Two-thirds of Canadians say they want to abolish tipping culture entirely (H&R Block, March 2026), but according to Adyen data, Canadians aren’t becoming less generous, they’re just tired of being guilted into it.
Despite tariffs, rising costs, and real financial pressure, Canadian donations through Adyen Giving – the company’s global checkout donation platform used by leading brands worldwide – grew 3x from 2024 to 2025.
So, Adyen is expanding its Giving feature globally with adidas, off the back of a successful run in Canada. Since 2023, shoppers across 216 adidas stores in Canada and the U.S. alone have donated over $1 million to causes including the Terry Fox Foundation. Now, adidas is taking the program to Europe, Brazil, and Mexico.
While tipping fatigue dominates the headlines, Canadians are quietly giving more than ever, and a global brand is expanding donation capabilities worldwide because of it.
Sander Meijers, Adyen’s Canada Country Manager, said charitable giving at checkout is a fundamentally different emotional experience than tipping.
“The cause is clear, the choice feels genuinely voluntary, and there’s no ambiguity about where the money is going or why it matters. This transparency replaces social pressure with a sense of personal agency,” he said.
“Our Adyen Giving data from 2024 to 2025 shows that Canadian donation volumes tripled, even amidst heightened cost-of-living pressures. While this growth may partly reflect increased availability of the feature, making it more available to engaged shoppers, we also saw a distinct rise in donations. The takeaway is that when given a meaningful way to contribute on their own terms, Canadians show up in a big way.”
Meijers said the core difference between a “guilt-driven” tip from a donation that consumers feel genuinely good about making is agency.
“Tipping has a social expectation – the screen is facing you, the employee is watching, and saying no feels uncomfortable even if the service didn’t warrant a tip,” he said.
“The decision isn’t really yours in any meaningful sense. In fact, Adyen ran a survey on tipping sentiment in Canada last year, which found that one in four Canadians (25%) say pre-calculated percentages actually make them tip less than they intended. A well-executed checkout donation flips that entirely. The ask is transparent, where you know the cause, you know where your dollar goes, and critically, declining doesn’t carry any social cost as the money doesn’t go to the worker cashing you out. That psychological safety is what makes the difference.
“When people give freely, without pressure, they actually feel better about the brand they’re shopping with and the purchase they just made. It becomes part of a positive experience rather than a tax on it. That’s what we’ve seen play out in the adidas program, with shoppers choosing to round up for the Terry Fox Foundation not because they had to, but because it felt like the right thing to do at that moment.”
Meijers said Canadians have a well-documented culture of community giving, with high charitable rates and a strong culture of supporting causes that feel locally grounded and credible. They also want to see brands show up for authentic causes – Adyen’s 2025 Retail Report found that 45 per cent of Canadian consumers would be more loyal to a retailer that demonstrates a strong social purpose, and/or contributes to charitable causes.
“This made Canada an ideal market to test out Adyen Giving with adidas. adidas’ brand purpose, ‘through sport, we have the power to change lives,’ makes it a natural fit to partner with The Terry Fox Foundation, an iconic Canadian cause focused on getting active for good. The alignment between the adidas brand and the cause, and the shopper’s own sense of identity matters enormously,” he explained.
“When adidas launched Giving for The Terry Fox Foundation across its Canadian store network, it was received as an authentic extension of the brand, which drove participation. The success they have seen in various markets led them to expand globally.”
Meijers said the ask needs to be simple, fast, and completely opt-in. If a shopper has to navigate multiple screens, read lengthy explanations, or feel like declining is complicated, you’ve already lost them, and you may have damaged the relationship in the process.
“Beyond that, the charity needs to make sense in the context of the brand and resonate with the actual customer base. A mismatch there creates skepticism rather than goodwill. Retailers also need to be transparent about where the funds go and report back on impact. Shoppers increasingly expect accountability, and that follow-through is what builds long-term trust and repeat participation,” he said.
“Adyen Giving is a completely free feature, ensuring that every dollar goes to the charity. In addition, Adyen is matching all donations in 2026.”
Meijers believes giving and tipping will remain distinct. The united principle being that positive checkout experiences are paramount for merchants.
“In a lot cases, giving creates that, by offering a richer connection with the brand and its ethos. Separately, pushback against tipping culture will force a reckoning in how prompts are designed across the board. Consumers are becoming more discerning about when and why they’re being asked for more money at the point of sale. For brands where there is tipping existing as part of their checkout flow, giving comes after,” he said.
“What I don’t think we’ll see is giving replacing tipping in any structural sense, as they serve different purposes and different relationships. But the growth we’re seeing in programs like Adyen Giving tells me that purpose-driven giving at checkout has significant room to grow, and that retailers who embrace it thoughtfully will earn real loyalty in return.
“The adidas expansion into Europe, Brazil, and Mexico is a signal that this isn’t a Canadian or North American phenomenon – it’s a global shift in how consumers want to engage with brands.”
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