Tips for street performers, free

Take tips from the crowd, no cash needed

Put a QR code on your sign. People scan it, pick a tip and pay with PayPal or a card, straight to your own account. Payly takes no fees.

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How can a street performer take tips by QR code?

Make a tip jar page, download its QR code and print it on a sign where people stand to watch. They scan it with a phone camera, pick a tip and pay with PayPal or a card. Scan a printed copy yourself before you head out. Stripe allows a tip only for something you have already provided, so word the sign as thanks for the show.

Why Payly

A code sized for the crowd

The code is a few hundred pixels across, so a card or a small sign looks sharpest. A much bigger print can look soft. Keep the white border, because phone cameras need it.

Song requests with the tip

The Tip the performer template asks Request a song. Each request arrives with its paid tip in your dashboard. It shows in your dashboard, not on the tip jar page.

Worded as thanks

The template is written as a thank-you for the show. Put a line like Enjoyed the show? Scan to leave a tip. beside the code.

How a busker's tip jar works in Payly

You print the sign. PayPal or Stripe collects each tip.

Start from Tip the performer

In Your sites, click New, choose Tip jar, then click Tip the performer. Add your name, your photo and your own words. See Set up a tip jar.
Set the amounts

Click the question that shows the tip amounts. Change the suggested amounts (up to 8) and leave the Other box on, so people can type their own.
Connect, publish and print

Connect PayPal or Stripe, then Publish. In Settings, under Share your form, click Download QR code. Turn on Test mode first to practice. See Print your tip jar's QR code.

What you get

A Tip the performer template with a Request a song question
Tip amounts to pick from, and an Other box
A QR code to download and print, plus a link to share
Your photo, logo, colors and font
A receipt by email for every tip, and no account for tippers
Every tip, name and request in your dashboard, and a CSV download
Test mode, to tip yourself with sandbox accounts before you go out

What it costs

Completely free - no paid plan, no transaction fees, no commission

PayPal and Stripe charge their standard processing fees, as they would on any platform.

How can this possibly be free?

Start from a template

Start from one of these and change anything you like, or start from scratch.

Tip the performer

Quick tips at a show, from a QR code on a sign.

Honest answers

Do passers-by need an account to tip me?

No. They scan the code, pick an amount or type their own, add their email for the receipt and pay with PayPal or a card. Their name is optional.

Can my sign say I need money?

Word it as thanks for what people just watched. Stripe allows a tip only for something you have already provided. Read Stripe's rules for tips and donations before you share your link.

What if my address changes after I print signs?

The code works only while your tip jar is published. If you later connect a custom domain, download the code again. Your original address keeps working, so signs you already printed still open your tip jar.

Will fees take too much from small tips?

PayPal and Stripe charge a fee on every payment, and it usually includes a fixed part, so a very small tip loses a larger share. Choose amounts you are happy with, or let tippers add the fee: Cover the fee.

Is it really free?

Yes. There is no monthly fee, no transaction fee and no paid tier. PayPal and Stripe charge their standard processing fees on each payment, as they would on any platform. How can this possibly be free?