When people head out to the bars, it’s cash or credit. And when it comes down to it, plastic patrons may not be as generous.

“People with credit card tabs generally spend more than people with cash,” said Karen Chascy, a bartender at Molly’s Eatery & Drinkery, 1022 W. Lincoln Highway.

One thing waitresses have noticed at Molly’s is the tip is smaller on credit card tabs.

When people order rounds of drinks and pay cash, they tend to tip at least $1 with each round. When they order a tab, they only tip at the end of the night, said Jillian Shalifous, a waitress at Molly’s.

At Fatty’s Pub & Grille, 1312 W. Lincoln Highway, bartenders have also noticed smaller tips on credit card tabs.

Tabs at Fatty’s are tracked by computer. When a patron opens a tab, the credit card is kept behind the bar and each order is logged into the computer by last name.

Disputes sometimes occur at the end of the night or the next day when people are surprised at the amount of money they have spent. When this happens, they are referred to a manager who goes through the receipts and explains the charges to the patron, said Megan Ream, a Fatty’s bartender.

When tabs start to get large, it may be a sign that someone has reached their limit of consumption.

“When tabs get really big and you know it’s not a lot of people drinking on it, you cut them off,” Chascy said.

At Molly’s, a person can open a tab with a waitress or bartender. When a person hands over a credit card, the waitress or bartender will authorize it for $50 and hold on to it. This is not an automatic charge. It simply checks to make sure there is at least $50 available on the card, Chascy said.

To keep track of tabs, the person is required to give their last name each time they order a round of drinks. The bartender then staples the register receipt of each order to the authorization. When the patron wants to close the tab, the bartender or waitress adds up all the register receipts and runs the credit card through.