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Foreign Tipping Guide by Country & Region

Foreign Tipping Guide by Country & Region

Old Nov 16, 2016, 7:14 am
  #571  
 
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Originally Posted by nas6034
I've seen recently in NYC restaurant that they are adding 4% "surcharge" that is automatically included on bills as a means of providing a living wage to the staff and that this should not be construed or taken as tipping them.
I'd deduct the 4% from any customary tip and circle the surcharge for added effect.
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Old Feb 9, 2017, 1:00 am
  #572  
 
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Hong Kong has a service charge for most restaurants (all except the very cheap local ones). Nobody (except visiting American tourists) tips anything in addition to the service charge, which is included in the bill and not avoidable. Nobody (again, except visiting American tourists) tips anyone else, including taxi drivers, porters etc. Unfortunately, because of the visiting American tourists, if you are in a very touristy area or picked up from airport, if the taxi driver thinks you are american he will pretend to hold onto your change ... if you are anywhere else in HK they will give you the whole change (including the cents) no questions asked (ditto restaurants etc). Basically, nobody local tips here!. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can the American tourists stop given taxi drivers tips so that they stop expecting them from anyone white!
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Old Jul 17, 2017, 6:44 pm
  #573  
 
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Red face

Please excuse me if some of this has been covered already among the 39 pages in this thread but it's just a bit too much to read through it all. I'm off to the US in a few weeks and even after having been there many times, I am still caught off guard far too often when it comes to customary tipping. I also understand that this differs slightly from place to place (e.g. everything seems to be higher in NYC) which confuses me even more. What I desperately try to avoid is being seen as the stupid stingy tourist and firmly believe that when in Rome (or LA rather, in this case), do as the locals do.

I'll be traveling LA, Seattle, Orlando, Austin and Dallas and usually stay in 4-5 star chain hotels but not absolute luxury (so Westin or Hyatt rather than Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons). So- how much should I tip (or tip at all) to
  • The hotel receptionist (I don't want it to look like I am trying to bribe them for a room upgrade or something- do they get a tip at all?)
  • The door man holding the door open for you- is that a dollar, typically?
  • The porter who brings the luggage up ($2 or $5 rather?)
  • What about an Uber or Lyft driver, do they expect tips in the US?
  • Anyone at the airport- surely you don't tip the check in staff or do you?
  • What about curb side check in- seems always to me as if they expect a tip?
  • Bar staff in the airport lounge or any bar really- is a Dollar tip still considered enough or does this not cut it anymore?
  • And finally, restaurants are still around 15% outside New York, would that be correct?
  • Anything else that a non-American would totally not expect and where you are expected to tip, any suggestions beyond the above?

And to finish, two technical issues which might sound idiotic for someone who is totally used to it but I am wondering every single time: First off, where do I get all those small amount Dollar notes from? I typically arrive in LAX and then can get some cash at the first ATM I come across. But that's typically in bigger bills only. I often end up asking the check in guy at my hotel awkwardly for change, is this the way to do it? Any better suggestions? And another one, slightly related, how are you containing all those bundles of 1 and 2 Dollar bills? Just in the pocket? I always end up with a bundle of crinkled Dollar bills in my back pocket, frantically checking when leaving a car or a restaurant whether they are still all there. Any tips how to keep them at reach in an easier way?

Thanks a lot for any tips and suggestions, just trying to do the right thing here!
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Old Jul 17, 2017, 10:19 pm
  #574  
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Originally Posted by Sydneyberlin
Please excuse me if some of this has been covered already among the 39 pages in this thread but it's just a bit too much to read through it all.
No need to read the whole thread. The wiki at the top of this page summarizes it quite nicely.

