The Traveler’s Guide to Tipping Internationally | Hacker News Reader

The Traveler’s Guide to Tipping Internationally

hipmunk.com

41 pointsohjeez53 comments

This should be renamed, "The Traveller's Guide to Overtip".

> France > Restaurants: French law requires that service be included in the price, but most locals round up their bills with small change (or up to 10% of the bill).

Locals tip when the service is exceptional... Tipping is rarely more than 5% and in a lot of cases people do not tip. It's also a bit of a class thing, students almost never tip, tipping is more reserved for high class expensive restaurants...

> Taxis: Plan to tip cab drivers about 10 percent.

Neither me nor any of my friends tip cab drivers...

> United Kingdom > Taxis: Tip 10-15 percent for black cabs and licensed minicabs, or just round up to the nearest Euro. Tip extra for help with loading or unloading baggage.

Oh the miracles of copy and paste... I think tipping to the nearest Euro would be a little inconvenient when paying in pounds.

Also who tips black cabs? They are extortionists as it is.

Depends upon the part of the UK, I suppose. I'll tip the driver of a black cab in Edinburgh or Glasgow, if they've been helpful and friendly (ie, most of the time).

Didn't mention the thing that tripped me my first time in the uk: don't tip bar tenders.

France : "Taxis: Plan to tip cab drivers about 10 percent."

No fucking way. Maybe we'll talk about it when UberPOP comes back, but for now 60 euros for some 30min rides to the airport means they seriously don't need any tipping.

Thailand : "Taxis: Tip 10-15 percent for black cabs and licensed minicabs, or just round up to the nearest Euro. Tip extra for help with loading or unloading baggage."

Same, now way !! They are already trying to charge you more than the legal fee in Bangkok or lying to you about the distance to do....

The Restaurant tipping discussion should be over internationally and for goood : just put in the bill the stupid "expected tipping" and people will just 'maybe' tip more if the service is actually outstanding (and if they feel like it... and IF THEY HAVE MONEY TO TIP)

I've alway found insane to be 'expected to tip' in the US / CANADA when you are a poor student and nothing was special, when I come from france where waiters all have an actual wage and only the 'financially at ease' people tip...

Disagree about taxis in Thailand. Taxi fares here in Bangkok are ridiculously low and haven't been adjusted to rising costs of living for quite a while. If the driver is polite and doesn't try to scam you, leave a tip. All my Thai friends do it as well.

However the 20-30 Baht mentioned in the article might be too much, especially for shorter distances. I would occasionally tip that amount on long rides (1h+) to the airport and every time the driver was very surprised and genuinely grateful for the tip.

No tips necessary for Tuktuks and motorcycle taxis though.

I travel a lot (been to 115 countries) and have lived in several countries.

My traveller's guide to tipping, for non-USA folk:

* when not in the USA: Don't tip. There is not a country I know of where it is necessary or even expected. (It may, however, be appreciated.)

* when in the USA: Tip, and expect to get it wrong, no matter how much you try and learn in advance what is expected. Ask locals frequently how much you should be tipping.

>There is not a country I know of where it is necessary or even expected.

Not quite. Eg In South Africa 10% is definitely the expected minimum for anything more classy than a McDonald's. You could probably get away with less if the less brings it to a round amount but that's pushing your luck.

Good to know for my upcoming visit to South Africa!

>Good to know for my upcoming visit to South Africa!

In that case - a little more detail:

Only three scenarios where failure to tip is considered rude. The sit down restaurant I mentioned. Petrol attendants (its illegal to refuel a car yourself) - a R5 coin (=0.5 USD) is good. And finally at bars - R2 tip per drink is good (=0.2USD). Like I mentioned to the other commenter - for all 3 its a case of they don't get livable wages & are expected to cover the shortfall via tips. e.g. Petrol attendant gets like 170 USD fixed pay per month, which is not viable even with the low CoL.

You'll get pestered by informal "car guards" for tips for supposed guarding services. Some people give them R2 to make them go away others tell them to get lost. They're a nuisance/extortion setup. Up to you.

"get away", "pushing luck" - is there laws around tipping?

>"get away", "pushing luck" - is there laws around tipping?

