Drinkers have been left outraged after spotting contactless ‘tipping machines’ at a Brewdog bar in London.

This week, a furious customer shared a picture of the ‘tap to tip’ machine on the bar during a visit to the brewing giant’s branch in Waterloo Station.

The post has since received than a thousand upvotes – Reddit’s equivalent of likes – after it was shared on the thread r/Londonwith baffled commenters saying the concept is ‘criminal’.

The customer said they had been standing ‘a good 20cm’ away from the machine, before it ‘zapped’ £3.25 from their account, which includes a 25p ‘card processing’ charge.

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‘Was at Brewdog Waterloo about to pay for my pint when I unlocked my phone and it flashed up that a payment transaction had taken place before the server even brought over the terminal,’ the customer wrote.

They continued: ‘Turns out there are tipping machines at the bar, and this zapped £3.25 from my account while my phone was a good 20cm away!

‘None of the crew knew how to refund it. Firstly, when did these types of machines appear and, my god, what a stupid place to put them where phones and cards are being waved around!’

The machines are powered by a start-up called TiPJAR. They accept contactless cards, Google or Apple Pay, and all the money goes directly to staff members.

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But social media users were not impressed and saw it as a sign that the UK’s tipping culture has gone too far.

One person simply commented: ‘Criminal’, while another added: ‘What a con. All tips go to staff, apart from the 25p processing charge – over 8%.’

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A third person said: ‘+25p to process?” So you’re going to charge customers to give you a gratuity? F*** RIGHT OFF!!!’

Others said: ‘Having just come back from NYC and spending so much on tips !! This pains me greatly to see’;

‘Because £8 a pint just isn’t expensive enough’;

‘Tips are for waiters not bar staff, unless its table service and then youd tip if they did a good job’.

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Another commented that they had worked in a bar near Borough Market with the tipping machines, but people kept tapping it in error, ‘thinking it was the card machine’.

However, one person in favour of the machines added: ‘This may be unpopular but these machines are actually better for the staff.’

TiPJAR’s machines, hailed as ‘the world’s first contactless tip collection device’, can also be found in chains including Cote Brasserie, The Alchemist and Honest Burgers.

Founded in 2018 by James Brown, the CEO of Prezzo, TiPJAR originated due to the UK moving towards a ‘cashless society’. Brown previously worked as the CEO of BrewDog from 2022 to 2024.

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‘James and our whole team were moved to act by the plight of staff seeing their tips dwindle as we all stopped carrying cash,’ the website reads.

It continues: ‘This ground-breaking system relieves the operational pain point of tipping and empowers staff to control tips.’ They say the novel method improves upon ‘QR code and web-based’ tipping systems.

The company encourages staff to place them ‘front and centre on bar or counter tops’ to maximise visibility.

Another company that has installed the device is The Humble Burger Co in Elgin, Moray.

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In June last year, they wrote on Instagram: ‘We have an amazing team here at Humble who all work so hard ❤️ We want them to know how much we appreciate them so we’ve invested in @wearetipjar.

‘This allows you, our wonderful customers, to leave a card tip of which 100% will go to our incredible team!! You can also leave a tip remotely if you’ve used our click & collect service.

‘Join us in celebrating and supporting our young people working hard in the hospitality sector – you deserve every penny.’

Many restaurants in the UK, especially in London and other big cities, now include a service charge in the bill – usually of 12.5 per cent.

A growing number of British hospitality and service providers are adopting US-style tipping culture, with gratuity prompts routinely added to card payment machines.

The percentage of business owners applying a suggested tip on their card machines has skyrocketed by than a third, according to the contactless payment firm SumUp.

But despite these prompts, and 20% being the standard in the US, stubborn Brits on average cling to a 10% gratuity, The Times said.

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The number of cafes, coffee shops and restaurants utilising tip prompts leapt by than two-thirds between 2022 and 2024, with the average tip hovering between 10.2% and 10.6% during the same period, the data revealed.

And while many UK restaurants have a longstanding tradition of asking for a gratuity for staff, Brits are wary of being asked for one in businesses that have in the past not expected them – such as a pub.

Phil Inzani, who runs the Polo Bar in central London, said previously: ‘With our system, the tipping prompt comes pre-programmed but I take it off as I think it’s a p*** take.

‘It’s all a bit American. I’ve just come back from over there and it’s the norm, it’s just part of their psyche but here, we’re not like that.

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‘If I go somewhere and someone has gone that extra mile then I leave a tip but I don’t like a prompt. It’s a bit irritating and that’s the philosophy I have applied here.’

Laura Akano, Etiquette Coach and founder of Polished Manners, said that tipping is never required in the UK, but it is a ‘nice thing to do’.

However, if you’re eating in a restaurant, it’s extremely likely that a service charge will be added.

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In America, tipping below 20 per cent is seen as a cultural taboo but, just a decade ago, 15 per cent was considered the standard tip for average service.

Earlier this week, people in America were left outraged by a new restaurant tactic appearing to force diners into leaving bigger tips.

One social media user shared a photograph of a payment screen reading ‘Don’t forget a tip!’ and giving options of 15, 20 or 35 percent. When the customer attempted to make the custom amount $0, the website wouldn’t allow the order to move forward.

The Daily Mail has reached out to BrewDog and TiPJAR for comment.

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