Coming from a Country where tips are rarely expected or given, I would like to get a rough guide to the art of tipping in the US.

To Whom? How much?When?Where?

I dont want to insult anyone or be overly generous. We are staying in Best Western type places and will mostly be eating in Family restaraunts and as we are on a 33 day trip of California in high season with our 2 kids, the budget is tight.

I have done a search but didn't find anything current that I felt answered my question.

Have you checked a guidebook. They will sometimes have a section on tipping.

15-20% pre tax amount to servers in full service restaurants

A couple of dollars per night for housekeeping at the hotels and 15-20% at reastaurants is probably all you need. These services are done by people who depend on tips to make ends meet.

At least $1 per bag for anyone who handles your bag - I round up from there...meaning 3 bags usually = $5...but $3 is fine too.

You may see tip jars are various coffee shops - those tips are completely at your discretion. Everyone has their own opinion about the tip jar so no need to fight it out here. I'm talking about places like Starbucks where there is not a server coming to your table.

Tour guides and shuttle bus drivers are often tipped.

Taxi drivers are always tipped.

If you don't know, don't be afraid to ask.

You will get a bucket load of suggestions here, some of them from outer space. Once somebody suggested tipping a parking valet $5 when dropping off a car and another $5 when claiming it.

Following is a link to advice that is as sound as any. Note that it says to tip parking attendants $2 when they bring a car to you--an $8 savings: http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/tipping/

happytrails' link is good. Stick with those guidelines and you'll be fine.

Hi shanek,
welcome to our country. I just returned from our second trip to Oz.
Here are a few references, but this all may be too much information to process.

http://www.magellans.com/store/article/367
http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/500117

I think the suggestions you've already been given are right on the money and I would agree with them. Just remember to tip on the pre-tax amount (only) in restaurants. Do not tip on tax.

_______________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

Unfortunately in the US service industry workers are paid below minimum wage based on the assumption (including the government when estimating their taxes) that they will receive tips.

Basic tipping:
Restaurant (any type except fst food where you pick up at a counter) 15-20% of bill but not tax
Hotel: Porter $2 per bag
Garage parking $2 per out
Hotel maid: $2/$3 per night (more for special services like extra towels etc)
Taxi: 20% of fare (but not bridge or tunnel tolls)
Bars: minimum $1 per drink in basic places - in nicer ones 20%
Shuttle drivers - or anyone who touches your luggage $2 per bag

there are all sorts of other places you should tip (doormen that call taxis, hairdressers etc) but you probably won;t use them. Also - concierges in hotel for special services - but I doubt Best Western has them.

Tip jars in take-out places (like coffee shops where you order coffee at the counter and take it with you in a disposable cup) have become common. You are not obligated to put anything in the tip jar - these people must be paid at least minimum wage. However, if you wish, you can dump the coins from the transaction into the jar (like if you get coffee for $2.79, I often put the $.21 into the jar).

If you ordered something truly complicated or are especially annoying - or if the server did something outstanding, you can throw in a bit more - but you are not obligated to tip anything.

Professionals are never tipped - doctors, nurses, police and fire - but hopefully you will not be needing any services from any of these.

If you find yourself at a buffet restaurant where the server only brings your drinks and you serve yourself, then the tip is generally 10% of the pre-tax bill.

One of the huge differences I found between the US and Australia was the expectation in reataurants of meal times. Where I live on the Central Coast of California, there are a lot of tourists and the nicer, sit down restaurants need to "turn the tables" several times a night to make a profit. If too many people are standing in line or have to wait, they may decide to go down the street to another place. If you linger while others are wiating, it will not be appreciated.

In Australia,it took me some time to get used to the idea that once we were seated, the service was rushed and unhurried. I REALLY had to slow down my natural pace of kind of getting in and getting out. I was impatiently waiting for the check to pay and there was truely no rush.

Granted, this was 8 years ago... but I remember the pace being much slower in general and more relaxed. Also internet cafes were plentiful in the larger cities tourist areas. In California they can be few and far between, although you can log on at the public libraries and now with wireless things have changed quite a bit.

Hope this helps!

Enjoy your trip!

The guide posted by happytrails is good. That is all you need. Regarding the comment about restaurant dining and not lingering - if you want to linger, linger. Don't worry if it is not appreciated - a good restaurant shouldn't make you feel like you have to eat and run.

At an expensive restauratn you don;t have to eat and run. But casuale places - many family places - do have low prices sine they turn the tables rapidly - as makes sense with kids. Don;t expect to go into an Applebees and spend a logn time over diner. They have a waiting line and want you to order, eat and leave.

re: "Unfortunately in the US service industry workers are paid below minimum wage based on the assumption ... that they will receive tips."

Not in San Francisco. My DD (a university student) has a part-time waitressing job. She makes minimum wage, just about $10/hour, in ADDITION to tips.

But the general advice of 15-20% tip on the pre-tax bill in a restaurant is still followed here in SF.

I like the happytrails list, too. It sounds like you will only be dealing with (some) restaurants and the hotel maid, and possibly a luggage person somewhere. How to do it:

Restaurants: there is a space to add the tip amount and total when you sign the credit card bill (ok to leave cash for the tip if you prefer, but fill in the total anyway). If you are paying with cash, just leave the tip on the table with the payment. If you overpay with a big bill, the waitress will bring you your change so you can leave the tip on the table. If you pay at the cash register after the meal, you can take the tip back to your table when you get your change.

Hotels: place the tip on the pillow when you leave each morning, so there's no confusion about what its for. (Sometimes there's a little envelope with the maid's name on it.)

Luggage handlers: deftly slip folded bill(s) to the guy (sort of like a handshake) when you receive your bags.

Thanks Guys. That answers all my questions plus more. I debated whether or not to ask this question. On other forums I may have opened myself up to ridicule but once again here all I got was constructive advice.

The one thing that I cant come to terms with is tipping barman $1 per drink. If this is common practice I'm in the wrong career and country. A barmam on a busy night in an aussie pub may pour 100plus beers per hour. That would make for a pretty tidy earner on a 6 hour shift even if only half the patrons tipped. Is this still the case if you order bottled beer over the bar? It just seems a bit out of skew... only 2 bucks for cleaning a room and a dollar for just opening a fridge and taking the top off a bottle.

"A barmam on a busy night in an aussie pub may pour 100plus beers per hour."

That sound like a lot. Maybe it just seems like it? Wouldn't that mean there are at least 50 people at the bar assuming 2 drinks per hour? If the bartender is also pulling beers for the waitress orders, if any, then he wouldn't be making $1 on each of them

Most Aussie "pub's" dont have table service unless it is the the bistro area. Most places that I would go to on a Friday night before a game of footy, 100 beers an hour would be an absolute minimum.

We've now covered all possible U.S. tipping situations...except the dunny: http://tinyurl.com/2dkqwp2


_______________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

On the $1 per drink thing, we generally do $1 per trip to the bar rather than $1 per drink - more if we are ordering drinks for an entire table.