Hot answers tagged tipping
32
There's a bit of per-country variation, but the rule of thumb across Western Europe is that service charges are already included in the bill (sometimes as a separate line item, sometimes not) and it's not necessary to tip in addition to this.
If you must, and you usually wouldn't unless the service is really good, rounding up a euro or two to the nearest ...
24
Scandinavia (where I'm from): matches the UK as described by Rory here. If the service is really good, you can tip upwards of 5-10% if you want. But please note that most entry-level jobs like cashiers, waiters, cabdriver etc. pays a lot better in Scandinavia than in the US (or frankly, most other countries), so you're not stealing anyone's lunch by not ...
19
Not sure if this is quite the scenario you are outlining, but:
If you're really really broke, chances are you won't be eating at restaurants or places that require tipping in the first place :) At least in the US, tipping is not the norm (or is completely optional - eg. tip jar might be present) at fast food (McD, Chipotle), sandwich shops (Subway) or other ...
19
Tipping in the US is much more common than elsewhere. In much of the US service staff are deliberately paid very low wages and expected to make it up in tips. Remember this when comparing prices in North America and Europe - the price of a restaurant may look low, but you are going to have to pay up to 30% extra on it - 15% tax and 15% tip.
I can't do ...
15
For the US in general, 15% is the commonly expected bottom line, not 10, unless you're trying to send a mean spirited message to your server. 20% is far from unheard of.
In NYC in particular, 17% is probably the most common number - this is because NY Sales Tax on your restaurant bill is 8.5%, and most people just double the tax to calculate their tip - ...
12
Here's a pretty good compile list of different countries. It obviously doesn't have every country but it should get you started...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/738653-foreign-tipping-guide-country-region.html
11
but [tipping] is meant to be for a good job
Yes, in theory, but in practice it's standard to (almost) always leave a tip. Even if the service is merely "bad", then you generally leave a tip on the low end of the scale. If it really is appalling (ie, they got your order completely wrong, or were excessively slow for no good reason), then you leave a ...
11
Officially, you are not supposed to / expected to give tips to anyone on the Indian Railways network. On most express or mail trains, these attendants used to be IRCTC employees, a public sector company but many of them are now being directly handled by the Indian Railways while on other routes, these are handled by private companies.
Regardless of who ...
10
In whole Germany (quite similiar in Austria and Suisse / Switzerland) it's quite usual to tip. As waiters are payed (salary or by hour) the tip doesn't have to be high, typically below 2 or 1.50 Euro (example: 16.80 Euro --> 18) - by every person (!). Of course it depends on the price category...
Only if you're really disappointed you would let give back ...
10
I'm in Istanbul right now, and when I got here I asked a friend who has been here before. According to her, no, it's not required, but is always welcome. I have not got any noticeable negative reactions over the past week from not tipping, and very gracious thanks when I have done so, but I'm still new to the country and may have trouble 'reading' people ...
10
I usually round up to the next 5 dollar increment, with a minimum of 15%. If paying by credit card, I'll usually just use the automatic 20% button (the smallest offered), out of laziness.
This WSJ Article claims that the average in NYC is 18-19%. Which is above the national average by a little, but not much. That's a pretty decent number to target, but I'll ...
9
Is the rule the same for all occasions to tip, or are there different amounts depending for a table service restaurant, the tip
jar of a fast-food restaurant, a bar waiter, a taxi driver?
Rules are not the same. In a restaurant it is considered typical to tip ~15% for an average service. If the service is good, go for double sale tax (in CA/NY ...
9
As mentioned here before, it depends on the country. From my point of view (and I am talking only from my own experience):
in Poland - it is not expected. But if you want to, the gesture will definitely be appreciated. It's OK to leave about 2-5 PLN. Usually no need to leave more, but leaving too little can be found insulting by some.
in Germany it depends ...
8
I find in most countries a small tip, i.e. leave the change take the notes (and Euro/Pound coins) is nice. In the UK particularly a lot of restaurants add 15% service charge (I believe they have to state this on the menu and you are legally allowed to not pay it) - which means no tip as you just paid 15% tip anyway. Taxis I always round up to the nearest ...
8
In Europe there aren't really any rules that govern tipping as a whole.
Simply reading the various answers might already have given you a good indication; the rules differ per country, and within the countries they often differ per establishment as well.
As the rules differ so widely, it may be more useful to use your common sense, and try to figure it ...
7
There are different ideologies when it comes to tipping. As a former waiter in the US myself, I tend to tip very generously. This is how I do it. YMMV.
