drtravix

I've read most of the tipping threads on FT (many of them are loooong, arguing whether to tip or not tip, etc) and didn't see an answer to my tipping question. When I travel, I tend to rent cars, and not take the taxi. But, every once in a while, I take one and don't quite know how much to tip. I usually default to either 10% or a round-up for smaller fares, and $4-5 for larger airport fares. At one time I had an early morning flight out of LHR before the train started and ended up paying a 10% tip (which, given the fare to LHR from London, was probably on the high end?) as I wasn't sure what to tip.

Does anyone know of a website that has a chart of "normal" tipping for hotel maids and taxi drivers, perhaps broken down by city and/or country (I don't know if taxi tips change by city)? Or, if not, any suggestions by country and/or city from your experience?

From what I've gathered, most people who tip at hotels, do ~$3 for hotel maids per day in the US.

However, I really have no idea what the "normal" tip for taxi drivers is as I only use them occasionally.

magexpect

If you are talking about Europe, just round up. If England, look at the instructions in the cab, there is something about tipping, but honestly, I just round up. Forget about the 10% thing. Cabs are sufficiently expensive without bothering with a tip.

Here advice for you in England

http://www.visitbritain.com/VB3-en-U...gislation.aspx

In France

http://www.francetourism.com/practic...yourethere.htm

Christopher

Yes, I always just round up in the UK - so if the fare was �19.00, I'd give �20.00, but if the fare was �19.50, I'd probably still give �20.00. If it's �19.80, I might add an extra 50p or �1.00 to my �20.00, but when I do the driver always looks surprised, so I think I'm in the minority here.

I do the same in Australia, although Australia is not, by and large, a tipping country. Indeed, in neither the UK nor Australia would people generally leave tips for hotel staff such as room maids and so on. And you NEVER tip in a pub in either the UK or Australia - not the etiquette at all. In New Zealand, it used to be considered to rather rude to tip in a restaurant (don't know about taxis) - a bit like saying, "I'm so well off I can afford to eat in this restaurant, and you're such a loser you have to work here, so have a bit of charity". Tipping is also not practised in Iceland, and there are also no doubt other countries where it is not the custom, so we shouldn't assume that all countries follow the US practice of tipping widely - they don't.

Sjoerd

In fact there are few countries where tipping is so endemic as in the US. In most countries around the world, you don't tip or just round up.

Leumas

Unfortunately, nowadays, restaurants often have a line called 'tips' when you pay via cards... Tips aren't expected, but they won't be refused and also won't be considered rude now...

BTW, a recent law change allows restaurants and shops to apply a surcharge (up to 15%) on public holidays (but not Sundays, I think), to cover the extra labour costs. So you can count that as a tip. This surcharge is not passed on to the consumers everywhere, and whether it is or not is very well advertised within the premise. (I'm not entirely sure on the details on this new law, but I saw it in action for the first time last weekend when we'd a public holiday on Monday.)

In terms of taxis, I generally round up. Drivers will give you change and some will act surprised when you refuse them. So again, not compulsory.

stut

My own tipping pattern in the UK (my home...)

Black Cabs: round up. Add a little more if they've helped you with luggage.

Minicabs: always agree the price before you get in. Expect to pay this, but add a little more if they've helped you with luggage. London minicabs are increasingly expecting tips of a couple of pounds.

Restaurants: look at the bill. Quite often (particularly for 6+) you'll see a service charge of 10-15% added. In this case, you don't need to leave a tip (and for exceptionally poor service, you are entitled to deduct it). Otherwise, work on 10% as a tip for standard service.

Hotels: tip for bag-carrying if you like (even that's not 100% compulsory) and the concierge. Nowt else.

Pubs: if they're especially nice, you're there for a while, or you fancy the bar staff, instead of tipping, you invite them to 'have one on me'. Depending on the pub's policy, they'll either take a drink there and then, or put some money from your change (usually the price of a pint) into a tip jar. This is exceptional, though - 99% of transactions don't include it, and it tends to be something more commonly done by regulars. You don't tip for food in pubs, either.

Bars: more upscale bars may charge extra for table service (which I find intensely irritating, as they rarely tell you upfront). They also tend to hand you change on a plate, implying you can leave a tip there. Really, you'd only do this if they'd manage to mix you an exceptionally fancy cocktail or some such. There's also a trend of putting toilet attendants in that hand you paper towels and squirt some awful cologne in your direction. They are after tips. Generally, I only tip they guy in point101 (on New Oxford Street), as I love hearing him shout "FREshen UP!".

JDiver

Taxis and tipping - it depends on where you are, really. In Mexico, where even gasoline station attendants are tipped, taxi drivers are not. Some other countires, tips could be considered insulting. Others, you could be cursed at for not tipping, even when the service has been lousy.

One place you can check others' tipping habits is The Original Tipping Page.

stut, thanks for the, er, tips!