tips/gratuities

[catherine]

can you use a gift card to tip? Or do you need to have cash? I was hoping to not carry any cash around on vacation

You can use a gift card to tip. On our last trip DBIL had quite a few of them and used them to pay all of his tips. Personally I always use cash to pay our tips, for me it's far less complicated!

 

[Tink575]

From what I could tell, they get paid a base rate of like $2 something, and if that plus tips doesn't add up to $7.79 per hour then their employer makes up the difference. It all seems very very confusing

Hugely confusing. There are some employer options on how to report tips, the actual reported to them by each employee, or by just tacking a % of restaurant gross receipts onto the wage earners tax form whether they make that amt or not. There is a minimum % of gross receipts the IRS will accept.

 

[Tink575]

Hugely confusing. There are some employer options on how to report tips, the actual reported to them by each employee, or by just tacking a % of restaurant gross receipts onto the wage earners tax form whether they make that amt or not. There is a minimum % of gross receipts the IRS will accept.

Oh and in that case to refute the amt the worker has to take on the IRS by providing records... yes your system over there seems LOADS easier. If you visit New York City your servers are paying Federal tax, NY State tax and NY City tax (really).

 

[tinkerpea]

can you use a gift card to tip? Or do you need to have cash? I was hoping to not carry any cash around on vacation

Hi for the last 2 trips we have been on we have loaded up a gift card and used it ONLY for tips! As we always get the DDP wether its free or not we like to then have a separate budget for the tips so that it doesn't come out of our daily spending allowance, ( we're those people who put our daily budget in an envelope for every day we are there ) lol so we love the idea of just using the gift card it's always been very easy to do,
They just take the card and deduct the amount you say and bring a receipt for it simple!

 

[Jennifer84]

Hi for the last 2 trips we have been on we have loaded up a gift card and used it ONLY for tips! As we always get the DDP wether its free or not we like to then have a separate budget for the tips so that it doesn't come out of our daily spending allowance, ( we're those people who put our daily budget in an envelope for every day we are there ) lol so we love the idea of just using the gift card it's always been very easy to do,
They just take the card and deduct the amount you say and bring a receipt for it simple!

Good to know, thank you!

 

[tinkerpea]

Depends on what you eat, we are 3 adults. 2 of us almost always eating the most expensive steaks, DW always a cheaper chicken dish. Tips at 18% worked out around $18 most meals. So 4 adults eating average meals I would estimate around $20 maybe just over, $5 tip is 18% of $28 before tax.

That's what I was about to add!
When we went and the boys was all on the adult DDP we would normally eat steak or ribs and shrimp meals & our tips was around $35

 

[tinkerpea]

Personally, I wouldn't travel without at least a little cash. But you could certainly use gift cards to pay for souvenirs and stuff. I just wouldn't want to mess about with gift cards to pay for a $20 tip (nor do I even know if the wait staff would accept it towards their tip), however as I said before you can use your KTTW to charge tips and purchases to your room and use the gift cards to pay the balance at the end of your stay (or during if you so wish).

They def do except gift cards for tip as we always load a card with $500 and use it for tips then if anything is left over we spend it on other stuff, I've never had a problem in any of the restaurants.

 

[Portugal1000]

I always do leave the recommended amount and usually round up to the next $5/$10. My husband always says we leave too much but we always get such good service I am happy to. However, I would just love to know what the average UK tourist leaves. Unlike on these boards I am guessing most people don't visit very often and I would be surprised if most people know you are meant to leave 15-20%. If you had a mum and dad and 3 kids over 9 on the dining plan then the suggested tip is going to be pretty big and over a 2-3 period thats alot of money.

 

[catherine]

I always do leave the recommended amount and usually round up to the next $5/$10. My husband always says we leave too much but we always get such good service I am happy to. However, I would just love to know what the average UK tourist leaves. Unlike on these boards I am guessing most people don't visit very often and I would be surprised if most people know you are meant to leave 15-20%. If you had a mum and dad and 3 kids over 9 on the dining plan then the suggested tip is going to be pretty big and over a 2-3 period thats alot of money.

