. And with more than 50 percent of respondents saying they prefer to pay bills by card or with their mobile phone, this is having an impact on tipping behaviour. A huge 59 percent of survey respondents said they don’t like to tip with a digital payment method. 40 percent said they tip less as a result; only 8 percent tip more when they are paying digitally. 

How much do people tip in Switzerland?

Interestingly, the study also found that the value of the tip depends a lot on the bill. In restaurants, most guests (90 percent) said they only tip if the value of the bill is over 30 Swiss francs. 

The value of the tip also went proportionately down depending on the cost of the bill: for a bill of 30 Swiss francs, the average tip is around 2,50 francs - the equivalent of 8,5 percent. For a bill of 200 francs, the average tip is 9 euros, just 4,5 percent of the bill. 

People are also more inclined to tip more generously in certain settings than others. According to the survey, the average tip for a 200-franc bill in a restaurant is 9 francs (4,5%), compared to 2,33 francs for a 50-franc bill in a taxi (4,66%) and 9 francs for a 200-franc bill at the hairdressers (2,76%).