Who and how much to tip (USA)

[SleepDreamThinkHuge]

Hi,

I am thinking of going to USA maybe this summer or early next year. Thinking of New York or California.

Of course the USA has a different tipping culture to UK. In the USA, when you go how much do you generally tip, who do you tip?

Check the fees and exchange rate on your credit cards as some are horrendous.

Check MoneySavingExpert for the best cards to use abroad.

@UWS @SleepDreamThinkHuge
I think some of the recommendations are ott here as well. We go to the USA often enough and our NY friends say “double the tax” and round up. 20% if they have been great with the children. Generally you can minimise tips by choosing what you do and what services you use. We take our own luggage to the room for example. We walk down the road and get a taxi. Or use public transport. Eating out is different. Bar bills are different. You will tip. Self service cafes don’t require a tip. It’s doable with a certain amount of thought.

Also docent tours in museums are a tip
free pleasure!

If anyone does anything for you, you are expected to tip. If you are staying in a hotel, you are expected to leave a tip each day for housekeeping.

20% was my go to tip for meals.

There was a furore last week when a New York waitress slagged off some European tourists for only leaving her a 10% tip on a $700 bill. Article in the New York Post:
https://nypost.com/2023/03/24/im-a-waitress-i-f-king-hate-10-tip-from-tourists/

There's a picture of the receipt - at the bottom it has suggestions/costs for tips of 20%, 22% and 25%.

Thank you @Lovingmynewbicycle, my card is fine for use abroad (only reason i have it)

This has been helpful, thank you, we have a car so no taxis, rarely lunch out as will be on walks so taking snack bits, some places we'll go to a supermarket and buy bits for in the room for the evening, others we'll go find a bar/restaurant/take away so tipping might not be too bad. Thinking we'll take $500 cash as can withdraw once there without charges.

Simon Calder posted on this in the Independent last week www.independent.co.uk/travel/north-america/usa/tip-usa-america-restaurant-taxi-hotel-b2305903.html

How do you think companies in other countries pay their employees? From the money they get from……..wait for it……their customers!

It’s just a different way of collecting the money. If you are a customer of any business, you are paying the employees’ wages. It’s how business works.

It’s not wrong. Just different. Just the same as driving on the right and spelling color with no U. We just do things differently here.

Puts me off going too. Not because I begrudge paying (have had a few holidays in Scandinavia recently where prices are eye watering) but because of the constant uncertainty around it. I’m sure it’s fine if you’re immersed in that culture and don’t have to think about it, it as a visitor it feels like a minefield. I had an overnight layover in Atlanta a few years ago and as someone who wants to get it right and not underpay I found the not knowing who to tip and how much stressful. Then there was the issue of not necessarily having small enough bills as I’d just arrived and wasn’t staying. So the guy who drive the shuttle bus to the hotel got $10 because I had nothing else. The only other tipping situation that arose was at an airport restaurant. Tipped the waiter, but the greeters at the entrance and just inside were so effusive that I wasn’t sure if they expected tips too.

I would think twice about going again. We have been twice with our children. It worked out really expensive. Honestly, even though they don’t have minimum wage with the tips they receive it must be a highly paid job.

I very much doubt that staff are ‘ok with it’. 20% is expected at minimum.

But there isn’t really any uncertainty? It’s pretty straightforward.

The man at the airport wanted a tip for checking in my suitcase.

Could there have been a misunderstanding? Because there is no way that tipping airport or airline staff is now a thing, even in the US.

20-25% for food
then small notes / round up for others

I have tipped 10% for food when service was very poor/rude, was called out for it, but justified my reasoning. They weren’t happy, but accepted they were going to get nothing.

I find it deeply uncomfortable when I go there for work, and it does put me off ever taking the family there on holiday. I find myself questioning every interaction and second guessing if someone is just doing the job they are paid for or just being pleasant/helpful, or if it is being done in the expectation that I’m going to hand them some cash. It feels so mercenary. I’d far rather people were paid well by their employers, I don’t want to be responsible for doling out their payroll.

I definitely prefer visiting countries where tipping is a very minor or non existent part of the culture.

Kiwi, there is uncertainty if you are not brought up in a tipping culture. For example, tipping a bar person for pouring a drink is just not done in UK.

Remember to check the bill at the end of the meal. Lots of restaurants automatically add a 20 or 25% tip. DH and I tipped double in several places until we noticed 🤦🏻‍♀️

Tipping is one of the things that I dislike the most about living in North America. Since Covid it's been particularly bad. I refuse to tip more than 18% in a restaurant.

I find the uncertainty hard too - restaurants are fine, I know it's 15-25% depending on service.

But I don't know whether people like airport shuttle drivers expect a tip or hotel breakfast staff

I haven’t been to US for many years but back then I didn’t mind tipping at restaurants because eating out was so cheap! Now it’s the same as here (or more) so obviously adding another 20-25% is going to hurt. Particularly if the service is not great. I tip here at home - usually 10% but if the service is poor they get nothing.

I would always leave out cash for hotel housekeeping - a couple of dollars goes a long way to getting a good room clean and replenish.

Just stick to self service or fast food/fast casual places for meals and you can avoid a lot of the tipping situations. If you're getting table service, the expectation is 20%

I was going to suggest this. When DD and I went to Florida we ate at a couple of local places that were self service. The food was excellent.

In other places the tip suggestions were always at the bottom of the bill, starting at 18%.

One thing I find with the tipping culture is overly attentive service. I don't mind waiting staff asking if I want another drink, but I get irritated by them interrupting my meal every few minutes to ask if my food is OK, to ask if I want anything else etc etc.

@Kiwimommyinlondon - I travel a lot, but not to the US and the last time I’d been was as a child decades ago. I wasn’t stopping either so hadn’t looked into it. So, yes, the rules of the game were completely unknown to me. Knowing what a big deal it is and how hard people work for their tips means it’s not something you can just overlook though.

One thing I find with the tipping culture is overly attentive service. I don't mind waiting staff asking if I want another drink, but I get irritated by them interrupting my meal every few minutes to ask if my food is OK, to ask if I want anything else etc etc.

This was a factor too. I had a waiter explain theatrically and at some length how I should eat my dessert. They then came over while I was eating it to marvel. Nobody cares that much about a stranger eating a fairly basic pudding - it’s done because it’s part of the deal to get better tips and was thoroughly uncomfortable.