How Much Should Suggested Tip Amounts Be?

Show three suggested tip amounts and anchor the low one between $1 and $5: Stripe Terminal readers display exactly three tip buttons, Square’s Smart Tip Amounts show $1, $2 and $3 under a $10 ticket, and Instagram Live badges sell at $0.99, $1.99 and $4.99. Set the middle near 2x the low and the top at 2–2.5x the middle.

This page focuses on the numbers. For the complete setup—including what a tip is, where it appears, and how it compares with other ways to get paid—read the pillar guide to accepting tips online. For help labeling each amount, see what to write on a creator tip page.

Why should you show three suggested amounts?

Three is the number the payment industry ships by default. Stripe’s Terminal documentation states that a reader configured for tipping “dynamically displays three percentages or amounts,” and Square’s tipping help article describes three tip options plus No Tip. Three tiers give a fan one accessible amount, one target amount and one stretch amount without turning a tip prompt into a price list.

Stripe’s on-reader tipping documentation specifies that the reader shows three tip buttons, and its documented example configuration suggests $1, $2 or $3 when the pre-tip amount is below a smart-tip threshold of 10 USD (Stripe Terminal documentation).

Square’s official tipping help article states that with Smart Tip Amounts enabled, “if a transaction is less than $10, the available tipping options are: No Tip, $1, $2 or $3,” and “for a transaction $10 or more, the available tipping options are: No Tip, 15%, 20% or 25%” (Square Support, article 8631).

Instagram’s official creator site states that viewers can purchase Live badges “in $0.99, $1.99 and $4.99 increments,” three fixed price points with a cap of USD $250 of badges per live video (Instagram Creators: Badges).

More options are not automatically worse at scale. YouTube’s official blog reports that an August–September experiment adding nine price points ranging from $1 to $500 to the existing Super Thanks tiers of $2, $5, $10 and $50 USD produced “more than a 10% increase in Super Thanks revenue” (YouTube Official Blog). A creator page without YouTube’s traffic volume cannot read a result that small, which is why three presets plus custom entry remains the practical default.

With a Tips offer on FanBell, creators choose the preset amounts fans select from when they pay (how it works).

What should the low, middle, and high amounts be?

Copy the spacing the big platforms already publish: a low amount of $1–$5, a middle amount roughly 1.7–2.5 times the low, and a top amount about 2–2.5 times the middle. Instagram’s $0.99/$1.99/$4.99 badge ladder, Buy Me a Coffee’s $3/$5/$10 price options and YouTube’s $2/$5/$10 Super Thanks tiers all sit inside that range.

Buy Me a Coffee’s help center states that a creator’s coffee price “is set to $5 by default” and can be changed to $3, $5 or $10 (Buy Me a Coffee Help Center). Ko-fi’s help center states that a “coffee” is worth $3 by default and that creators change the unit price under Settings > Payment (Ko-fi Help Center). Both defaults land inside the $1–$5 low-tier band.

Before publishing your presets:

• Prefer easy-to-scan amounts. Every published ladder above uses round or.99 figures — $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $50 — rather than values such as $4.50 or $9.75.
• Keep the low option accessible. Square sets its lowest smart tip at $1 and Instagram sets its lowest badge at $0.99; a low tier exists to make contributing possible, not to maximise a single payment.
• Keep the high option visible. YouTube keeps a $50 Super Thanks tier alongside its $2 entry point, a 25x spread, so fans who want to give more never have to type a custom figure.
• Use the middle amount as your target. Do not assume it will be the most popular option; verify that against your own completed transactions.

Which preset ladders can different creators test?

Start from a ladder a major platform already ships. Square’s under-$10 tip screen is $1/$2/$3, Buy Me a Coffee’s configurable coffee prices are $3/$5/$10, and YouTube’s lower Super Thanks tiers are $2/$5/$10 —. Pick the one closest to what your fans already spend, then move a single amount at a time.

Creators who already sell Creator Services or Personalized Shoutouts can compare tip behaviour against prices their fans have already paid. Published ladders are evidence about what platforms ship by default, not a guarantee of any average tip or conversion rate on your own page.