We are a family of 4, DH, 2 DDs and myself. After our last trip I tried to figure out how much we had actually spent on tips for table service meals. I was shocked when I realised it was between $550 and $600! and we don't order alcohol and very seldom order appetisers.

 

[Holstar]

We've been doing our budgeting this week, and at the moment we've budgeted about £45 for Mousekeeping ($6 a day) and then we're probably looking at about £220-250 for tips for table service meals (if we're spending $150-ish dollars per meal for the 5 of us).

.... It is a lot. But, we always tip, taxis, meals out etc... Florida would be no different.

I've been a waitress, it's not nice or easy work, and if the person serving me is getting paid under minimum wage due to assumed tips, I'd feel pretty rotten to financially put them out by not following local customs when it comes to tipping!

 

[US020]

Dont tip most of the time, do sometimes.

There is no law to state that you must tip.

Yes I've seent he whole they are on a lower minimum wage etc, however what I found out is that the employer must make up for what is not obtained in 'tips' at the end of his/her shift.

Not tipping over the course of a 2 week holiday can save you about 150$!!!

 

[mollies_mum]

How does tipping a bartender work? I've read that the recommended amount is $1 a drink, but how do I go about this? Is it automatically added when you pay for each drink or do you give it to them separately? Just want to make sure I get it right, I've never been drinking in the US before!

 

[Elise79]

How does tipping a bartender work? I've read that the recommended amount is $1 a drink, but how do I go about this? Is it automatically added when you pay for each drink or do you give it to them separately? Just want to make sure I get it right, I've never been drinking in the US before!

I tip separately in cash for bar drinks - unless we are using our TIW card when it gets added on automatically to our check.

 

[Azza1987]

I have a friend who bartends in NY, and her wage slip at the end of the month says $0! She gets nothing in the form of a salary from her employers, and makes all her money in tips. Knowing this makes has ensure I allowed the following in our budget,

4 Days in NYC -
$3 tip per round of drinks (I think this would be about $50 total)
$20-25 evening meal tip (2 people, approx $100-$125 meal) = $100
(We'll eat breakfast at the apartment and just get snacks for lunch)

WDW -

$3 Per day Mousekeeping (8 nights = $24)
$3 tip per drinks round (2 people, 3-4 drinks per night, 3-4 nights drinking = $50)
$20-$25 evening TS meal tip (2 people, approx $100-$125 meal) = $200.
Again we'll probably QS Breakfast and Snack during the day, we're on DDP!
Misc tips (just in case! = $40).

= $464 total for our 12 night holiday.

Its alot out of my budget of $3000. However I wouldn't dare not follow their etiquette! When in Rome..... and all that! I knew about USA's tipping culture before I even booked the trip, so I've factored in $500 extra to what I was going to take just to cover off the tips. Its alot, but I couldn't bear the thought of some young male/female not making rent because us tourists cant be bothered to fall in line!

 

[Portugal1000]

Do you think the wait staff get to keep all their tips or share them with other staff. At the California Grill, I left $36 for the 3 of us. Our server who was great was serving 5 table while we were there, we were there for 2 hours and he told us his shift was 8 hours that night. Thats alot of tables and alot of tips. Most people were on the DP so ordering expensive meals probably. Must be a big difference in what you can earn depending on what restaurant you work at.

My brother and his family are coming with us this year an we are booking lots of character meals for my nieces as their first and possibly only visit. Already going to be expensive but haven't had the heart to tell my brother yet that 18% will automatically be added on top!!

 

[queendisney]

Dont tip most of the time, do sometimes.

There is no law to state that you must tip.

Yes I've seent he whole they are on a lower minimum wage etc, however what I found out is that the employer must make up for what is not obtained in 'tips' at the end of his/her shift.

