Tips on tipping in the US
Regardless of your thoughts and opinions on tipping culture in the US, the local service workers survive upon these gratuities. It’s how they make a living.
But the rules surrounding tipping — who to tip and how much — is very confusing, and a bit of an art. So we’ve tried to make it simple for your travel budgeting and to also help you avoid that awkwardly ambiguous “Do I tip or not?” kinda situation:
Taxi drivers, Uber drivers (in-app only!), Bartenders, Bellhops, Hotel Maids, Waiters, Tour Guides, Coat Check, Baristas, Hairdressers and Valet should all receive tips. But how much? Well, that varies and is part of the art. Check the two charts below to make sure you understand how much (and what makes you a low tipper vs a high tipper).
Generally, if you are eating in a restaurant as part of a large group (6+), a Gratuity is added to the bill. So be sure to check, so as to not double tip your Waitstaff.
FOOTNOTE: Sales Tax in the US is also confusing. All Sales Tax is added during purchase. The reason for that is the amount of sales tax is controlled at both the State and Local (City) level. What you pay in Sales Tax in San Francisco, CA is actually different than in San Jose, CA and everything is cheaper in Oregon, as they don't have any sales tax at all.
