Tipping- USA

[theyoungishman]

Can someone please tell me about tipping culture in the USA? I'm from Australia where tipping is not done ever, and now I'm stressing of how, when and how much.

For example do you tip taxi drivers, or bell hops at hotel? what about when you've taken a tour to the tour guide? Is cash expected? Restaurants are easy as tip will just be added to the bill and I can pay by card (I think- or do you need to tip separately in cash)

I was hoping to have a largely cash free holiday but now it seems I'll have to get cash out purely for the ability to pay tips, which is a pain.

I really wish prices were just already inclusive of tax and service charges and we just went and paid as normal?!

Yes you tip. And it's not always included in restaurants (where 15% is normal).
Yes to bellhops. Yes to tour guides (especially if it's a private tour). Taxi drivers I'd round up (so if $18 I'd round up to $20).
Also leave a tip in the hotel room for the cleaners. $2-5/day (you can leave it at the end) if on your own - round up with this too.
And yes it's really annoying that the 'sticker price' is not the actual price. Each state has its own sales tax and what it applies to.
Also definitely get travel insurance- we ended up in A&E due to an allergic reaction and it would have cost $800 (it did cost us $120 for the medication).

Which states are you going to?

In California we used to add 10% onto the price on the menu for the real cost including taxes, and then a 20% tip - we were always able to add this on to the card payment

Taxi's take cards too or you can use Uber / Lyft app in a lot of places, which is much easier

I lived there for 5 years and we barely used cash unless staying in a hotel, in which case there would be some for valet, cleaners, bell boy, etc

Basically you tip everyone all the time. And also sales tax is added at the till so everything costs more than the price sticker.

Anywhere you are paying by card you can usually just add the tip on. In my experience it’s often not automatically added on in a restaurant. Double the tax used to be a sensible rule of thumb but do remember that it’s perfectly fine to adjust downwards if alcohol is a big proportion of the bill (this was a bit of a revelation when US friends highlighted this to me!).

Also worth remember you don’t tip as much for taxis as drivers are self employed. Usually just round up a couple of $s.

I try ti remember to buy a bottle of water when leaving the airport to break a large note so I have change for arrival at the hotel. Otherwise it’s at least $20 for someone to get your bags out of the cab which is always difficult to intercept. But it’s perfectly fine to decline the offer of help with luggage to your room.

Restaurants we always pay the bill on a card but tip in cash so we know the server gets it. We asked in a few different places and the staff prefer it. We tip generally 10% ok, 15% good 20-25% great service.

Hotel cleaner we leave $1 per person per day.

Cab, round up by a couple $$

Couple $$ if the hotel has a doorman and he gets you a cab.

$ per bag if left in hotel bag check or bags are carried for you.

Hm I used to tip cash to make sure the staff get it as I would in uk. But then one time my American friend was horrified and wrote "good service tipped in cash" in huge letters across the bill - he said the manager may think the waitress had done something awful if no tip was added. No idea if he was right!

You don’t have to tip at those rates.
there’s no law broken if you don’t

anywhere fast food , you don’t tip.
if you’re buying items in petrol station, you don’t tip.

dont go hungry because you’re worried about the tipping.

it was a shock to us ( brits ) first family holiday in Florida many years ago.
(we had heard about tipping , but didn’t know about the rates!)

we were prepared next time but we didn’t tip at those rates.
(waits to be flamed)

I remember years ago .. going to a buffet type restaurant, everything was help yourself, even the drinks. All the staff did was basically show us to a table. From then on, we helped ourselves.
We decided not to tip... why would we, we weren't served.
We left and they chased us up the road demanding a tip!

AFAIC you are expected to tip everyone, it's very wearing. Bell hops, cleaners, waiting staff.... ask anyone a question like the concierge in the hotel... tip. It's endless. I wish the US had a NMW and this could be scaled back.

Fast food you do tip, employers can and do pay less than min wage because it is 'made up' with tips.

Also tips are not just for the server, often the waiting staff have to tip the buss boy, the kitchen staff etc so not tipping means they are out of pocket.

OP

Don't be scared to ask what is appropriate.

@tanstaafl many US jobs are taxed on the assumption they make a certain amount in tips, therefore by not tipping the normal rate the person will be working at less than minimum wage for you.

It does feel ridiculous though sometimes. Worst was in LV came out of the hotel looking for a cab, taxis all lined up at least 10 of them, still had to give someone a dollar to open a door. Or the waiters who sit at your table and pretend to be your friend, personally I'd give a bigger tip for polite but restrained service.

But those are the country norms.Silly to rail against it like my DPs do, just factor it into the cost of things before deciding where to eat etc.

I was in California recently and found that they often added the tip up for you and gave several options at the bottom of the bill (eg 15%, 18%, 20%) so you didn't have to work it out, which was helpful. My sister lives out there and she said that although the options are there, the expectation is 20% unless service wasn't great. She also said to tip bar staff $1 per drink and have dollar bills if paying cash. I didn't use cash the whole time I was there, though.

Not sure I was right, but I had a day out on my own and had a few people I didn't tip and it didn't seem an issue - trolley bus driver, ice cream seller, train conductor. I think if you have a ticket you don't have to tip, and I'm not sure whether the ice cream thing was a mistake but they didn't make any comment or look funny.

We went recently and followed this that I saw in a guidebook, seemed on par with what others were tipping from what we could tell.

