tiptop.ninja
Tip Top Tokens · early discovery

Tip like cash, without the cash.

Paper tipping tokens with a scannable code. Each one has a fixed value and an expiry date. You hand it over after the service, and the venue redeems it. It works in a cashless world and is less awkward than a tip screen.

Where it's at Scan a token
  • Cash vibes
  • Code-powered
  • Human appreciation
  • Less social awkwardness
  • Thoughtful about service, culture and trust
tiptop.ninja £1 A Claycode, the round drawn code printed on each token TT-000127 · exp 21 Oct 2027

The round code is a Claycode. Point the scanner at this one and it says thank you.

The problem

Something feels missing

Tipping was built around cash in your pocket. Most of us don't carry any now.

People don't carry cash

The coins that used to go in the jar aren't there.

Contactless often has no tip option

Tap, beep, done. No way to say thanks.

Tip screens feel awkward

Choosing a percentage while someone waits for you is not a moment of gratitude.

Businesses aren't sure how to handle tips

Who gets them, how they are shared, and whether a service charge is the answer.

Appreciation gets automated away

The human part of saying thanks gets lost in the payment flow.

It's worst when the service was genuinely good, and you can't show it.

The idea

Tip Top Tokens

A physical token you can hand over, like a coin. A code on it lets anyone check it is real.

Made of
Paper, printed with a code
Value
Fixed, e.g. £1
Expiry
e.g. one year
Check it
Scan to validate
Moves
Hand to hand, like cash
Redeemed by
Approved venues and staff
Flavour one

Sponsored tokens

A sponsor funds a float of free tokens to give out. Good for a pilot: people can try tipping this way at no cost to themselves.

Flavour two

Paid tokens

Customers buy a booklet of tokens, for example from the venue, and tip with them as they go.

How it would work

Tip after the experience, not inside the payment

  1. Get tokens

    Picked up free from a sponsor, or bought as a booklet.

  2. Enjoy the service

    Pay for your order however you like. The tip is separate.

  3. Leave a token

    Discreetly, when you want, for whoever you want to thank.

  4. Staff redeem it

    Scanning validates the token, then the venue redeems it.

A customer scans
Valid £1 Tip TokenExpires 21 Oct 2027

Enough to trust it, nothing to do.

Venue staff scan
Valid · £1 · ready to redeemValidate → redeem

The same token, with the redemption steps.

These two views are the design rule, and they are not built yet. A token must also read clearly as a tip, not a gift voucher.

Why

Human first, not machine first

Appreciation, not wages

In the UK context, tips are tokens of appreciation, not wage top-ups. The token should feel like that.

Fits how we order and pay now

It works alongside apps, card machines and table ordering, rather than fighting them.

  • Cafes
  • Restaurants
  • Pubs and bars
  • Hybrid spaces

Awkwardness it avoids

  • Staff waiting while you decide on a screen
  • “Service charge added” confusion
  • Tip decisions forced inside the payment
  • Cash-only expectations in a cashless world

What it allows

  • Tip after the experience
  • Tip discreetly
  • Tip when you want, how you want

Tipping isn't just money. It's recognition, connection and gratitude.

Humans serving humans still matters, even in an AI world. Tip Top is about defending that, not about squeezing customers.

Project status

Early discovery

Nothing is on sale and no tokens are in circulation. This is where the idea has got to.

Updated 21 Oct 2026 · tiptop.ninja live

3 live1 in progress3 drafted3 not started1 paused

Running now

Live

This site

At tiptop.ninja, also reachable as claycode.kpay.uk.

Live

Token scanner

Scanner reads the Claycode on a token with your phone camera.

Paused

Token redemption

The link from a scanned token to its wallet is being moved to a new home. Existing tokens are not affected.

Workstreams

  1. 01

    Name and domain

    Done

    Name chosen: Tip Top, at tiptop.ninja. The domain points here, and this page is the one-pager.

  2. 02

    Problem → solution, from the customer's side

    Drafted

    The problem and idea are written up above, with three user stories: “Tap and pay, no tip option”, “On-screen tip is awkward”, “Great service, no cash”. A tight 3–5 sentence pitch is still to write.

  3. 03

    Customer research

    Drafted

    An 8-question street-friendly survey is written (below). Not yet run.

  4. 04

    Venue research

    Drafted

    A 9-question survey for businesses is written (below). Not yet run.

  5. 05

    Token design, version 1

    In progress

    A £1 label template exists (tiptop.ninja · £1 · serial · expiry) with a printable Claycode beside it, and the scanner reads it. Still to do: the full spec, the sponsored/paid flag, and the copy on the token: what it is, why it exists, how to use it.

  6. 06

    Who sees what when scanning

    Not started

    The customer and venue views shown in How it works, and a clear difference from gift vouchers.

  7. 07

    Pilot framing

    Not started

    Principles agreed (below); simple pilot terms not written yet: single use, cash-out required.

  8. 08

    Community and story

    Not started

    A community page on why tipping and humans matter: defending human appreciation in a digital world.

Pilot principles

Discovery, not perfection

Things may break. Learn fast. Explore the regulatory boundaries openly.

Next

Coming up

Write the problem–solution pitch, design the token copy and its scan landing page, and map the customer and venue journeys.

Research

The two questionnaires

Drafts, ready to take onto the street and into venues. Not yet run.

Customer tipping survey · 8 questions
  1. Where do you usually eat or drink? (tick all)
    • Cafes
    • Restaurants
    • Pubs / bars
    • Hybrid places (cafe–bar–restaurant)
  2. In which places do you usually tip?
    • Cafes
    • Restaurants
    • Pubs / bars
    • I don't usually tip
  3. How do you prefer to tip?
    • Cash
    • Added to the bill
    • Separate from the bill
    • No preference
  4. Have you ever wanted to tip but didn't? If yes, why? (tick all)
    • Yes
    • No
    • No cash
    • No option on card machine
    • Felt awkward
    • Wasn't sure what was expected
  5. Choosing a tip on a screen while staff wait feels…
    • Comfortable
    • Neutral
    • Uncomfortable
  6. What does tipping mean to you most?
    • Rewarding good service
    • Appreciating the experience
    • Social expectation
    • I don't think about it much
  7. If you could tip easily after paying, without cash, would you?
    • Yes
    • Maybe
    • No
  8. Any thoughts about tipping today? (open answer)

Venue tipping survey · 9 questions
  1. Do you currently accept tips?
    • Yes
    • No
  2. If yes, how? (tick all)
    • Cash
    • Card terminal option
    • Service charge
  3. If no, why not?
    • Avoid awkwardness
    • Operational hassle
    • Customer base is cashless
    • Business philosophy
    • Other
  4. How are tips handled?
    • Shared among staff
    • Kept individually
    • Managed by business
    • Not applicable
  5. Do you think customers want to tip but often don't?
    • Yes
    • No
    • Unsure
  6. What feels most awkward about tipping?
    • On-screen tip prompts
    • Service charges
    • Cash handling
    • Explaining policy
    • Nothing
  7. Would you consider a simple physical tipping token customers can leave after service?
    • Yes
    • Maybe
    • No
  8. What matters most to you? (pick one)
    • Simplicity
    • Fairness
    • Transparency
    • No disruption to payments
  9. Any thoughts on tipping in your business? (open answer)