Tipping in NYC
 

I'm a 60-yr old female going to NYC with my 30-yr old daughter (by ourselves)in October. Haven't been to NY in 40 years. What should I prepare for in the way of tipping? How much do I give for the hotel bellboy? Do I tip the taxi driver? Anyone else? How much cash should I carry for 4 days?

You would give the bellboy at least $1 per bag, never less than $2 total. If you have a few bags, tip $5.

Taxi drivers should be tipped 20%. Some people will argue this point, but I stand firm on it. You could go with 15% but anything less is cheap IMO.

I have no idea how much cash you'll need, it's dependent on a million things. There are ATM's everywhere so it shouldn't be a concern.

I'm not sure where you live, but I'd also mention that in Manhattan, 20% seems to be more the norm for regular service in restaurants, not the 15% or so as in some parts of the country.

What bank do you use? Unless it is a small local one there will probably be lots of free ATMs for you to use.

For good restaurant service in NYC I would definitely tip 20%

Restaurant Service- 20% for sure

Taxi- 20%

Bellman- $1/bag--nothing less than $2-3

Also note that - unlike many other places - here many taxis take cash only. Some have now installed credit card readers - but they are often "broken". So plan on paying cash for all taxis.

And remember, tips spelled backwards is spit. :-)

Taxi 20% EXCEPT if the driver doesn't drive in a safe manner or doesn't drop you exactly where you request (wrong corner, etc.) I feel the same way about restaurant service. 20% unless the service is poor. IMO, tips should reflect the service.

Actually, almost all cabs take credit cards now. I haven't used cash in a cab in several months and I take cabs several times a week. But, if you use your card, tip a little more because the individual drivers are responsible for the service fees.

Here's a trick I use when figuring out the tip in a restaurant, since math isn't my strong suit. Since our sales tax is 8.25%, I just double it and round up a little, and that gets me in the 17 - 20% range.

Most people also leave money for the hotel maid. Some leave a little daily, others leave it at the end of the stay and others give it when they happen to see the maid. If the doorman at the hotel gets you a taxi, it's typical to give him $1.

There are lots of tipping guides online. Here's one I found http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g6...ng.In.Nyc.html

"Actually, almost all cabs take credit cards now."

Maybe, but this past trip when we took a taxi in from LaGuardia, I saw the credit card symbols displayed and on arrival pulled out a credit card to be told, "Sorry, it's not working today -- I need cash only". I'm not sure what would have happened if I insisted I had no cash, but I think it's all part of a game with most NYC cabbies -- they really don't WANT to take credit cards.

You're right - the cabbies don't want to take CC - since a % is deducted from their fare for it's use (and many cabs are driver owned). That's why you'll find many with CC systems that don;t work.

I always assume I have to pay cash for a cab - no matter the city.