Usually, restaurants will include tips on your bill if your party has 6 or more people. Otherwise, add 20% to the pre-tax amount as the tip. Unecessary to tip the tax. Drinks at the bar, add one dollar per drink. If you don't feel like tipping, then order your food to-go. Not obligated to tip to-go orders. If you don't feel like tipping but also want to sit-down for a meal try a fast food restaurant like chipotle, mcdonalds, or chick fillet(among others).

unecessary to tip the taxi/uber drivers. I would tip the hotel maid $2-5 per day and you can be your own bell hop so you don't have to tip anyone. Just ask for the luggage cart and push it yourself which is what I always do. But if you're not up to it then $10 cash should suffice.

We went to the states and the hotel rate included breakfast.. That didn’t stop the hotel putting an ‘imaginary’ bill on our table every day for the ‘equivalent’ value of the breakfast and expecting to be tipped on that value. Some states have much more of an aggressive tipping culture with reminders everywhere of the ‘custom’ and little % charts

You will need some small denomination bills @theyoungishman for bell hops, cleaners, etc. We usually take $100 in $1, $5 and $10 bills and we always get through them and you need them on the first day, so bring them with you. It's quite mortifying for the bell hop to be standing there, having brought your bads upstairs, and you've not got any change.

Yes in restaurants and bars it's 10% to 20% (use the calculator on your phone if you can't do this in your head), same for tour guides, but do check the bill they give you as service is sometimes added on already.

@Lazydazey that happened to us at an upmarket resort where dinner was included, and the imagined cost of it was about twice what it should have been. Plus as newbies compared to the regular visitors we were given a table without a view and service was quite poor. It was a bit of a shock (17 years ago on honeymoon) to find an extra 100 dollars per day for tips.

*I was hoping to have a largely cash free holiday but now it seems I'll have to get cash out purely for the ability to pay tips, which is a pain.

I really wish prices were just already inclusive of tax and service charges and we just went and paid as normal?!*

You can't though! It's part of visiting another country that things are done differently and that not everything is the same as it is in your country.

Whatever you pay for your meal or taxi plus tip it will still be a fraction of what you pay in Australian so you'll be right! 

I agree with you though that it's very stressful and I don't like it either. A lot of people in those service industries don't t get paid a living wage so are completely reliant on those tips but it seems like a complicated way of doing things.

I don't know whether it is just that British people have a reputation for not tipping well or what but I have had some terrible service in the US - once sat in a restaurant ignored for 30 mins, got our order in, 40 mins later only half of it appeared, they were annoyed at being asked to take the non appearing items off the bill...

Thanks everyone- I think I'll get cash out at the airport and break up a large note immediately by buying a bottle of water so I'm prepared when I get to the hotel .
I'm going to Colorado if that changes anything... by myself and will be doing a few tours and staying in a pretty nice hotel.
So buying a drink at a bar for example just a beer- say it's $5 I just pay that, get my drink and then give the barman another $1/$2 afterwards?
I'm happy to pay tips just wish I could do it all on card... I'm pretty much 100% cash free in my life and can't remember the last time I used an atm!
Would $20% cash be reasonable for a tour guide as well?

It is the worst thing about the US. I wish they would just price everything properly including taxes and service and job done. I

To me, you tip if you receive exceptional, above and beyond service and it shouldn't be an expectation to have to top up wages for bog standard service because employers don't pay properly. I don't get tipped for doing my job so why should I have to tip a chamber maid when I'm already shelling out £££ for the room. Their system stinks.

I had a pleasant experience in New York where I didn't feel anyone apart from servers expected a tip but appreciated one. But you can add it on to your card payment. What I didn't appreciate it in some places the minimum tip was 18%. You should be free to tip what you like

Believe me, ignorance is bliss 😀
Since Brits have a reputation for not getting it anyway, you could easily save yourself $300/week by playing dumb!
I suppose that if you are going to tip, then don't check the 18% in favour of the 20% for a quiet life. That 2% is not worth the awkwardness.

"I think I'll get cash out at the airport and break up a large note immediately by buying a bottle of water so I'm prepared when I get to the hotel"

Get some US cash (notes ideally no larger than a $20 dollar bill) in advance of your travel, not at the airport (an ATM there on arrival may be hard to locate and could be expensive in terms of bank charges).

A 20% tip in Colorado is considered normal. To calculate a 20 percent tip, move the decimal point one digit to the left. That’s 10 percent. Then double it. for example: a $52 tab becomes $5.20, which doubles into $10.40. Round as you see fit.

Not all states have a different minimum wage for tipped/non-tipped workers. Our state has a flat minimum wage for all withers, regardless of whether they are in a job where they are likely to receive tips or not.

You’re going to Colorado where state law requires that those on a tipped wage must receive a minimum of the equivalent of $12.54 per hour with their tips. If they fall short, the employer has to top it up to meet that threshold.

Please tip service providers. I don’t care if it’s different where you live. The whole point of traveling abroad is to see how different people live in diffeeent places. Big news! We also drive in the other side of the road! Don’t be that tourist and impose your views on government policies here on the lowest paid workers who can do the least about it.

The way I see it is when you look at a menu in a restaurant the prices listed are the costs of the various dishes, the tip is the delivery fee to have it brought to your table. If that breaks your bank, find a cheaper restaurant.

If you pay by card it’ll give you the option to select a tip amount (typically 15% or 20%) when they swipe your card. Not having cash is no reason not to tip.

Is it still really only $1 a drink at a bar? It’s been that for at least 20 years! The poor bar staff!