4 ms·

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 ti

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.

Havoc 11y ago
>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.
- stevoski 11y ago
  Good to know for my upcoming visit to South Africa!
  - Havoc 11y ago
    >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.
- hippich 11y ago
  "get away", "pushing luck" - is there laws around tipping?
  - Havoc 11y ago
    >"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.
santaclaus 11y ago
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.
nether 11y ago
Tipping is common in restaurants in Canada.
dorfsmay 11y ago
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.
the_af 11y ago
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.
to3m 11y ago
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...

Havoc 11y ago

>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.

stevoski 11y ago
Good to know for my upcoming visit to South Africa!
- Havoc 11y ago
  >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.
hippich 11y ago
"get away", "pushing luck" - is there laws around tipping?
- Havoc 11y ago
  >"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.

santaclaus 11y ago

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.

nether 11y ago

Tipping is common in restaurants in Canada.

dorfsmay 11y ago

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.

the_af 11y ago

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.

to3m 11y ago

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...