[bryanthompson]

There are some reasons it still exists, however, it is no longer required and merchants/POS systems ought to start phasing it out.

In the US, the way we do tip on receipt is a lot more natural if you're asking for a signature. Without a signature, you're just handing someone a tip option, which is awkward with our current way of doing things.

Some merchants opt to keep signature enabled because it gives them a fuzzy feeling and it's a point of closure to a transaction.

[nicoburns]

Lot's of payment terminals in the UK allow the customer to input the service charge themselves before they enter their PIN. Otherwise the waiter/waitress typically asks you how much you want to pay before typing in the amount. If you're splitting the bill then they need to do that anyway.

[derefr]

Here in Canada, portable POS terminals usually have a screen before "TAP/INSERT CARD" that says "Add tip?" and offers vendor-set default options, usually either 10%/12%/15% or 12%/15%/20%. The fourth option is always "custom", which allows people to enter 0 if they wish. (There are also payment flows that have an initial "Yes/No" on the "Add Tip?" question, in cases where a tip may or may not make sense, e.g. a bakery/deli that offers both high-touch dine-in and extremely-low-touch "we just take it from the fridge and give it to you" take-out service.)

Since Canada and the US have basically the same tipping culture, these POS systems seem to be already tailored for adoption in the US market (or at least, being cloned by US POS mfgrs.) Not sure why they haven't been.

[syshum]

>>Otherwise the waiter/waitress typically asks you how much you want to pay before typing in the amount.

That is never going to work in the US. Very few people would be comfortable with that.

[jdminhbg]

> In the US, the way we do tip on receipt is a lot more natural if you're asking for a signature. Without a signature, you're just handing someone a tip option, which is awkward with our current way of doing things.

Most places I go now have a receipt option step that serves as a justification for the tip screen, rather than the signature. Tapping “No Receipt” for a $5 beer purchase is only a little faster and less ridiculous than signing for it.

[anakaine]

For those abroad, even the notion of tipping can be absurd. Using that notion as a point of support for a payment system the levies fraud responsibilities onto the merchant and is very easy to circumvent, and the reason most other places moved to chip+pin, or contactless a long time ago is even more amusing.

I understand what you're saying, and how its locally relevant, but from the outside looking in the US is a long way behind on keeping up with the tech in this space.

[djhworld]

When I was over there I constantly got confused around the tipping system and how some bars keep a tab open for you (by take your card and putting it in a little book at the back and then you pay/tip at the end)

I didn't trust that so I ended up just signing the receipt and adding the tip to the bottom and keeping my card in my wallet. Needless to say I think the bar staff got a lot of tips that night!

[learc83]

>Needless to say I think the bar staff got a lot of tips that night!

You generally tip based on percentage or the number of drinks, so it shouldn't matter too much unless you're doing it by percentage and rounding up the nearest dollar.

[yosito]

> In the US, the way we do tip on receipt is a lot more natural

American in Hungary. Here tipping isn't expected like it is in the US. But when you pay, they bring the terminal to your table with the check, then you tell them that you want to add a tip and how much, and they type the total into the terminal before you tap your phone or card. Perfectly natural.

[barsonme]

You omitted a very important part of their comment:

> if you're asking for a signature.