The guidance draws on new research which found that Irish consumers may have mistakenly paid almost €500,000 on tipping terminals without meaning to.

It has been published on the CCPC website and sent to industry bodies.

It states that tipping on a payment terminal should be easy to avoid; tipping terminals should be kept separate and clearly labelled; mandatory service charges must be very clearly communicated in advance; and optional service charges must never be automatically added to a bill.

Simon Barry, director of research, advocacy and international at the CCPC, said: “Newer technologies like payment screens and tipping terminals are changing the way we tip for services.

“It’s important that businesses using these technologies do so in a way that protects the consumer’s right to decide whether and how much to tip.

“Transparency is vital. Any mandatory service charges must be flagged well in advance, optional charges must never be automatically added to bills, and tipping terminals should be placed away from payment terminals to avoid any confusion.”