How should you adjust presets for your audience?

Adjust the base amounts according to what your audience already pays:

• Smaller or newer audiences: Test $3/$5/$10 or a similar conservative spread before raising the ceiling.
• Established audiences: Consider increasing all three amounts if fans regularly purchase higher-priced offers.
• Audiences with limited purchase history: Start conservatively, retain the same presets long enough to observe completed payments, and change only one amount at a time.
• Mixed-budget audiences: Keep an accessible low preset and allow custom entry so fans are not restricted to your suggested figures.

FanBell has no follower minimum for accepting tips. Audience size may influence the amounts you suggest, but it does not determine eligibility; can small creators accept tips addresses that distinction in more detail.

How do fees affect suggested tip amounts?

FanBell is free to start, has no monthly fee, and applies a 12% platform fee only when a fan pays (pricing).

Stripe processing is separate. Stripe lists typical US online-card processing at 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction. International cards, currency conversion, and other payment methods can cost more, so creators should check Stripe’s current pricing for the countries and payment types relevant to their audiences.

Calculation method: tip − FanBell fee − Stripe processing. Each estimate uses FanBell’s 12% platform fee and Stripe’s typical US online-card rate of 2.9% plus $0.30. Results are approximate because of rounding and payment-specific Stripe costs.

Using those verified rates, a $5 tip has a $0.60 FanBell fee and approximately $0.45 in Stripe processing, leaving approximately $3.95 before taxes. A $25 tip has a $3.00 FanBell fee and approximately $1.03 in Stripe processing, leaving approximately $20.97 before taxes.

Because Stripe’s typical rate includes a fixed $0.30 charge, processing consumes a larger proportion of a small payment. That fee structure supports testing a low preset around $3–$5 instead of $1–$2, although affordability for your audience should remain the primary consideration.

How should you test suggested tip amounts?

Use a consistent review process rather than changing presets in response to one or two payments:

1. Publish one three-tier ladder. Record the date, amounts, and labels.
2. Run the initial setup for at least 30 days. If you have fewer than 20 completed tip transactions, extend the test until you reach 20.
3. Review the selection mix. Count how many fans selected the low, middle, high, or custom amount, and calculate the approximate take-home after fees.
4. Change one preset at a time. For example, keep the low and middle amounts fixed while testing a higher top option.
5. Repeat the same review window. Compare completed transactions and take-home value, not page views alone.

The 30-day and 20-transaction thresholds are FanBell’s practical editorial testing protocol, not statistical-significance standards. They reduce the risk of reacting to a very small sample while remaining usable for creators who do not receive tips every day.

How should you write copy for each amount?

Amounts alone do not explain why a fan might choose $5 instead of $10. A short label can provide context, such as “buy me a coffee” or “cover an hour of editing,” provided it accurately describes what the contribution supports.

For a complete labeling framework, read what to write on a creator tip page. If you have not chosen a tool yet, the roundup of tip jar options for creators compares how different platforms handle presets and fees.

Frequently asked questions

Should I let fans enter a custom amount?

Yes. Offer custom entry alongside presets rather than using it as a replacement. Presets provide quick reference points, while custom entry allows a fan to contribute more or choose a different affordable amount.

How often should I change suggested tip amounts?

Review your presets after at least 30 days and 20 completed tip transactions. Change them sooner only when something material changes, such as the prices of your other offers. Avoid weekly changes because a few transactions may not reveal a repeatable pattern.

Should tip presets differ between Instagram and YouTube?

Not automatically. Base the amounts on the behavior of the audience reaching your FanBell page rather than the referring platform alone. If the audiences overlap or purchase similarly, one range may be sufficient; if completed transaction data shows a material difference, test adjusted presets.

Do suggested tips need to match my other offer prices?

No, but they should form a logical pricing ladder. A tip is generally a low-friction offer, so keeping the high preset below a Creator Service or Personalized Shoutout can make the distinction between support and a paid deliverable easier to understand.

Ready to set your own presets? Create your free FanBell link and add a Tips offer with the amounts that fit your audience.