Not tipping over the course of a 2 week holiday can save you about 150$!!!

now not sure if you put this for a reaction and I was going to leave it but hey!!!! I am horrified at your statement, I can't get it into my head that you actually find that acceptable

 

[Holstar]

I have a friend who bartends in NY, and her wage slip at the end of the month says $0! She gets nothing in the form of a salary from her employers, and makes all her money in tips. Knowing this makes has ensure I allowed the following in our budget,

4 Days in NYC -
$3 tip per round of drinks (I think this would be about $50 total)
$20-25 evening meal tip (2 people, approx $100-$125 meal) = $100
(We'll eat breakfast at the apartment and just get snacks for lunch)

WDW -

$3 Per day Mousekeeping (8 nights = $24)
$3 tip per drinks round (2 people, 3-4 drinks per night, 3-4 nights drinking = $50)
$20-$25 evening TS meal tip (2 people, approx $100-$125 meal) = $200.
Again we'll probably QS Breakfast and Snack during the day, we're on DDP!
Misc tips (just in case! = $40).

= $464 total for our 12 night holiday.

Its alot out of my budget of $3000. However I wouldn't dare not follow their etiquette! When in Rome..... and all that! I knew about USA's tipping culture before I even booked the trip, so I've factored in $500 extra to what I was going to take just to cover off the tips. Its alot, but I couldn't bear the thought of some young male/female not making rent because us tourists cant be bothered to fall in line!

Exactly! This is just how I feel.

US020 you are quite correct, there isn't any legal requirement stating that you must tip. But, there's also no legal requirement stating you must wait in line for a ride, when waiting to be served or when getting on the bus. You do these things because a) it's local custom and b) it's polite.

It's just good manners to tip. As a previous poster stated, you're not paying for service in US restaurants, you're paying for food and the restaurants profit. Your server gets paid under minimum wage and taxed on presumed tips, which is calculated based on the fact that in the US you tip your server.

To not do so is just... dare I say it... bad manners and ignorance.

But, each to their own. We tip when in the US, but it's entirely up to you what you want to do. I'm sure you could save yourself some money by not tipping, but at what cost?

Hollie x

 

[DCLMan]

I love the "when in Rome" analogy. When visiting Korea I don't eat dog like the "locals".

Tipping is discretionary and not compulsory.

 

[OhanaSam]

Dont tip most of the time, do sometimes.

There is no law to state that you must tip.

Yes I've seent he whole they are on a lower minimum wage etc, however what I found out is that the employer must make up for what is not obtained in 'tips' at the end of his/her shift.

Not tipping over the course of a 2 week holiday can save you about 150$!!!

So because they make minimum wage anyway they don't deserve a tip to make them earn a little bit more? Even though they will be shouted at and embarrassed by customers for stuff that isn't their fault ie bad food? I've worked as a waitress on minimum wage and its a job that definitely deserves to be paid better. People working in an office get paid loads to sit around all day while waiters are running around sometimes for 10+ hours a night and get treated like crap and only get minimum wage. And they don't keep all of their tips they share them with other staff

 

[Elise79]

Do you think the wait staff get to keep all their tips or share them with other staff. At the California Grill, I left $36 for the 3 of us. Our server who was great was serving 5 table while we were there, we were there for 2 hours and he told us his shift was 8 hours that night. Thats alot of tables and alot of tips. Most people were on the DP so ordering expensive meals probably. Must be a big difference in what you can earn depending on what restaurant you work at.

My brother and his family are coming with us this year an we are booking lots of character meals for my nieces as their first and possibly only visit. Already going to be expensive but haven't had the heart to tell my brother yet that 18% will automatically be added on top!!

I think they get shared between the severs and bus boys that clear the tables but not 100% sure.

now not sure if you put this for a reaction and I was going to leave it but hey!!!! I am horrified at your statement, I can't get it into my head that you actually find that acceptable

I thought the same and decided to ignore it!

I love the "when in Rome" analogy. When visiting Korea I don't eat dog like the "locals".

Tipping is discretionary and not compulsory.

It is discretionary however it is also customary and it is polite to follow local customs.

Right I am now stepping away from this thread