Tipping customs vary from country to country. Below is a summary of tipping guidelines, sorted by continent.
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In most parts of China, tipping is generally not expected. In Western-style high-priced hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, tipping has become more common due to international business clients, and may be expected. The Chinese equivalents to tipping are gifts or restaurant meals, which are appropriate for a tour guide or a business client. Especially in southern China, at Chinese New Year married people may reward staff who have served them throughout the year, such as frequented restaurant staff or apartment building guards, with red envelopes.
In Korea, tipping is uncommon in restaurants. More commonly the customer may receive an additional free menu item as "service". Taxi drivers do not expect tips but the incumbent passenger may be expected to share their fare with opportunistic passengers if they indicate they are traveling a portion of the same route. The metered fare is not split; the extra passenger pays the amount of the accumulative fare since 'boarding,' and the incumbent also pays the full fare when reaching the destination.
In Japan, tipping is rare. It is usually assumed that if you liked a restaurant you will reward them by returning.
In general, in the European Union and other parts of Europe, tipping is not essential but it is customary, although there are regional variations.
An optional service charge of between 10% and 15% is added to your bill in most places; in such places, tipping is not expected if you pay the service charge. In establishments without a service charge included in the bill, a tip of 10% to 15% is expected.
The service charge is not included in the bill, it is normal but a small tip may be given as a sign of good service. Tipping is not the main income as wages are high due to being welfare states, in which wages are higher and people are taxed at higher rates to fund universal healthcare, education and other benefits. In this region, tipping is referred to as driks (or tips) (Norwegian), drikkepenge (Danish) or dricks (Swedish), meaning for drinks.[1]
Tipping is common, normally about 10% of the bill for good service. A lot of waiters in Norway are not unionised and so are paid appallingly low wages. Even though it is common in Norway to get paid extra for working late or at nights, waiters and barmen are often on a fixed hourly rate which puts them among the lowest earners in the country. However there are some who are on union rates which means they earn a respectable living for their work. Some older people automatically tip 20kr irrespective of the cost of a bill. Taxi bills are often just rounded up.
Tipping is not customary in Finland and is usually not expected.[2]
In Germany tips of 10% for waiters or taxi drivers are usual, 1-2 euros are suggested for a porter.[3]
This voluntarily given Trinkgeld (lit. "drink money") is tax free.[4]
In Iceland tipping (þjórfé, lit. "drink money") is rare. Service charges are generally included in the bill.[1]
Tipping is not customary in Slovenia and traditionally it is almost never done. In recent times, however, high-tourist areas have begun to accept tips, which are welcomed but not obligatory. In such cases, the amount is typically 10 percent, but may range higher in exceptional circumstances.[5][6]
Tipping is customary in Spain in some places and situations, mostly involving services (like the waiter at a restaurant or the driver of a taxi) whose quality depends of the person serving. Tips are rare in other non-luxury situations, like pizza deliveries and gas stations. However, this custom is dying out in recent years.[7] While in bars and small restaurants, Spaniards usually leave as a tip the small change they receive in a plate after paying the bill, occasionally rounding it up to euro coins. In more sophisticated restaurants it is customary to leave between 5% and 10%. A 2005 Sydney Morning Herald article suggested to "Tip a few per cent extra in addition to the automatic tip added to the bill.".[8] It's generally agreed between Spaniards that tipping should be the reward to extraordinary service, and consequentially shouldn't be in any way obligatory. In fact, it's usual (and not frowned upon) to leave no tip as a way to protest for a poor or inadequate service.
Tipping in Israel is uncommon in hotels because a service charge, typically 10 percent of the bill, is often added to the bill automatically.[8][9][10]
In restaurants with table service it is considered customary to tip the waiter/waitress around 12 percent of the bill, regardless of the quality of the service, and most bills have לא כולל שירות ("service not included") printed on them. If restaurants (usually expensive one) do add service charges, the charge is almost invariably the same 12%. In such case, the patron may, at his/her own discretion, reward especially attentive service with an extra cash tip to the waiter.