No laws. 10% is the accepted baseline though - going below/over is seen as a comment on the quality of the service. So if the waiter did a good job and you tip 5% then they see it as an insult.

I should also add that waiters in SA are generally not paid a live-able wage. They rely on that 10% to put food on their own plate.

I'm an American and I don't even know when to tip in this country. I guess you now are supposed to tip the cleaning staff at hotels, but only certain chains? What about restaurants with no table service or food carts? Also seems to depend on the chain, whether the owner is working or an employee is working, or who knows what.

Tipping is common in restaurants in Canada.

You are supposed to tip in restaurants in Canada. I'm against the concept of the customer deciding the worker's wage without negotiation and after the fact so I tip 15% of the pre-tax amount regardless of the level of service.

10% tipping is expected in Argentinian restaurants. You're not forced to do it, but it is customary and not tipping in some situations will make you look like a cheapskate to other diners.

One of my friends went to America and didn't realise you should tip bar staff. (Rather uncommon in the UK.) At some point during one evening the topic came up, for whatever reason - and he was forced to admit that he hadn't been leaving any tips at all! Cue such a degree of shock from his American hosts that he felt moved to talk to the bar person about it when he next went to get drinks.

"Oh, don't worry", said the bar guy. "I spotted your accent straight away, and I know English people never leave tips."

Now perhaps what my friend should have done at this point was take him at his word and continue not to leave him any...

The tipping advice for the UK is not remotely true, you'd never tip a taxi driver 10%, at most you'd do a "keep the change". I've even been in taxis here where the taxi driver has rounded down the fare to an easier to exchange amount.

I find mandatory tipping a little bit like encores at gigs, if its expected there's something a little bit phony and hollow about the whole thing, I'd much rather have tipping be a surprise, though I understand in the US it's been used to supplement underpaid workers so is the right thing to do for the time being. Hope the US gets the $15 minimum wage sorted.

in the US it's been used to supplement underpaid workers

Except that's not even true. Restaurants are required to pay minimum wage. Wage+tip >= minimum wage. If tips are low, the restaurant has to make up the difference. Basically, we've been conned into subsidizing the restaurant owner.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped_wage_in_the_United_Stat...

Minimum wage can still be underpaid, depending on the area the worker lives in. That's why there's been recent discussions about increasing the minimum wage.

Certainly, but that's a different discussion, and isn't unique to food services.

It's the same discussion, as I was referring to "underpaid" in terms of a living wage, instead of "underpaid" in terms of an illegal wage. Also, what you suggested could only work if the restaurant owners knew how much their staff were being tipped, and for tips that go directly to the waiters that's not likely to be available information.

Of course they know. Employees are required to report their tips amounts, as the employer is required to withhold SS/Medicare and pay any shortfall. What you are claiming is the entire industry is breaking the law - I suppose that's possible, but I find it unlikely.

> "What you are claiming is the entire industry is breaking the law"

No, that's not what I'm claiming. I'm claiming that 'minimum wage' does not necessarily mean 'living wage', and it is a lack of a living wage which increases the social pressure to tip. If all employees in the US were paid a living wage then the need to tip would decrease.

That's a very strange view. The entire job is premised on a tip, and we all enter the situation knowing that. There's no deception. The expectation in NYC is that these jobs pay far more than minimum wage, and it is one reason restaurants have such fantastic service.

It's just the system. It isn't a con. It's a system that ensures money goes to workers far in excess of what an owner would likely negotiate in other systems, so even though it is annoying, it is interesting.

"United Kingdom, Taxis: Tip 10-15 percent for black cabs and licensed minicabs, or just round up to the nearest Euro."

I see that the "in" campaign is really upping its game.

In Australia, if by "In upscale establishments only, tip 10 percent", they mean "ridiculous overpriced tourist joints trying to make an extra buck targeting naive and ignorant Americans", then I completely agree.

Seriously, nowhere respectable in Australia expects an extra 10%, let alone in the upmarket restaurants where the prices are already high.

By all means, throw something extra in anywhere if someone has done something magical and unexpected for you in any business, but just because they've started using template receipts with a "tip" line on there doesn't mean a single place expects it.

