In Taiwan, the only place that tipping is required is valet parking. Other than that, service charge is added virtually everywhere you go.
Well...the kind of restaurants I generally visit in Taiwan don't include service charge: but you are still not expected to tip. And as I may have mentioned before, taxi drivers do not expect tips either--though I've taken to refusing my change back or leaving a small tip iff there's no smoke flavor in the cab (and mentioning that I appreciate it).
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Thailand
I might add the following notes to seanthepilot's post about Thailand.
Hotel, I leave 20-30 baht in coins on the bed for the maids, they appreciate it very much.
Meals at a food stall on the street. Never seen a tip.
Bars that bring back change on the tray ... you should know that many times, if you leave the tip on the tray, all of it (or even some of it) might not end up going to staff! Some owners keep anything left on the tray, and if it is shared, it is sometimes "raided" before it is distributed. seanthepilot's advice is excellent. Leave only 10 baht on the tray, then on your way out, give the tip to the server directly, in her hand.
I do not generally use a credit card in Thailand, but it would be my guess that a tip added to a credit card charge does not always go to the staff either.
Thai people, in general, never tip taxi drivers, only (sometimes) rounding up to the next 5 baht amount.
In Taiwan, the only place that tipping is required is valet parking. Other than that, service charge is added virtually everywhere you go.
After living there, I'd say that the only place a SC is added is at a higher-end restaurant. I never left an additional tip at any place I patronized, whether a service charge was added or not. It's just how it's done in Taiwan.
The only tip I can remember leaving was 200NT at Chinese New Year for the baristas at the Guting Starbucks in Taipei who put up with me every day. After that, I got waited on at a table...
China
W/W: 3% in major cities
P: $1 to $2
TD: None
What's with this 3%? As a Chinese, I would say no tipping is required. However, if you go to high-class hotels or places that mostly cater to foreigners, 10% tips might be preferred.
ya agree.never heard about the 3% thing.i'm chinese 2 im not firing the message maker, i'd like to say something i know.i work for a US travel agency and i'm a tour guide,i myself is a tips taker,if u think i do this thread from a wrong position u don't have to read the following content,please skip this thread.
if u r in a tour group,almost all the travel agencies would provide their clients a recommended tips standard for the guides and drivers,u just follow that if there's no problem with the srevice.different standard for different agency but alomost the same.
usually no tips for retaurants service unless u r in 4 or 5 star rated hotels,20yuen or $3 Minimum will be good, tips for hotel luggage service always be expected.standard will be 30yuen or $4 Minimum for both in and out,payed by room.they live on that.
in nightclubs,bars or something like that,tips standard depends on different cities,normally the bigger size the higher tips.u better check with your guide or local friends.
beside,when u just walk arround the streets nearby your hotel no tips for TD,waiters or waitresses in the street side retaurants including KFC,pizzahut,Micd,starbucks etc.in modern chinese sociaty ppl haven't complately started acceptting taking tips beside servicesuppliers mostly for westerners.i agree with this "Special care must be taken to ensure that your well-meaning gesture is not taken as insulting. If you are unsure, it is best not to tip. If possible, observe the locals and follow their lead."
basically if u do a package tour no matter u r in big groups or u travel alone u need tipping in china,at least in big cities.u need to hire a good imformative cunstructive and helpful guide that's very impotant.it's a shame that the truth is we have some terrible guides.ya i know sometines that's not in your hand.u better let your agency know abot that make'em believe u mean it.
if u backpacking,hiking or cycling in china,not 100% but most of the time tips free.
This is wrong. Taxi drivers do not need tips. When we were there none asked for it and didn't seem upset that we didn't give one. I gave a $2 tip to the shuttle driver who took us from our hotel to the airport on our last day there and he was very excited by it. OTOH, he did take the fastest route possible even going by some local roads to avoid the traffic he knew was happening, so we were happy.
For waiters, there's a 10% service charge included. We often rounded up a bit when paying (cash almost everywhere) but its not required. OTOH, when your lunch costs $2/person, we had no problems leaving a dollar extra.
