How much to tip in cards in restaurants, taxis and hotels around the world

Maps showing differences in tipping standards around the world show that tipping is not required in Australia and Japan, and that expectations are routinely highest in the US.

In the US, a 20 percent tip is the standard when dining out, while in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands it’s closer to 5 to 10 percent, according to maps HawaiinIslands.com created using TripAdvisor’s tipping guide.

Further worsening the situation for US consumers is the rise of digital payment systems on tablets, which create feelings of guilt and embarrassment by offering larger tipping suggestions in situations and establishments where tipping has not been customary in the past.

In 66 countries it is customary to tip 10 percent, as is the case in much of Europe

The rise in digital payments, accelerated in part by the pandemic, has seen touchscreen kiosks encourage larger tips as well as tipping in establishments like bakeries and cafes

When dining in European restaurants, it is common for a tip to be given with spare coins or by increasing the payment to the next round number.

In many restaurants in countries like the UK and France, an optional service charge of 10 or 12 percent is included in the bill. In many Mediterranean countries, an optional 10 percent is added.

However, in the US, the tip is added by the consumer and is usually considered a fixed percentage, and this percentage has increased.

In the early 1970s, tips in upscale establishments rose from 10 to 15 percent and have been rising steadily ever since.

Recent changes have been prompted by the increase in recommended electronic screen tips and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the New Jersey State Policy Lab at Rutgers.

On some of these machines, restaurant owners charge up to 30 or 35 percent. Machines that prompt customers to pay a tip are also becoming common in establishments where tips were not previously expected, such as cafes and bakeries.

In 37 countries, you can tip hotel staff $1 or $2, but in the US, hotel staff can expect up to $5

Similar trends can be seen in hotel staff tipping expectations, where no tips are expected in Australia, Japan, Norway and Sweden, but the highest tips are expected in the US and Canada – a flat $2 to $5.

Taxi drivers in the US expect tips of around 15 percent, while in Europe, according to maps, 10 percent is common. It is the only country in the world where tipping this high is standard.

The phenomenon of tip inflation in North America has been attributed by some to the demise of the physical tip jar.

“In recent years we have seen the emergence of these digital kiosks that are inherently very interactive. Companies were able to give tips via digital interfaces.

“And companies have found that this is a good way to get people to pay more,” Dipayan Biswas, a marketing professor at the University of South Florida, told NPR last month.

The US is the only country in the world where 15 percent tipping for taxi drivers is the norm

The pandemic also caused a shift in tipping tendencies and expectations because Customers were encouraged to tip generously to keep restaurants and businesses afloat.

It also accelerated the adoption of digital payment systems as business owners were encouraged to go cashless to stem the spread of the virus.

According to a report by PayScale, tipping is embedded in the US economy and society at large, with servers in 43 states earning wages below minimum wage before receiving tips.

But digital payments are also changing how tips are distributed to servers and employees.

Biswas added: “Anything paid to the digital interface goes straight into the company’s account and it is up to the company and any contract in place to determine how much, if any, of that money is shared with the server will or the employee.’

In addition, companies that process these payments are also taking a cut. Square, one of the most popular payment systems in the US, charges 2.6 percent plus 10 cents per transaction when a customer taps or swipes their card during an in-person transaction.

Total tips for full-service restaurants increased 25 percent year-over-year in the last quarter of 2022, while tips at quick service restaurants increased 17 percent, according to data from Square.