Tips let customers show appreciation and can increase your income. In Vagaro, tips paid by cash, check, or gift card must be entered manually at checkout. For credit card payments, customers can select a tip amount during checkout or add a tip on a printed receipt. You can also configure your Checkout Settings to show custom tip rates to customers.
Prerequisites: This feature is available for all Vagaro businesses.
Keep the following in mind:
-
Tips from credit card payments are deposited into the merchant account of the account owner or the provider performing the service.
-
If your business has multiple merchant accounts, Vagaro will automatically split the tip based on the price of the service each person performed. You can also manually split tips at checkout to reward a specific provider.
-
If you want to pay employees the tips they earned, you can update your Payroll Settings to include tips in payroll calculations.
-
You can track how much money you've collected in tips from the Sales Summary Report.
-
If you have the Online Shopping Cart feature, customers can also tip online when they pay an invoice, use contactless checkout, or prepay a service in full.
-
If a service is discounted, the suggested tip options are based on the original price before the discount. Tips are calculated from the total cost of services, products, and classes in the cart. Packages, memberships, fees, and gift cards are not included in the tip calculation.
Before accepting tips on Vagaro, take a moment to review the preset options and make sure they align with how you run your business.
Important
Preferred tip options can be customized by the provider based on the device they use:
-
Vagaro Pro App: Each provider can set their own custom tip options on their device.
-
Computer: The preferred tip options apply to that computer and any other computers signed in to your business account.
To manage your tip settings:
-
Go to the Checkout
screen.
-
In the top-right corner, select Settings
.
-
If you haven't already, turn on Collect Tips to display the five preset tip options.
-
Manage your preferred tip options:
-
Enter up to five different preferred tip options you want at your business.
-
Select the X button to remove a tip option.
-
If you have fewer than five preferred tip options, select Add Tip Option to add another one. The new value defaults to 5% more than the previous value.
-
-
Select Save.
You’ve set your tip options. The values will be automatically listed from smallest to largest.
To manage your tip settings:
-
Go to the Checkout
-
In the bottom-right corner, select Down-arrow
→ .
-
If you haven't already, turn on Collect Tips to display the five preset tip options.
-
Manage your preferred tip options:
-
Enter up to five different preferred tip options you want at your business.
-
Select the X button to remove a tip option.
-
If you have fewer than five preferred tip options, select Add Tip Option to add another one. The new value defaults to 5% more than the previous value.
-
-
To allow printing a tip receipt at checkout, turn off Require Digital Signature.
Note
Tip receipts allow the customer to manually sign for and add a tip to their purchase. Once filled out, you can just enter the tip to finalize the payment.
-
Select Save.
You’ve set your tip options. The values will be automatically listed from smallest to largest.
If you don't accept tips, you can turn the Collect Tips setting off.
To manage your tip settings:
-
Go to the Checkout
-
In the top-right corner, select Settings
-
Turn off Collect Tips.
-
Select Save.
To manage your tip settings:
-
Go to the Checkout
-
In the bottom-right corner, select Down-arrow
-
Turn off Collect Tips.
-
Select Save.
Vagaro allows businesses to accept credit and debit cards from various devices, including phones, tablets, credit card reader, Pay Desk, PayPro, PayPro Go, and computers.
Customers can choose from the preset tip options during checkout or enter a custom amount, including $0.00 if they choose not to tip. The tip prompt will display on the device. If you're using a PayPro Mini, PayPro Go, or WisePad 3
Note
Credit Card Processing is required to accept credit cards with Vagaro.
If you haven't charged a credit card before, see Charge a Customer's Credit or Debit Card to learn more.
If you take payment with a PayPro Go, credit card reader, or connect PayPro Mini to PayPro, make sure the device is turned on and connected.
To collect a tip:
-
Go to the Checkout
-
Select a customer and add items to their shopping cart.
Note
For existing appointments or classes, the customer is already selected and ready for checkout.
-
Charge the customer's card. The tip screen appears on the device.
-
Hand the device to the customer so they can select a tip option, or, if needed, ask which tip option they prefer and select it for them.
-
Depending on your Checkout Settings, your customer will also have the option to sign and print a receipt.
You've successfully taken payment.
If you take payment with a PayPro Go, credit card reader, or connect PayPro Mini to your computer, make sure the device is turned on and connected.
