In the US we sign for most transactions that can have a tip.
Typical restaurant flow would be:
Server gives you an initial receipt with your subtotal on it so you know how much you owe
You give them your card, they charge it the initial amount and give you a second receipt
You write in a tip amount (and calculate the new total) on this second receipt and sign it
Our credit card companies don’t require signatures anymore so we don’t have to do this nonsense when we buy anywhere that doesn’t take tips (grocery store, department store, etc.); I assume restaurants just want some sort of “proof” in case you try and dispute the charge later.
What the fuck is signing a reciept?
In the US we sign for most transactions that can have a tip.
Typical restaurant flow would be:
Our credit card companies don’t require signatures anymore so we don’t have to do this nonsense when we buy anywhere that doesn’t take tips (grocery store, department store, etc.); I assume restaurants just want some sort of “proof” in case you try and dispute the charge later.
Wouldn’t it be simpler to just directly charge the amount with the tip after asking the customer how much they want to tip?
Yes, and it was a source of great confusion for me. Just let me write the tip on the first bill.
If the receipt is contested, your bank may investigate. If the bank investigates, they may bring you the receipt and ask you “is this your signature?”