So anyway……… how will I tip, in this dystopian world being carved out above….? 
BT have been planning it for several years.
For instance:
I should have been clearer. When we say merge, its unlikely BT will completely merge the networks into a single unified network. The reality will probably look more like a common core with the virtual networking seen in those slides, and a unified front end but there will likely be bits and pieces of the network which operate outside of normal architectures. From an operational view that probably doesn’t matter, you’ll program traffic to go from A-B and it will regardless of what the network actually looks like. But from experience you’ll probably find parts of BTs networks simply don’t easily adhere to the wishes of BT. Some departments don’t even use common hardware or common architecture design, despite it being mandated by BT, they have an opt out. And I know of networks that regardless of any current of future changes in architecture will never be changed because they “just work”, despite being 30 year old technology.
Loads of places offer a gratuity through a card terminal
If you want to tip a trades person, they could quite easily receive a payment via a payment link or the like…
This week I had dinner with a friend at a local pub. When I went to pay the bill (by card - I’ve not drawn cash since February 2020), I explained I would like to put a tip on the bill for service. That wasn’t possible; their POS software actively prevents it. The landlord explained that any tips have to be taxed, his staff are paid well anyways, and he would rather see customers return in the knowledge the price on the menu is the price paid.
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Never tip by card. Won’t get into it in too much detail but:
- Taking commission on cash tips is illegal
- As much as they /should/ (legally) be taxed, that’s probably not something being declared
- Restaurants take a solid chunk (Pizza Express, 50% for example) of card tips.
If you don’t have cash on you, ask the person if they have PayPal or something similar. If they don’t, skip out on it.
I think the commission argument is a good reason to tip via cash instead of card, but not sure about the tax argument.
Are you referring to tipping via card here? I would have thought these are more likely to be handled properly from tax perspective than tips via cash.
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I’m saying that the employee is going to take more home because I doubt they’re filling out a self assessment for the tips they make
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I can think of any number of people I’ve tipped who would’nt even think of payment links and the like. And in any case, there’s something about tipping which is all about the action of it - not the mechanics of crediting someone’s account.
Like I say - old school 
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Unfortunately cash can sometimes be the only option for some ‘informal’ transactions
I’ve stipulated fb marketplace items as online payment on arrival only and people have still turned up with the cash
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Sorry for the delay in answering, rather selfishly, I went out last night and enjoyed myself 
But anyway, I now fear I’m going to suffer the wrath of some with my stance on tipping. Effectively, here in the UK. I’ve pretty much stopped doing it.
My perspective is, we don’t live in a particularly cheap country when it comes to eating out, in fact, I’d go so far as to say, it’s really bloody expensive if you ask me. Staff are now being paid much better these days too. The price of drinks is an absolute joke in most restaurants. A single pint of beer almost £5, a bottle of wine you can buy in a supermarket for £7, a restaurant wants £20 for. I’ve heard all of the arguments about ‘paying for the atmosphere’ but there comes a time when one has to say, enough is enough.
So no, I don’t really tip any more because quite simply I no longer carry physical cash with me and secondly, I just don’t trust the gratuity by card option.
As for ATM’s, well my Starling/Nationwide/RBS debit cards all have the ATM slider set to disabled. I honestly don’t remember the last time I went to pay for something whereby I was unable to pay by debit card. I said it in a previous post in another thread, should I go to a barbers, I have to ask if they take card because an awful lot of them still take cash. The ones that take cash only, don’t get my custom, it really is that simple. Exactly the same with fast food outlets/takeaways. Especially after the Chinese takeaway debacle I had last year where I honestly believed they took card and they point blank would only take cash. Caused me a bit of an issue that and I’ve learned from it and I’ll never use that takeaway again.
I have had a situation whereby I’ve picked up a load of groceries in a convenience store and gone to pay and the person behind the counter has said, ‘Sorry, no card, the terminal is out of order, there’s a cash machine over there’ and I’ve looked and the cash machine has a charge to take out money, so I’ve just put the basket down and walked out.
Well, I’ve got that off my chest!
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So, the notion of profit is where in that statement? R-
I fell foul to this this week, mainly due to my inability to read the large CASH ONLY sign, at waist height on the front door, and the smaller one on the wall behind the counter, before I ordered my food. Thankfully, and rarely, I had my debit card on me and was able to use an ATM next door, however, on another occasion, I would have had no choice but to cancel the order and find somewhere else to get food from.
The noodle bar in the local town centre are also CASH ONLY so, though it smells nice when I walk by, I have not eaten there in years. I’m sure I could pay by card when I did (well pre-COVID).
I have heard a story similar to this from my old man many a time. I think I would do the same too.
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I don’t know, I’m no mathematician 
So yesterday, I went into Tesco and bought four pints of Carlsberg Export for £4.50 on a Clubcard deal. How much would four pints of Carlsberg Export cost me in a pub?
A quick look at the Wetherspoons app, which of course is very much the cheaper end of the spectrum for beer prices, shows Carlsberg Pilsner (similar?) in a pub in Windsor, £3.29 per pint.
And probably the same atmosphere as drinking at home 
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My problem was, I did the order by phone but I neglected to ask if they took card payments. When I arrived, the food was bagged up and I was left looking like a bit of a trouser snake. I had to go and find a cashpoint machine. Too much bloody hassle!
I think I’d ask the four blokes you bought pints of Carlsberg Export for. 
But you can’t drink them in Tesco’s stores. As a former publican all I can say is by the time all the overheads have been paid there is not much left for you if you operate on anything less than x3.5 markup. So that £20 bottle of wine was a bargain. R-
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Ah, I normally pay £1.50 for delivery and pay in advance by card. Different chinese outlet too though tbf
No chance that’s a bargain! 
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