Insights on digital tipping, the gig economy, and getting paid your way.
What a UK tronc is, who the troncmaster is, and the one rule that can keep your tips out of National Insurance, explained plainly for hospitality workers and owners.
Maya Patel
June 08, 2026
7 min read
The numbers behind the shift from cash to cashless tipping in 2026 — UK and global. Verified stats on the decline of cash, whether people tip more digitally, and the tipping backlash.
Maya Patel
June 08, 2026
5 min read
When a customer from Tokyo tips a tour guide in Lisbon using a British-issued card, how does the money actually work? Multi-currency tipping is quietly one of the most interesting problems in digital payments — and increasingly, a solved one.
Maya Patel
June 06, 2026
7 min read
Tips are income. HMRC knows this, and so should you. Here's a plain-language guide to how UK tax rules apply to digital tips — whether you're employed, self-employed, or somewhere in between.
Maya Patel
June 04, 2026
6 min read
Delivery riders, freelance cleaners, private hire drivers — gig workers increasingly depend on tips to make the economics of their work viable. But the structures built to serve them are patchy. Here's what actually works.
Maya Patel
June 02, 2026
6 min read
Hotels, restaurants, and bars are among the most tip-dependent workplaces in the UK — and also the most affected by the decline of cash. Here's a practical guide to digital tipping built specifically for hospitality workers and managers.
Maya Patel
May 31, 2026
7 min read
The rules of tipping were already complicated. Remove cash from the equation and add a screen prompting you for a percentage, and the social choreography becomes genuinely bewildering. Here's a clear-eyed guide to navigating it.
Maya Patel
May 29, 2026
7 min read
When a customer tips a team, who should get what? Fair tip pooling is one of the most contested questions in hospitality — and the law now has something to say about it. Here's how to think about it, and how to get it right.
Maya Patel
May 27, 2026
7 min read
A QR code on the counter has become the modern equivalent of a glass jar by the till. Here's how they work, why they're effective, and what to look for when choosing or setting one up.
Maya Patel
May 25, 2026
7 min read
Cash has been quietly disappearing from British pockets for years. For tipped workers, that trend isn't just an inconvenience — it's a structural change in how income arrives. Here's what the decline of cash really means for gratuities.
Maya Patel
May 23, 2026
7 min read
