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Great "How much to tip overseas?" Hunt

What's it about?

Do you tip when you're abroad? If yes, how much do you feel you should tip? Do you tip just in restaurants or cabs too? What rate country by country? In some cultures tipping is an obligatory custom, in others you needn't bother. So how do you obey local cultures, but not spend too much?

So everyone can easily read the info please reply in this format:

Country:
Tips amount (and what should you tip for):
Other Info:
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Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert.
Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance.
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Comments

  • jenniferpa
    jenniferpa Posts: 1,036 Forumite
    USA
    15-20%
    If you're a large party (generally 8 or more) you may well be charged a flat service charge, so check. Also it is customary to tip in bars, even if when sitting at the counter (although not not 15%).
  • richardw
    richardw Posts: 19,458 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts
    Australia
    0%
    It is all included
    Posts are not advice and must not be relied upon.
  • spirit
    spirit Posts: 2,886 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee!
    Jordan

    about 1/2 to 1 JD at current exchange rate 1 JD = £1 ish.

    hotel porters, taxi's, boat drivers (whatever they are called) coach drivers. it's not expected but is accepted gratefully as they are really not paid terribly well at all.
    Mortgage free as of 10/02/2015. Every brick and blade of grass belongs to meeeee. :j
  • saintscouple
    saintscouple Posts: 4,341 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Rhodes, Greece
    10-15%
    Tips at restaurants / bars / cabs.
    Though seems to be a custom in Pefkos, Rhodes where we go that, that if you tip in the bars on your last round - they insist on you having another drink on the house???
  • robdog
    robdog Posts: 58 Forumite
    South Africa

    Porters @ airport if they are wearing a numbered tabbard R10 [ £1]
    resturants 10%
    petrol pump attendants R3-5
    if you have your car looked after in a car park R2-5
  • penypincher
    penypincher Posts: 116 Forumite
    USA
    15-25% Restaurants
    In the states, most restaurants do not even pay the waitstaff minimum wage. However, waitstaff is EXPECTED (by the taxman) to make the rest of their wage in gratutity! They are actually taxed on a percentage of their sales, so if you do not tip accordingly, they have to pay taxes on money they haven't recieved. It used to be 15%, but now that is considered the standard, so if you really appreciate your waitstaff (they have kept your free drink refill topped up, kids meals specially cooked, held the onions, etc..), you should tip 20-25%.
    Porters
    $1 a bag, plus extra if they are heavy!
    Taxis and Car service
    10-15%... at the very least, if the fare is $14.10, don't wait for the .90 cent change!

    What is the UK standard for tipping? I seem to get lots of thanks from waitstaff!
  • spursman
    spursman Posts: 247 Forumite
    Hi all
    probably off topic but what the hey
    in 1991 i went to Thailand(Pattaya) with my wife, we went to a very nice restaurant(RUIN THAI probably spelt wrong but it is/was Egon Ronay listed)we had a five course meal + drinks & it came to £14 for the whole meal i was expecting the meal to be about £70 so it was a lovely surprise. i paid the bill & left about £5 tip we left the restaurant & the waiters started chasing us across the bridge & down the road when they caught us 5 miles later(joke) they gave us our £5 back we tried to explain it was a tip but they said people only got tipped because service was poor( we think they meant if customers thought the waiters were poor) they steadfastly refused to take a tip of any sort & in fact took us back inside for a drink(free) for the upset they had caused.
    we have been back to Thailand twice since(never back to Pattaya) & this has not happened again & we doubt whether it still does but it was a pleasant change from having American waiters chase us down the road because the tip wasnt ENOUGH(yes this has also happened)
    anyway sorry for the aside
    all the best
    Spursman
  • KeithH_2
    KeithH_2 Posts: 25 Forumite
    I returned from a short trip To berlin the other day, and whilst there, when ordering drinks for my wife and I, which came to around 8 euros, I gave them a 10 note and said "keep the change", and tried to give it them back, and decline the offer of change (I cant speak German). ie give it as a tip.

    When I did this, they seemed offended and FORCED the change upon me ! does anyone know why this is ? Is there no tipping in Germany ? Had I offended them in some way ?
  • Loobeylou
    Loobeylou Posts: 901 Forumite
    USA
    15-25%

    Like anywhere else in the States, you get bad service, good service, and way over the top service.

    The way over the top service is smarmy at times, and can be quite a nuisance, but I guess at the end of the day they are trying hard to make their tips.

    For the OTT service and the good service, tip accordingly.

    For the bad service - and believe me my other half and I have had really bad service - just don't bother to tip. Brave it out and leave nothing. We have had several experiences where the service to us was just so poor, while Americans around us were being well looked after.

    We have had the waiting staff ask us if we knew "that in the States the tipping rate is 15-20%" which to be honest just annoys the heck out of me - we have been to the States numerous times and we do not need to be told how much we should tip! I think they see us Brits coming, hear the accent and assume that we are not going to give anything, or at least very little.

    My advice for what its worth is tip accordingly. Do not be browbeaten into giving if you are not happy with the service. Just because it is their policy does not mean to say that you need to be over generous, and certainly not for indifferent service or bad food. Only go along with their 15-20% if they are willing to do their job as they are meant to. But do not be stingy if everything is lovely and they have tried hard.

    I understand that waiting staff do not get good wages from their employers and have to work for it, but to be honest you can give away an absolute fortune in tips on a two or three week stay in the States. This seems to be steady creeping up to 20-25% and if you think about having to give 25% on top of a $75 meal (for example) then you are getting through serious dosh just in tips.

    PS: Would't you think that the employers could pay decent wages in the first place?
  • KK
    KK Posts: 212 Forumite
    Just got back from the States and was told by an Englishman living there that the general rule is to take the state tax and double it - approx 15-20%. Sometimes this seems ludicrously expensive on top of an expensive meal, at other times, cheap if you've had a good, but cheap meal. We stayed in Las Vegas for one night at a fairly smart hotel and had to tip twice to get our bags taken to our room. Once for the bellboy who unloaded the bags from our car and took them to a secure storage area, carefully labelling each bag, then another tip for the guy who brought them up to our room. There is a tips bowl/jar left at every counter serving food, even if it's a take away. I began to resent it in the end. Other than that we had a good money saving holiday on the whole. We got excellent priced flights on Virgin, then spent most of the flight out at the Upper Class bar drinking free drinks (just good luck I think, the staff were bored and really friendly), we really shopped around for accommodation in San Francisco and Yosemite, and Las Vegas and got competitive prices for good accommodation. We got our cash commission free and delivered to our door by First Direct. We bought a tent and sleeping bags in Target and camped for a few nights (tents and equipment much cheaper in USA), bought loads of cheap clothes (most are $ for £s e.g. $20 in Gap = £20 in UK!!), got a fabulous fully loaded SUV and free tank of gas (inc. in car DVD player!) for £300 for 2 weeks unlimited mileage (great as we did 2,200 miles), we had a wonderful holiday and made use of the many wi-fi access points in places like Starbucks to send our emails home! It was still an expensive trip, but we penny pinched in as many painfree ways as possible.
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