That said, here's my contribution:

  • The hotel receptionist - no tip, unless you're in Vegas, and even then, it's not necessary--it's just a sort-of accepted bribe to get a nicer room. (I think it's gauche.)
  • The door man holding the door open for you - I normally stay at budget places that don't do this, but I don't think there's a need to tip them just for opening your door. Maybe a buck or two if they help unload luggage.
  • The porter who brings the luggage up: a buck or two per bag (or maybe target your whole tip to around $3-5, unless you're a large party with a lot of bags)
  • What about an Uber or Lyft driver, do they expect tips in the US? Not expected but not declined. Lyft lets you tip in the app, and so there is a bit more of a culture of tipping at Lyft. Uber might start letting you tip in the app soon; they originally started with the intent to not even have tipping be a part of the experience, and so the culture still leans that way (and so it's perfectly fine to not tip), but due to pressure from customers and drivers, that may change. For now, if you do decide to tip an Uber driver, treat it like a taxi and tip about 15-20% in cash.
  • Anyone at the airport- surely you don't tip the check in staff or do you? Definitely not. They are (mostly) unionized, semi-professional employees.
  • What about curb side check in- seems always to me as if they expect a tip? They are usually either contract workers or even freelancers working only for tips, so yes, they do expect tips. Drag your bags inside like I do to avoid tipping.
  • Bar staff in the airport lounge or any bar really- is a Dollar tip still considered enough or does this not cut it anymore? I figure on the higher of $1/drink or 20%, but that's me. A buck for a beer is fine. Drop a couple bucks (or more) on your first drink if you want to solicit better service, though no bartender will begrudge you for only tipping a buck (and if you tip nothing and instead hand your card over, the bartender will usually figure you'll tip at the end on the card, if that's more convenient for you). Complicated/involved drinks might call for a couple or more bucks.
  • And finally, restaurants are still around 15% outside New York, would that be correct? 15% standard for average to good service, 20% for great service. I'm personally a 20% tipper unless service is bad, but very few will look askance at you for tipping 15% even when they've gone above and beyond (many Americans tip 15% regardless).
  • Anything else that a non-American would totally not expect and where you are expected to tip, any suggestions beyond the above? A friend who worked as a hostess at a restaurant implored me to always tip for take-out orders, claiming that it's more difficult than you'd expect to balance putting a to-go order together while handling all the other regular responsibilities. For some reason, that's stuck with me, so I generally try to tip about 10% for take-out. I also usually tip my barista a buck when ordering an espresso (I'm less likely to tip for drip coffee), and I usually throw a buck or two at counter service joints.

The rule of thumb I've come up with to sort of explain the tipping culture in the US is that tips generally flow from the person of higher standing toward the person of lower standing, keeping in mind that the U.S. is relatively egalitarian, so society is really broken up into only three "classes" -- the wealthy/professional class (which largely views itself as a superset of the middle class), the middle class, and the working class. The person engaging in the act of tipping is sort of presumed to be in the middle class, and so tips only flow to someone who is performing an act of personal service and who belongs to the working class, so you only tip someone who is in the service sector and only if they are in that lower, working class station. So, a person would tip a housekeeper or a restaurant server or a hotel porter because those are jobs typically considered as being of a lower standing. You would not tip your doctor or your dentist, because that would be tipping someone of a higher standing. You also wouldn't tip the flight attendant or the hotel manager or the car salesman because those are semi-professional jobs that put the person much more on par with your own social standing. You generally would not tip a grocery store clerk, but you would tip the teenage kid helping you run your bags out to the car, because the former is much closer to your own standing than the latter. I guess it's a subtle difference, but it sort of makes some level of sense if you kind of analyze it, I think. Also playing into things are corporate cultures which dissuade tipping, like many quick-service chains, so while it might make sense on one hand to tip your McDonald's employee, it just simply isn't part of McDonald's corporate culture to take tips, plus the service at a fast food restaurant typically isn't very personal. (I think it wasn't for Starbucks for a long time, though they've relaxed on that now, I think.) There's also a historical element at play: traditionally, the job of being an airline stewardess was a glamorous job that was looked up to, while the Pulllman porters on the railroads were typically looked down upon. To this day, you do not tip flight attendants, whereas Amtrak non-operating staff (car attendants, the descendants of porters, but not operating crew, like conductors, which are a semi-professional position) are customarily tipped. (PBS mentions that American tipping culture has some vestiges of racism in it, which doesn't surprise me.) It's not perfect--you do tip a barber or hair stylist, even though that's semi-professional, but it's how I sort of see it. Maybe that'll help somehow.