There is an unwritten rule that no tip is required if the owner of the restaurant serves you.
For pizza and similar food deliveries, the delivery boy is usually tipped 5-10% of the bill, or a flat NIS 10.[11]
No tip is expected for metered taxi fares. For fixed-rate fares (generally intercity rides), or for services such as assistance with luggage, tips are appreciated.
As reported by the CBC, a "15% gratuity standard among most Canadians, but it depends on the job". 78% of Canadians regularly leave a 15% tip after dining out. However, the tips are regularly lower for other service industry jobs.[12]
Most Canadian provinces have the same minimum wage regardless of occupation,[13] but as of February 2007, Ontario allows employers to pay C$1.05 less than standard minimum wages for liquor servers,[14] and as of May 2007, Quebec allows C$0.75 less than standard for workers who would reasonably be expected to be receive tips.[15]
Workers who receive tips are legally required to report the income to the Canada Revenue Agency and pay income tax on it. However, many workers have been known to not report any income from tips at all or, perhaps more commonly, to "lowball" the figure. In response, the CRA has vowed that it will closely check the tax returns of individuals that it would reasonably expect to be receiving tips to ensure that the tips are reported, and that the amount reported on the returns is realistic.[16] In Quebec, employers are obliged to report the sales made by waiters and bartenders, which is used to calculate the expected tips received based on a standard percentage. Because of this, not tipping is considered a graver insult in Quebec than elsewhere in Canada - the server will actually be taxed on money they have not received.
A 2005 USA Today article advises against restaurant tipping, but suggests a US$1 per bag tip for porters, and $1 for special services by taxi drivers.[17]
According to a 2005 USA Today article, a 10%–15% tip should be left in restaurants if it does not include an automatic service charge. Porters may be tipped US$1–$2, and taxi drivers $0.50–$1.[17]
In Mexico a tip is known as propina in Spanish, although in Brazilian Portuguese this same word connotes bribery.
Meals have a 10% to 15% tip (this includes fast food deliveries). This tip is usually paid by most people in restaurants, although it is not so common in street restaurants or stands, where the tenders usually have a can or box where people deposit coins.
In gas stations drivers usually give between 2 and 5 Mexican pesos to the clerk who makes the operation. The quantity varies due to the level of attention of the clerk (sometimes he/she cleans the windows, checks the air in the tyres, fluids level, etc.).
In supermarkets it is customary to tip with 2 to 5 pesos the people that bag the groceries (baggers). They are usually kids between 13 and 16 years old or senior citizens. People tip them because most of them do not receive any base salary; all they get is the tips. If they help carrying the bags to the car they usually get 10 pesos or more.
In Mexican bars and night clubs it is often seen that they charge directly into the bill 15% of the total amount (taxes included) which is illegal in most cases because of the imposition of the tip and because they calculate the 15% with taxes included. Sometimes when customers refuse to pay this imposed tip partially or completely because of a bad, unkind or deficient service, waiters and owners can get aggressive to the point of retaining the customers in the bar/club until they pay the tip, though this behavior is also illegal.
At massive parties and gatherings, and sometimes also in night clubs, the bar staff expect the customers to deposit their tip in a cup they have on the table before serving the drinks, by this way, the service they give is in function with the tip they received. If someone refuses to pay this prior tip, he/she is commonly ignored by the bar staff.
In some populated Mexican restaurants wandering musicians enter, play, and expect the customers to pay something, although this is totally voluntary.
It's also customary to give a tip to a person who may guard a car as if they were valet parking; in Mexico these people are often called "viene viene" or franeleros and usually people give them from 3 to 20 pesos depending on the zone, although viene vienes sometimes ask for bigger sums of money when the car is left close to a night life area. When the demand for parking spaces is big, they save the spaces placing water cubes or small wooden boxes over them, and they usually ask for exaggerated tips (50 to 100 Mexican pesos depending of the area and the demand) to let the drivers park their cars.
Tipping is not commonly expected in cabs or buses, except when it is a tour.
