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What's the proper etiquette for tipping in taxis, restaurants, cafes, hairdressers, etc.? See equivalent question for the US.

I've heard many different opinions online and during my travels, so I'm a bit confused.

1 Answer 1

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Tipping in Israel

First things first: tipping is discretionary. You have no obligation to tip anyone, although showing appreciation for good service is often a good idea.

Who to Tip has a great webpage on Israel, which seems to summarise the general consensus found on the internet. In general, cash tips are preferred. I paraphrase below the main tipping tips I found while scouring the web.

Restaurans / Bars / Cafes / Food Delivery

The tip usually oscillates between 10% and 15%. The latter being a generous tip. The average seems to be 12%. Leave cash tips, since paying tips via card seems to be uncommon/hard. Leaving 5-10% tip to your food delivery man is common practice.

Hotels

Give 5 NIS per bag to your bellman, 5-10 NIS per day to the maids. Check if tip is included in room service, if not 5-10% is a good amount.

Tour Guides

Give 15% to your tour guide, if they work for a private company. Self-employed guides will include the tip in the total cost of the tour. Don't forget to tip the driver some 120-150 NIS.

Taxi Drivers

Tipping taxi drivers isn't required. You can always round up the fare to the nearest integer value, if you feel like it.

Spas

Tipping attendants isn't required. Tipping therapists isn't mandatory but some people do it. Possible amounts could be:

Hairdressing and spa tips

  • Hairdresser / Stylist – 20 NIS
  • Shampooer – 10 NIS
  • Nails – 10 NIS
  • Masseuse – 20 NIS
  • Spa Attendant – no need to tip

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