Originally Posted by Sydneyberlin
And to finish, two technical issues which might sound idiotic for someone who is totally used to it but I am wondering every single time: First off, where do I get all those small amount Dollar notes from? I typically arrive in LAX and then can get some cash at the first ATM I come across. But that's typically in bigger bills only. I often end up asking the check in guy at my hotel awkwardly for change, is this the way to do it? Any better suggestions? And another one, slightly related, how are you containing all those bundles of 1 and 2 Dollar bills? Just in the pocket? I always end up with a bundle of crinkled Dollar bills in my back pocket, frantically checking when leaving a car or a restaurant whether they are still all there. Any tips how to keep them at reach in an easier way?

Thanks a lot for any tips and suggestions, just trying to do the right thing here!
Solution as written by someone who often doesn't have cash (me!): don't put yourself in situations that require tipping in cash! Save money and stay at a basic hotel/motel that you park your own car at and roll your own suitcase around. Pay for every meal on your credit card and only tip if there's a tip line on the receipt. If you're put in a situation where you feel obligated to tip but you can't tip on your card, apologetically say that you ran out of cash but you really do appreciate their help.

If you do feel the need to have singles on you for tipping, there is no issue at all asking at the hotel front desk for them to break a larger bill (though do avoid asking them to deplete their entire supply of $1 bills--maybe start by breaking one $20 and asking them for a ten, a five and five ones. Do the same again the next morning when coming downstairs and you'll have ten ones, which should be enough to get you started; the rest should come organically as you pay for goods and services and be intentional about what kind of bill you pay with so that you don't end up using up all your small bills. It does feel a little awkward to ask someone to break a large bill, especially when you're not purchasing anything, but most cashiers are happy to help if they can, and those in places adjacent to where you might tip (i.e. a hotel front desk, where you'll be tipping others who work at the hotel) will be very used to that request and won't even blink when you ask.

My cash stays in my wallet, which sits in my back pocket. If I do foresee the need to tip discreetly, I might pull out the necessary bills and make them easier to access in a front pocket or a shirt pocket (if I have one). I don't normally have wads of cash; if you do have so much cash that you don't know what to do with it all, then you must either be way more prepared than me, or you must be tipping much, much more than me.

Last edited by jackal; Jul 17, 2017 at 10:47 pm
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Old Jul 17, 2017, 10:34 pm
  #575  
 
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Originally Posted by jackal
That said, here's my contribution:
Thanks a lot, this is very helpful! I will try to blend in with the locals and not commit any tourist tipping sins this time around
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 2:23 am
  #576  
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The hotel receptionist (I don't want it to look like I am trying to bribe them for a room upgrade or something- do they get a tip at all?) No tip. Apparently in Vegas casino hotels it's common to bribe them for a room upgrade, but I would not recommend it.
The door man holding the door open for you- is that a dollar, typically? Yes, a dollar is plenty. This really isn't essential and I have never tipped someone who just held a door open. Then again, I don't stay at luxury hotels.
The porter who brings the luggage up ($2 or $5 rather?) Depends on how much luggage you have.
What about an Uber or Lyft driver, do they expect tips in the US? It seems like they are starting to. Uber used to say no tipping is necessary, and there was a lawsuit from drivers over this. I understand they are phasing in the ability to tip via app, which Lyft already has. I have never tipped an Uber driver. I recommend you do so if they do something special, or if you keep them waiting.
Anyone at the airport- surely you don't tip the check in staff or do you? Not unless you use curbside check in. Otherwise, it is inappropriate and may be seen as a bribe.
What about curb side check in- seems always to me as if they expect a tip? Yes, because they are taking your bag inside for you.
Bar staff in the airport lounge or any bar really- is a Dollar tip still considered enough or does this not cut it anymore? Dollar for a simple drink that just needs to be poured. Two dollars if it's more complex.
And finally, restaurants are still around 15% outside New York, would that be correct? Yes, 15% is completely acceptable. The standard advice is 15-18%.
Anything else that a non-American would totally not expect and where you are expected to tip, any suggestions beyond the above? The only other one I can think of is hotel housekeeping. Not essential but a nice gesture.
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 3:33 am
  #577  
 
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Originally Posted by cbn42
The only other one I can think of is hotel housekeeping. Not essential but a nice gesture.
Thanks a lot, very useful!

