Whats up with tipping these days?

This is how we personally deal with it after talking to locals and researching:

Swiss restaurants and food are really expensive so tipping is not expected or even very common, especially among Europeans. Bills include a lot of that.

If you have amazing service and really really want to tip, a lot of Europeans would add 1-2 euros per person at the table, or round the bill to the nearest whole number. When the waiter tells you the total, you tell them the amount you want to pay and they know what change to bring you. For example, if your bill is 11.50 and you say “12“ and give them a 20 franc bill, they will bring you 8 euros in change. If paying by card, you just say the amount you want to pay and they charge it. At most, 5-10% is a very generous tip. But not tipping is quite normal.

I always tip at restaurants in Switzerland as it is customary. You can ask that the server add X amount to the bill when paying by card.

From the Switzerland tourism page:

In many restaurants, however, it is customary to pay a tip. This
amounts to approximately 10 percent or it is rounded up to a round
amount.

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/planning/about-switzerland/general-facts/money-and-shopping/tipping/

You might find this discussion helpful:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/switzerland/tipping-9e882bc2-2869-4e15-b68b-46df9b2b9c32

Or more confusing. 😊

Sigh…. This is why it feels so awkward. Some say do not tip, some say tip.
It seems you are wrong no matter which you choose.
There has not been an opportunity to tell the server how much I want to pay, as some suggested on that other thread.

When we were there in 2121, there was no line on the bill for tipping. Times change!

PS How's being in Switzerland!

Being in Switzerland is great! I have wanted to come at Christmas since I was a teenager. I’ll write up a report after my trip, but I am really enjoying it. When the weather says rain, I head up high and there is tons of snow. It’s beautiful!

As for the tipping, I just went down to the front desk of the hotel. The restaurant I ate at is here. The owner happened to be at the desk, and when I asked if I should have left a tip, she firmly said in Switzerland the tip is included in the price. For really excellent service she said you could leave a couple of francs, but definitely not 10% like in the States (her words). And definitely she added, you do not need to tip.

I feel so much better for having asked.

Thanks for all the quick responses!

One downside to the rise of card payments in Switzerland (and Europe generally) since the pandemic is that most of the payment systems already have built-in tipping prompts which make it seem like American-style tips are now expected. You are still not obligated to tip and many places still won’t ask outright. If you want to tip, simply tell them the total amount you want to pay when they come by with the card machine. If you have a small bill (like for a coffee and slice of cake) and don’t add a tip, no one will really care, but it is normal here to round up or add 5-10%, whatever makes most sense with the amount. If the bill is small but you want to tip, just round up to the next full number (5.35 round to 6) or add a franc or two. You don’t need to tip for anything that is counter service or to go. I wouldn’t be surprised if cafes get fewer tips now because of the decrease in cash payments.
For bigger meals with larger bills, it is normal here to add some tip up to 10% but it’s still not an absolute must.
Don’t know if that helps :) but basically no, the tip culture hasn’t changed, but the payment systems might make it look that way…

Since there was some inference that tipping was new, thanks to card machines I did a little digging. As early as 2010 there are articles that explain the tipping in Switzerland. Generally round up to be polite or as much as 10% for a great experience but few hate you for no tip. Those articles may or may not be correct. But what I found.

I had this same internal discussion when I was in Vienna for a week. No way to tip if paying by credit card. I asked one server about it because even though nothing on the menu or bill was saying service included I wanted to be sure. She said there was no way to add it to credit transactions. I ended up leaving a cash tip or paying in cash which made it a little easier to keep some smaller bills or coins.

Yes hopper18, the credit card companies have just added to the confusion.

Switzerland seems to be about the sane as Hungary. Ocassionally here I run into a business that won't take a tip on the credit card machine, but it's a but rare. Then I leave cash. Service fee? No tip. Decent service, round up. Good service 10%. Seems to be a norm in a lot of Europe. No tip? No hard feelings from good staff.

Lyndash, my Vienna experience was the opposite. When I said pay by card and the server came with the little machine, they would ask Do you want to add anything or Do you want to leave a tip. I would give them a round number and they would enter it, no problem.

And yes, it's awfully awkward when the server is standing right next to you and wants to process the transaction. If my tipping helped contribute to the downfall of Western civilization, so be it. I'm sure plenty of others don't tip so it averages out.