I calculate a 15% tip, based on the price of the meal (before any discounts are applied).
If the service was very good/friendly, I increase, up to 25%. I only ever exceed 25% in very rare/exceptional ...
7
"keep the change" will work in many situations, or simply leaving the change on the table. There is no percentage expectation whatsoever. In Turkish culture, tipping is more of a nice gesture than social obligation.
As mentioned in other answers, it will always create a nice reaction from the serving staff or owner (if it's a small place), and they may even ...
7
Haven't been to Oregon but the way it works in New Jersey where law is the same is as follows:
You pull up to the gas station.
You wait in the car until an attendant comes.
You give him Cash and he pumps the gas. Credit card behavior vary depending on the types of pumps installed.
In some gas stations pumps cannot be activated unless an attendant uses his ...
7
There is such custom, but it's not very strict rule and even many people in Poland doesn't know about it (but waiters probably do know).
It's quite natural, because when you give money and say "thank you" ("dziękuję" in polish) it looks like transaction is ended. But if you give money and say nothing, expecting for something, then it may look that you are ...
6
I'd say that in general tipping is a lot less common in Western Europe than it is in the US. More specifically for Sweden I'd say people almost never give tips. The main exception I've seen to this has been among the "young rich" (or "brats" as they're sometimes called around here) who in recent years have taken to tipping generously as a way of bragging ...
6
Yes, but it is not very strict rule.
Obviously if you give 100zł note, paying lets say 50zł bill, no one will assume that you're leaving that much of a tip even if you happened to say thank you. However, if your bill is 90zł and you give 100zł saying thank you, it's more than likely that this will be interpreted as keep the change. General practice is that ...
5
As someone who works in a UK restaurant, I have almost never seen anything other than the cost of the food to be shown on any restaurant bill. The exception is indeed really high-end restaurants.
Our tips are divided among the floor staff, because we don't have a single waiter catering to a particular table. And the kitchen staff are also included as their ...
4
There are two things you absolutely should do:
Let your friends know upfront that you won't be able to tip much due to being at the end of your budget. If they are locals they'll probably know the best cheap spots to go to. Or maybe they'll offer to help cover the tip.
In the event you decide to go somewhere that you won't be able to give an appropriate ...
4
Kicking off with a few I know...
UK:
Restaurants - 10% (but check the bill - it's sometimes already put on there, especially for big groups)
Taxis - 10%
Pubs/Bars - none
France:
Restaurants - 5-10%
Taxi - round up
Pubs/Bars - none
Australia:
Restaurants - 10% (generally only mid price - fancy restaurants only though)
Taxis - round up
Pubs/Bars - ...
4
Daily Infographic has created a visual guide to tipping customs around the world. Doesn't cover every country in the world, but from what I see the countries that I have visited it seems about right. The infographic also mentions tipping customs outside the food & beverage industry, that can be useful to avoid faux pas.
4
For anyone coming from a country where tipping isn't a big thing, I'd suggest this humorous article from a BBC correspondent for an explanation of why it's important in the states, and how it changes things.
Personally, I either check a guide book on the country I'm going to (they usually give some helpful advice in the general section), or failing that ...
4
Tipping in cruises are categorized in 3 ways:
Mandatory: Most cruise lines have a preset gratuity amount. The ones I have been on range from US$11-15 per person per day, which covers all ship staff: customer-facing and the one's working behind-the-scenes. In fact this form of tipping covers a major portion of their salaries. Now many travel agencies roll ...
4
Experienced travelers have put together a great tipping guide over at FlyerTalk for waiters/waitresses, porters, and taxi drivers.
Foreign Tipping Guide by Country & Region
For Europe:
Many hotels and restaurants add a service charge to the bill.
In most cases, an additional tip is unnecessary.
If no service charge is added to your bill,
10% is the ...
4
In Germany, it is usual to tip in the area of 10% of the bill, or "round up" to the nearest round amount:
Some examples:
- Bill: 12.80 -> the 10% tip is 1.28, so many people will pay 14
- Bill: 14.20 -> the 10% tip is 1.42, but most people will simply pay 15
If you are unhappy with the service, and don't indicate a tip by saying "Stimmt so" or saying the ...
4
As a rule, tipping is not necessary in Australia, wages are sufficient to make a living anyway and this shows in the eye-watering prices for any service. Most cafes and casual restaurants have tip jars, where you're welcome to reward good service with a coin or two (or, like us when eating out with our two-year-old, apologize for mess), but this is purely ...
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