To collect a tip:
-
Go to the Checkout
-
Select a customer and add items to their shopping cart.
Note
For existing appointments or classes, the customer is already selected and ready for checkout.
-
Charge the customer's card. The tip screen appears on the device.
-
Hand the device to the customer so they can select a tip option, or, if needed, ask which tip option they prefer and select it for them.
-
Depending on your Checkout Settings, your customer will also have the option to sign and print a receipt.
You've successfully taken payment.
If the customer isn't paying with a credit card, you'll need to enter the tip manually into the system before checking out the customer.
To enter a tip manually:
-
Go to the Checkout
-
Select a customer and add items to their shopping cart.
Note
For existing appointments or classes, the customer is already selected and ready for checkout.
-
Next to Tip, select $0.00.
-
Ask your customer how much they'd like to tip, then enter the tip amount.
-
To split the tip between multiple employees, select Split, divide the tip between the employees, and then select Continue.
Note
The option to split a tip will only display if multiple employees are selected at checkout.
-
Enter payment for the customer's items using cash, check, gift card, or other methods, then select Checkout.
-
If applicable, send or print a receipt, then rebook or return to the Calendar.
To enter a tip manually:
-
Go to the Checkout
-
Select a customer and add items to their shopping cart.
Note
For existing appointments or classes, the customer is already selected and ready for checkout.
-
On the right side of the screen, next to Tip, select $0.00.
-
Ask your customer how much they'd like to tip, then enter the tip amount.
-
To split the tip between multiple employees, select Split, divide the tip between the employees, and then select Apply.
Note
The option to split a tip will only display if multiple employees are selected at checkout.
-
Enter payment for the customer's items using cash, check, gift card, or other methods, then select Checkout.
-
If applicable, send or print a receipt, then rebook or return to the Calendar.
Comments
12 comments
After the update Vagaro did, my customers are now forced to leave a tip. I run a swim school and require full payment upon booking. Tipping is not as common as it is in a salon. Regardless, customers should not be forced to leave a tip to complete the registration process. There is no option for them to opt-out of leaving one and the only workaround is to turn the tipping option off completely.
Alia: I'm putting in a support request for you on this.
Donna
It would be great if there was an option to tip and if there was also an option that says no tip on the same screen
Even when the above steps are completed, it does not ask about tipping when a package is purchased or redeemed.
I second the above comment about adding a “no tip” on the tipping screen. I don’t want to turn tipping off completely. I want a way for clients to not tip if they don’t want to while still keeping the tip screen for those who do.
I REALLY wish there was a way to add the tip on after the customer taps or inserts their card. It is incredibly awkward with in person clients during the checkout process to hand them my phone for tap to pay when the tip screen is already up.
I sell membership through Vagaro which gives my members one free service every month. During the checkout, the total is $0 so it is not asking my members to sign or allow them to choose the tip %age option. Adding a tip manually is not a good customer experience, what are my options so I allow them to choose the tip %age instead of me calculating and typing it? I am using Vagaro Paypro Mini.
Issue with Tipping on Package Sales – Losing Revenue
I’ve noticed a major issue with tipping when clients purchase service packages in my booking system. Normally, at checkout, clients can select a 10%, 15%, 20%, or 25% tip, making it easy for them. However, when they buy a package (such as my "Buy 5, Get the 6th Free" offer), the tipping option doesn’t work—it just shows $0 regardless of what they select.
This is causing a significant loss in revenue, as clients often assume they are tipping but aren’t, and I’m missing out on hundreds of dollars per month. Since they are still purchasing services—just in bulk—I would expect the tipping function to apply as it does for single-service purchases.
Is this a known issue? Is there a setting I need to adjust, or is this a system limitation? If it’s a limitation, is there a workaround or an update planned to fix this?
Looking forward to your response. Thank you!
Please add a “no tip” option along with suggested tips on the tip screen. Explaining to my clients, “you may choose a tip amount or if not just press checkout” is very awkward.
My clients are being offered tipping on some services but not all services, when they book. I wish to turn off tipping, how do I do this?
Is there a way to put the tipping option for some employees, but not others? Some of our services should receive a tip, while others should not.
Hi Kathryn, currently, that isn't an option on Vagaro. However, we take feedback very seriously. I recommend submitting a feature request.
https://support.vagaro.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021060374-Submit-a-New-Feature-Request
Thanks, Jamie
Please sign in to leave a comment.