To suggest otherwise is absurd.

To second this, when paying by card most establishments will skip the tip option on the POS device. No one expects it, its factored into the wages.

Hum. I don't know. I've lived (as in more than one year) in a couple of the countries mentioned and it doesn't seem accurate to me. In most of Europe tipping is equal to leaving the change on the table, period. No tipping taxi drivers or bag handlers.

Tipping is always an interesting topic that often gets discussed on HN.

The best arguments against it that I have come across, are that amount of tips received are heavily dependant on sex, race and age [0][1]. These studies are however based on US tipping patterns.

[0] http://esq.h-cdn.co/assets/cm/15/06/54d4001699b01_-_TipAveJA...

[1]http://esq.h-cdn.co/assets/cm/15/06/54d40019befbb_-_customer...

If I had the money back--I tipped on pretty cocktail waitresses?

I used to tip big because I thought I was a big shot? I used to tip big because my ex was a watitress at the same Hootenanny. I used to tip big because I was filled with hope, and felt the money would never run out. I tipped big because this waitress was very attractive, at least I thought at the time. It's amazing what testosterone will do to perception.

Even, at the time, I used to tell my buddies, "She is just using you. Don't be that guy." I couldn't see the manipulation when I was "that guy". I guess it was my ego? I honestly didn't think I had a big ego.

I stopped tipping big when I found out the waitress was trying to scam me. I noticed a few times I would give her a twenty. She would give me back change for a ten. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, and never said anything.

My lovely ex, who was also working as a waitress, and still had that Midwestern morality; came up to me on night and put me in check.

"Myname, she is treating you as a Trick! If you want to throw away money-- I need it."

She was so right. I only tipped my ex after that night. I still think about Blake often. I hope she's doing well.

As to tipping, I don't care what anyone says, the pretty people always bring in more tips. I don't feel people should paid for their looks.

I feel a business should pay a reasonable wage to all workers. In the U.S., tipping is out of hand. It seems like everyone expects a tip? It's not tipping that bothers me, it's the fake niceness that goes along with the game.

Really cool, super helpful, but a guide to tipping that doesn't include bars as a separate category baffles me.

In the US bar tipping is extremely important, not remotely optional.

In the 90s I had my tips returned to me with irritation in bars and cafes in London. Can't remember what the deal was last time I went.

And I think this guide might could use some crowd sourcing? I tried to tip 10% in a restaurant in Milan a few years ago and my companion freaked out saying it was waaaaaay too much money.

I tried to tip a cab driver in Beijing about 7 years ago and she was old school, laughed, and gave it back.

These things are constantly changing so a guide is a wonderful thing, I am just a bit curious where the info is coming from.

Hi, I'm the editor of Hipmunk's blog, Tailwind. I love this idea (crowdsourced tipping guide). Please send me an email at tailwind@hipmunk.com and we can get the ball rolling.

> United Kingdom

> Restaurants: If a service charge isn’t included in the bill, tip 10 percent (or higher for exceptional service).

If service is not good, request it to be removed from the bill. It usually is included.

> Taxis: Tip 10-15 percent for black cabs and licensed minicabs, or just round up to the nearest Euro. Tip extra for help with loading or unloading baggage.

Don't tip black cabs, they earn plenty and you'll never see them again. Do tip minicabs if you live in the area they do. They probably know a lot of people that will do you a favour whenever needed, or you can just call them to help with something.

This article should be called: How to tip from an American Citizen odd point of view.

I've traveled to practically every country in Europe and this article is mainly incorrect. For instance, tipping taxis? Seriously? Nobody does that and for good reason.

In restaurantes you can leave small token of appreciation, but it would be something like 1 euro.

Seriously, this American costume of forceful tipping is just wrong, please fix your country instead of trying for the rest of the world to commit the same mistake.

I'm in the US, and only tip if I expect to visit the same restaurant in the near future.

I don't frequent bars, but I know someone who recommends tipping the bartender to make him more likely to give free refills: The cost of a tip can save money over the cost of buying a fresh drink each time.

Honestly, In the United States food service workers are the ONLY workers who are exempt from minimum wage protection.

