Practices · Observable
Preselected tip or hidden No Tip
A tip amount was already selected when the screen appeared, or the option to leave no tip was small, hidden, or behind an extra tap.
A preselected amount means the fastest path through checkout includes a tip. A hidden or missing decline button means leaving nothing requires finding it. Both are configuration choices in the point-of-sale software.
This record notes which amount was preselected and whether a reporter could see a way to decline. It does not say why the screen was set up that way.
Spot it on your receipt
- Before tapping anything, note whether a percentage is already highlighted.
- Look for the No Tip or Custom button. Note its size and whether it needed another tap.
- Photograph the first screen you saw, before any selection.
On the record
Locations with a published claim that fits
Ordered by the number of independent reports behind the claim, keeping only claims where at least one linked report describes this practice.
No published record fits this practice yet.
Law
The federal baseline
No federal law requires or forbids a tip prompt at checkout. If money collected as a "tip" is retained by the business rather than paid to workers, the federal tip-ownership rule and federal and state deceptive-practice laws may apply.
Source: FTC Act §5; FTC v. Amazon (Amazon Flex), 2021 · Verified 2026-09