Sometimes, in very corrupted places, some workers refuse to give a service unless the customer gives them tip for the service he has a right freely. This happens occasionally in public service, in night clubs.
Tipping in the United States is widely practiced and is considered by some to be a social obligation under a variety of circumstances. Many consider the custom antiquated, adding an unnecessary level of complication and frustration for the customer and especially for foreign travellers. As many other wealthy and westernized countries do not expect tips, foreign tourists to the United States are particularly bewildered by the prevalent tipping culture of the country, and are ironically put into positions where they are far more likely to have to use services which expect tips even more so than everyday Americans themselves. This is especially in regards to the use of hotels, taxis, and cafe's. Tipping based on a percentage is customarily computed on the bill's total before tax.[18]
Despite the wide variety of circumstances where tips are expected in the United States, the majority of Americans patronize tip-expecting businesses or services generally no more than once or twice a week on average.
Most U.S. guides recommend 15% of the fare, more for extra services or heavy luggage.[19][20][21]
Tipping is customary in restaurants having traditional table service. As tipped employees generally qualify for a lower statutory minimum wage from the employer, tips in some states constitute the majority of the income for tipped workers such as wait staff. While opinions vary, Fodor's suggests that tipping wait staff 15% of the bill (before tax) is considered standard for adequate service, or up to 20% for excellent service.[22]
Some restaurants include an automatic service charge (not to be confused with a discretionary tip or gratuity) on the bill for parties of six or more, while a rare few include an automatic charge for all bills.[17]
Tipping for traditional table service restaurants offering take-out is not necessary, although a small tip (e.g., 5%-10%) is sometimes suggested for curbside service.
There is a common confusion that tipping at buffet-style restaurants is necessary. A 10% tip is customary due to the minimal service requirements of the waiting staff.
Some coffee shops or establishments without table service leave a countertop tip jar (a.k.a. guilt cans) by the cash register, but tipping is not expected as it would be for table service.[18]
An almost universal industry-wide policy in the United States for dining establishment is to have their servers "tip out" a percentage of their sales receipts to all the support staff whom do not directly receive tips yet still contribute to customers' service. These include hosts/hostesses, bussers, food runners, back-waiters, bartenders and bar-backs. The mandatory "tip-out" is often the most disheartening factor when Servers' receive bad or no tips for service; if the tip is less than the amount they must "tip out" or give back to the restaurant, then the Server has to pay the difference out-of-pocket. Therefore, in addition to working for free, they have actually lost money by serving the patron.
Bartenders usually are tipped additionally by the patrons ordering drinks at the bar.[23]
When purchasing alcoholic beverages at a bar it is customary to tip $1–2 per drink, or in the same 15% to 20% range as at a restaurant.[22] If a bartender is taking special care to take and fill your drink orders quickly at a busy bar where others may be waiting for service, a tip in the higher range is appropriate. It may also be customary to tip higher with your first drink in order to signal the bartender to take special care of you. Typical amount for this action is $5.
Bellmen are customarily tipped approximately one dollar per bag in five star hotels, and often tipped for deliveries (food, boxes, faxes). Room-service personnel at most American hotels expect tips, anywhere between 10% to 15% of the price (before tax) of what was ordered. Many hotels automatically add a service fee to room service meals. The customer should verify this in order to avoid double tipping. A small tip for the housekeeping staff is discretionary. Tipping the front desk staff is almost never done unless the service is exceptional.
In casinos and other resort style establishments, it is customary to tip other service staff, such as a host in a showroom, or a cocktail waitress using similar scales. Doing so may guarantee better seats in a popular show, or faster refills. Successful gamblers at table games generally leave a tip for their dealer, or (in the case of games played against the house, particularly blackjack), designate a part of their bet or a separate hand once in a while as "for you" (the dealer), in which case the winnings, if any, go as a tip. On receiving a tip, the dealer is expected to ring a hand bell. Most casinos pool the tips and divide them among the dealers.
For many casino dealers, tips (also called tokes) make up the majority of employees' wages. Despite the enormous success of many casinos, they may pay poker and table games dealers as little as $4.25 an hour. These casinos may claim to pay great wages when in reality, customers pay the majority of these workers' salaries.