The two or three Dollars for housekeeping I tend to do in most places, not only the US. And in my experience, this often even pays off in unexpected ways that I wouldn't even expect (double sets of toiletries, piles of fresh towels...). Though, sometimes, staff doesn't dare to touch the money and leaves it there so I always leave a little note with it!
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Old Jul 26, 2017, 12:05 am
  #578  
 
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Originally Posted by muji
It would not be seen as insulting; it would simply seem odd,
and would be understood to be a cultural misunderstanding.
having lived in Japan for 15 years and with a Japanese wife I think this is not correct. There are many cases where it would be understood but also many cases where it would be considered an insult, Simply way is just dont tip and everyone will be happy

Originally Posted by night-ice
Correct. Trying to tip in Japan is odd, indeed. But when Japanese visitors come to US, wonder how they feel when tipping is customary and expected?
They are fine, they understand things are different and try their best to fit in with local manners/culture !

Originally Posted by muji
This is actually not true about Japan.
No Japanese would consider a non-Japanese leaving a tip to be disrespectful or rude.
They would understand that the person was applying a foreign tipping custom that does not exist in Japan.
Simply, not correct

Last edited by JY1024; Jul 26, 2017 at 9:18 pm Reason: Merged consecutive posts - please use multi-quote feature
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Old Jul 27, 2017, 6:58 pm
  #579  
 
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Originally Posted by BRITINJAPAN3
Originally Posted by muji
No Japanese would consider a non-Japanese leaving a tip to be disrespectful or rude. They would understand that the person was applying a foreign tipping custom that does not exist in Japan.
Simply, not correct
Fine, I'll edit to say: Most Japanese would not consider a non-Japanese leaving a tip to be disrespectful or rude.
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Old Jul 27, 2017, 7:52 pm
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Originally Posted by muji
Fine, I'll edit to say: Most Japanese would not consider a non-Japanese leaving a tip to be disrespectful or rude.
Thanks for being so clear. I tried many times to do so, but it appears I've not been clear enough.
Tipping is gratifying for the tipper (they will be so grateful y'a know)
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Old Jul 31, 2017, 6:17 pm
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Originally Posted by LearningToFly
Thanks for being so clear. I tried many times to do so, but it appears I've not been clear enough.
Tipping is gratifying for the tipper (they will be so grateful y'a know)
Still wrong, most Japanese would consider tipping rude, some would not, its simple though, just dont tip, everyone happy !
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Old Aug 1, 2017, 11:39 am
  #582  
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Originally Posted by BRITINJAPAN3
Still wrong, most Japanese would consider tipping rude, some would not, its simple though, just dont tip, everyone happy !
​​​​​​​I guess it would depend on how familiar they are with foreign customs. If they have traveled abroad or are aware that tipping is practiced in some places, they will probably be able to figure out that no offense was intended. I would think that someone working in the hospitality industry, especially in a place frequented by foreigners, should be able to differentiate rudeness from ignorance. But I agree that it would be best to do your research and avoid tipping altogether.
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Old Dec 2, 2017, 11:46 am
  #583  
 
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I have a question on those shuttle buses for airport hotels in the US. It seems quite common for people to tip 5 USD notes. For many airport hotels, a taxi fare would be similar, so I don't really see the purpose of this 'benefit' if such a large tip is expected. Also, if I am arriving from wherever, I usually won't have any US cash on me. Am I expected to withdraw cash from a cashpoint beforehand and then make a purchase to get change or is it okay not to tip them? I mean, will they expect a tip the same way restaurant workers in US would?
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Old Dec 4, 2017, 7:48 am
  #584  
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I have never tipped on a shuttle bus
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Old Dec 4, 2017, 8:44 am
  #585  
 
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I can't say I've seen many people tipping $5. I usually don't tip if it's a regular service unless the driver handles my bags (then it's $1-2). If the shuttle is running at my request I'll tip $1-2 regardless.
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