And as I may have mentioned before, taxi drivers do not expect tips either--though I've taken to refusing my change back or leaving a small tip iff there's no smoke flavor in the cab (and mentioning that I appreciate it).
Agreed, no tipping in taxis. My Taiwanese friends never tip them, smoke or not - so I don't tip them either.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TomUK
I like to add my tipping experience in Germany, UK (England, Scotland etc.), Thailand:
Restaurants:
In Germany and UK I usually leave 10% tip rounded up to the next full Euro or Pound. TomUK
When I lived in Germany (1980s--preEU) taxes and service charge were always included in the menu price (and it usually said so on the menu). The custom was to round the bill up to the next DM and that was that. On the rare occasion that the server provided some outstanding service, one might add a little more. However, that would be the exception. German restaurants often had only one server for the entire place and service was typically slow (but your table was yours for as long as you wanted to stay).
I doubt that things have changed that much since then (except for paying in Euros instead of DMs). I was back for a visit a couple of years ago, and the menu still said that taxes and service were included in the price. Therefore I would in no way feel obligated to leave a 10% tip.
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Know that in US we need to tip for most of the service provider, but does this include if we go to groceries. Just confused when is the right time to tip when to not, since I'm running on a tight budget..just wanna save every cent i can
Know that in US we need to tip for most of the service provider, but does this include if we go to groceries. Just confused when is the right time to tip when to not, since I'm running on a tight budget..just wanna save every cent i can
Although I think it is clear that you are not expected to tip when you collect the groceries at the supermarket check-out, you do make a good point.
Many foreigners. like me, are never 100% sure of when it is appropriate to tip in the US beyond the usual (waiters, cab drivers, porters) and go through agony in fear we may be abused by some guy who expected a tip but didn't get one!
Although I think it is clear that you are not expected to tip when you collect the groceries at the supermarket check-out, you do make a good point.
Many foreigners. like me, are never 100% sure of when it is appropriate to tip in the US beyond the usual (waiters, cab drivers, porters) and go through agony in fear we may be abused by some guy who expected a tip but didn't get one!
Then I guess I need to learn from observation & error/mistake
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Germany
One peculiarity in Germany is that unlike in France and the US, where the tip is left on the table, this is not done. The "rounding up" that has been described is done verbally. The waiter will generally either tell you the price or give you a written copy of the tab. You then hand them the money and tell the the final sum. They will then return change for that sum. E. g. the bill is EUR 27.60, you hand them a 50, say "30", they give you back 20.
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Indonesia
10% for W/W is a bit high for Indonesia. What I mostly see in CGK is to round to the nearest 10k rupiah (roughly to the nearest $1). I think the Magellan's guide et al are simply using 10% as a floor for countries in which there is not a specifically enumerated "service charge".
In DPS, one rarely sees tips anywhere except maybe in US-based hotel chains. The mid-level hotels and most restaurants are heavily populated by Aussies, who, God Bless 'em, do not have much of a reputation for tipping .
Cab driver - 10-15%; doorman $1-2; porters $2/bag; assistant manager $0. BTW - I hate the doorman & multiple porter thing.
I'd like to know how to wave them off without appearing rude. I'm really am quite capable of fetching my rollaboard from the trunk and pulling my rolling bag to the check-in desk and up to my room. If I needed "help" I'd have asked for it -- and paid happily paid for the privilege.
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As mentioned by the OP you can round up. However, at least in Helsinki almost every one pays the taxi bill with a credit card (Amex, Visa, MasterCard, Diners) or a local bankcard so no extra tip is left and not expected. I would say that 95 % of taxis accept credit cards (not always all the cards). In one case I was asked if I could use another card than Amex because of the high comission charged by Amex.
, are never 100% sure of when it is appropriate to tip in the US beyond the usual (waiters, cab drivers, porters) and go through agony in fear we may be abused by some guy who expected a tip but didn't get one!
