How ThankTap works

ThankTap turns a tip into a single tap. A guest loads a balance once, chooses an amount, and holds their phone to a staff member's ThankTap NFC tag. The gratuity settles instantly, the staff member keeps 100% of it, and both sides see an itemized record.

Step 1: load your ThankTap balance

A guest adds a balance — for example $200 — using Apple Pay or Google Pay, once, before the trip starts. The balance works at every ThankTap property, never expires, and is refundable in full at any time. Balances are held in custodial accounts and are never spent by ThankTap.

Step 2: choose the amount

In the ThankTap app the guest picks $5, $10, $20 or any other amount. The 20% ThankTap service fee is displayed before the guest confirms. There are no preselected amounts and no nagging prompts.

Step 3: tap to thank

The guest holds their phone against the staff member's ThankTap NFC tag — a lapel pin, badge, fob or lanyard card. The tip moves instantly with no checkout page, no card entry and no cash.

Step 4: done, and notified

A $20 thank-you draws $24 from the guest's balance: $20 to the staff member and $4 to ThankTap, itemized on the spot. The staff member is notified immediately and sees the amount in the ThankTap staff app.

What the guest pays

  • The tip amount, which goes entirely to the staff member or their disclosed pool.
  • A 20% ThankTap service fee added on top and shown before confirmation.
  • Nothing else: no membership, no minimum, no expiry on the balance.

The AI Smart Tip Engine

Guests who are unsure what to give can use the ThankTap AI Smart Tip Engine. It reasons about the service described, the luggage load read from a photo by vision AI, the difficulty of a reservation or ticket obtained, local tipping convention and currency, property category, and the guest's chosen generosity style — conservative, customary, generous or very generous. Every recommendation shows a confidence score and the factors behind the amount.

What the hotel does

The property assigns tags to roles through the ThankTap roster, sets any pooling rules, and receives daily reconciliation, payroll export and a complete audit trail. The hotel never controls the recommended amount and pays nothing for the platform.