Questions

Does the customer need TipBop?

No, and that is the point. They tap your badge with their phone and a web page opens. There is nothing to install and no account to make. Most people have paid and put their phone away in about six seconds.

What does TipBop cost me?

Nothing. There is no subscription, no monthly fee, and no cut taken out of a tip. If a customer chooses £10, you receive £10.

Why does the customer pay the fee?

Taking a card payment costs money, and so does sending it on to your bank within minutes. The fee is 40p plus 4% of the tip, so on a £10 tip it is £0.80 and the customer is billed £10.80.

It is added on top rather than taken out because otherwise the amount the customer chose and the amount you received would be two different numbers. The customer sees the fee before they pay. It is never hidden, and it is never taken from your tip.

How quickly does a tip arrive?

Your tips are sent to your bank automatically, a couple of minutes after someone taps. They usually land within 30 minutes, including nights, weekends and bank holidays.

If your bank cannot take a payment in real time, add a debit card in the app and it can. Until then your tips come through on the daily payout instead.

Can my employer see my tips?

Not through TipBop. There is no employer account and no manager view, because the payment is made to a Stripe account in your own name and the venue is not a party to it. It does not go through the till, a tronc, or payroll, so there is nothing for your workplace to receive, hold, or share out.

That is a statement about where the money goes. It is not a statement about what your workplace is allowed to ask you.

Do I need permission to wear TipBop at work?

Ask first. Where you work still has a say in what you wear and what you do on shift, and starting quietly and explaining later is how a good arrangement turns into a disciplinary one. If they say no, that is a real answer, and TipBop will not help you work around it.

The app carries a short letter you can show a manager. It explains what TipBop is, what the venue does and does not have to do, and that no money passes through the business. You will find it during setup and afterwards in Settings.

What about tax?

Your tips are your income and yours to declare, the same as a cash tip. TipBop gives you a statement of everything you have received so you have the figures. TipBop does not give tax advice, and it will never suggest you leave a tip off a return.

What if somebody disputes a tip?

Because a tip is paid straight into your own account, you are the merchant of record. If a customer disputes one with their bank, that money comes back out of your account. Disputes on tips are rare, and TipBop tells you as soon as one happens. The terms set this out in full.

Does TipBop hold my money?

No. There is no TipBop balance and your tips never pass through one. The customer's payment is made to your own Stripe account, and TipBop's fee is collected from that payment as it happens. TipBop could not hold your tips back, because it never has them.

Can I use it at more than one workplace?

Yes. The badge is yours, not a venue's. It carries your profile and pays your account wherever you are wearing it, so a second job or a new job needs no handover and nobody's permission to transfer.

Is there a smallest or largest tip?

The smallest is £3 and the largest is £100. A customer can pick one of the suggested amounts or type their own within that range.

What do I need to sign up?

An email address and your first name is enough to get in. Before any money can be paid out, Stripe has to check who you are, which means your name, date of birth and address. That is the law for anyone receiving payments, not a TipBop rule. You do not need your bank details until there is money waiting to move.

What if I lose my badge?

Switch it off in the app and anyone who taps it sees a plain page saying the tag is not active. Nobody can be paid through it and nothing about you is on it: the badge carries a link, never your details. Then add a new one.

Something else

The support page covers what to do when something has gone wrong. For anything else, email hello@tipbop.com. One person reads it and will reply.