The driver is customarily tipped 15% or $2 whichever is greater.
Many service staff are tipped annually during the Christmas season, such as newspaper carriers, house cleaners, bus drivers, and pool cleaners. Some people also tip their local mail carrier in this manner, not knowing that it is illegal to do so (see government workers below).
In some large cities, the staff of apartment buildings, such as building superintendents, porters, concierges and doormen, receive similar annual tips.
Under United States federal law it is not legal to tip or gift a government employee in excess of $20. The most common circumstance is a holiday gift to a mail carrier. A potential tipper can donate money to a charity related to the government agency. For example, most National Parks have related "natural history associations", in which case the worker that prompted the tip may appreciate hearing that their service prompted a donation.
Many reputable retailers forbid their employees to accept tips[24] (although this is illegal in some states, such as California, due to the fact that state law states "tips are the property of whom they are given, and employers are not allowed to require employees to refuse, give, or share their tips with anyone"). Tips are not generally given to parcel-delivery workers, and acceptance of tips may be forbidden by state laws and/or the employer. No tip is expected for retail clerks who bag one's groceries or carry one's purchases to the car.
Some stores have a jar for spare change by the cash register, which is not for tips but is used to help cash customers who are short on change. For example, a customer paying a $5.02 bill can use $0.02 from the change jar and thereby avoid paying $6.00 and getting $0.98 back in change. Correspondingly, a customer paying a $1.86 bill with $2.00 may not wish to keep $0.14 change, and so can leave the change in the jar for another customer to use as needed. In order to avoid confusion, a tip jar may be a larger, deeper container, whereas a spare change jar is sometimes just a small dish or bowl, and these are labeled and placed separately from each other on the counter.
Tipping in cafes and restaurants has become more common in Australia and New Zealand, but only to signal exceptional service, and is not expected. A typical tip is to round up to the nearest round figure, for example paying $20 instead of $18.60. Tips are usually shared between all staff.
Casinos in Australia generally prohibit tipping of gaming staff, as it is considered bribery. For example, in the state of Tasmania, the Gaming Control Act 1993 states in section 56 (4): "it is a condition of every special employee's licence that the special employee must not solicit or accept any gratuity, consideration or other benefit from a patron in a gaming area." [25]
Tipping for pizza delivery in Australia is considered customary, and hourly wages for deliverers are considered relatively low, with hourly wages for casual work ranging from $13-$15.[26] Prices for delivery orders are typically higher than for carryout orders, and "free delivery" cannot be advertised if carryout pricing is lower.[26]
Tipping in New Zealand is very uncommon[27]. Telling someone to 'keep the change' occurs generally as a convenience to either avoid waiting for the change to be provided, or to avoid having to carry coinage. There is no social stigma, however, in expecting the exact change from a transaction. New Zealanders are generally against the introduction of a 'tipping culture', and encourage visitors not to tip[28].
According to a 2005 USA Today article, "tipping is officially illegal, but waiters expect a small tip" in restaurants.[17] Porters and drivers are tipped in Argentina, especially taxi drivers will expect a tip.
Service charges are included with the bill. Still, a small tip, around 5% or so, is sometimes given, and is considered polite.[1]
In luxury accommodation 10% service charge is added to all transactions involving service staff.
Service charges of around 10% are expected in restaurants. When the bill is presented, there is a place to write a discretionary amount for gratuity if paying by credit card. If it is not filled in, sometimes the wait staff will return with a 10% gratuity penned in, but they will also confirm that this is acceptable with the customer. Taxi drivers do not expect tips unless helping with baggage.
Tipping porters is expected; conversely, carrying ones own bags in luxury accommodation is considered inappropriate behaviour.
Service charges are included with the bill, and tipping is uncommon.[1]
Service charges are sometimes included with the bill. Tipping is more common the more expensive the restaurant. 10% is the most you would tip. Many people just tip by leaving small change (1 or 2%) or rounding a credit card bill.