Think about that for a moment. Your tip is assumed, the IRS actually tax waiters on a presumed 18% of the bill, whether or not you tip.

When you don't tip, you are literally stealing money from the wait staff.

It's a terrible system, I wish they would do away with this system, some prominent restaurants have taken bold steps against it, but if you go out to eat in the US, you simply must tip unless gratuity is included already on the bill.

Any other choice is unethical.

In the US, where tipping culture has thoroughly and irreversibly won, you are probably correct. In any other country, tipping is just encouraging that kind of exploitative system to take hold. I avoid tipping. On occasion people ask me if I want to leave a tip and I tell them they're making things worse for themselves in the long run. Workers should be paid a decent and reliable wage. Tipping encourages the opposite.

Is that true? I would've expected that a diligent employee that tracks the exact amount of tips they actually received would only pay standard income tax on that amount, which would be reported to the IRS.

I found this publication, which mentions an 8%(not 18%), but it appears that the cost falls on the employer not the employee: https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Emplo...

It also looks like that 8% can be requested to be as low as 2%, with sufficient documentation. That still seems strange to me, but I'm not familiar enough with the tax code here to understand what the tip allocation number is supposed to mean.

It would boggle my mind if a diligent record-keeper was forced to pay taxes on money they didn't earn, and if this was upheld in tax court. And I would promptly start tipping the enforced tax on each meal I eat, at least until it's changed.

Even if what you are saying is accurate, and there seems to be a little ambiguity here, and the difference between the letter of the law and how it is applied, there's still the point that the tip is so completely ingrained in to the social contract, to decline to tip in a restaurant or bar in the United States could be said to be a form of fraud.

I know that language sounds extreme, but the entire economy of the restaurant, including the menu price of the food, is calculated and arranged with a presumption of a specific tip percentage.

The workers are employed with the understanding that the majority of their income is derived from tips, and since virtually everyone tips around the same amount (15-20%) it all works out.

When that one lone person decides to not tip because they don't see the point or understand the culturally determined agreement, it is simply a tax on everyone else involved.

There are a handful of restaurants that have done away with tipping, which is great in my opinion, because it removes this ambiguity.

But in all other cases the tip should be considered as much an immutable part of the price as tax is.

I know it seems insane, and it sort of is insane, but not doing it doesn't change things for the better. It just harms people randomly and the non-tipper benefits while all the other customers are making up the difference.

Honestly, in NYC, many servers will literally chase you down the street and confront you if you fail to tip properly. Places will stop serving you, you can and will be blacklisted from bars and restaurants. It just isn't optional, although it would seem like it should be.

Also, I couldn't edit my comment, but I meant to say,

IANAL/IANAA, but my understanding is that the IRS reserves the right to assume if wait staff document they made less than 18% of sales in tips, they are pocketing cash without claiming the income.

It is impossible to prove a negative, that they didn't receive cash tips.

Not mentioned was Brazil, so I'll add that Brazil is wonderfully simple: You don't tip.

http://brazilsense.com/index.php?title=Tipping,_fraud,_and_s...

This isn't accurate for Thailand. At a restaurant when you get your change it's customary to leave the coins if you're feeling generous and the restaurant has no service charge. I can't think of any other situation where tipping is a Thai practice.

> China

> China has a fairly strict no-tipping culture [etc]

Tipping is illegal in China (tax and employer insurance contributions reasons). It can also get an employee into serious trouble (with the boss) for pocketing cash.

How you would even go about tipping housekeeping in a hotel?

Leave the tip on the dresser?

I think the normal custom is to leave it under your pillow.

What about tipping for a haircut?

There's a place near me where I get my hair cut (it's a fairly straightforward affair - open blade clippers all over, takes all of 5 or 6 minutes) which costs GBP6.00, I always pay them GBP7.00 because the staff are nice and chat to you rather than between themselves. If they charged GBP7.00 or more then I'd probably not tip.

How do you down vote, an ignorant american article?

If you think the article does not belong here you can "flag" it. You need a small amount of karma to flag something.

Hi, I am the editor of Hipmunk's blog and approved this article as it provided ample sources. We're always looking for insiders to write for us, so feel free to send me an email at tailwind@hipmunk.com and pitch me some ideas.

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