Tips - cash or on your cc?

[SaraJayne]

Cash always (and this goes for nail salons, spas, etc. as well.) I have been told that some places the server loses the credit card fee if the tip is put on the card.

Why has that somehow become the public's problem? I tip the way that is convenient for me, not for the server.

I don't care whether they have to pay the credit card fee (which I'm doubting). That's all part of running a business.

 

[Interpol]

Why has that somehow become the public's problem? I tip the way that is convenient for me, not for the server.

I don't care whether they have to pay the credit card fee (which I'm doubting). That's all part of running a business.

+1. Well said.

 

[imsayin]

Why has that somehow become the public's problem? I tip the way that is convenient for me, not for the server.

I don't care whether they have to pay the credit card fee (which I'm doubting). That's all part of running a business.

I agree. I don't have time to figure out which restaurants pool tips or charge their employees for charged tips. I pay with one of the options the restaurant gives me that suits my needs.

 

[disneychrista]

Even if they have to pay 3% back to the restaurant if you were to give a $10 tip ($50 bill) that is only 30¢. $100 tips for the night, they still take home $97.

 

[camlace]

We always pay tip in cash. Want to make sure it goes to the right cm

Just because you pay cash does not mean the restaurant still doesn't pool tips. If you work in a restaurant that pools tips then ALL tips, cash/credit whatever are pooled and divvied up according to that restaurant's policies.

 

[tink&stitchmom]

Last year we had the TS meals and tip all figured out (estimated high) and had that placed on a gift card for each restaurant. That way everything was taken care of before our trip, no charging to the room, no cash to carry and no credit card to worry about. This year we're on the dining plan with TS included so we plan on cash or room charges.

Tips are not included in the dining plan anymore...

 

[Janepod]

Why has that somehow become the public's problem? I tip the way that is convenient for me, not for the server.

I don't care whether they have to pay the credit card fee (which I'm doubting). That's all part of running a business.

Because if I feel the server has earned 20 percent, and I am paying the server 20 percent, I want the server to receive the entire 20 percent. I don't understand how that is confusing.

 

[Interpol]

Because if I feel the server has earned 20 percent, and I am paying the server 20 percent, I want the server to receive the entire 20 percent. I don't understand how that is confusing.

You do understand that if the server does have to pay the CC fee, it's 1.5% of that 20 percent and not the whole bill, right? That doesn't automatically turn it into an 18.5% tip.

20% of $100 bill = $20
1.5% of $20 = $0.30

So the server is actually getting $19.70 (19.7%). Are you really that concerned about that extra 0.3%?

Not saying you should change what you're currently doing. Just showing how people who think paying tips with credit cards are screwing over servers are blowing this way out of proportion because they haven't really figured out the math.

 

[Janepod]

You do understand that if the server does have to pay the CC fee, it's 1.5% of that 20 percent and not the whole bill, right? That doesn't automatically turn it into an 18.5% tip.

20% of $100 bill = $20
1.5% of $20 = $0.30

So the server is actually getting $19.70 (19.7%). Are you really that concerned about that extra 0.3%?

Not saying you should change what you're currently doing. Just showing how people who think paying tips with credit cards are screwing over servers are blowing this way out of proportion because they haven't really figured out the math.

My fellow math majors and former investment banking colleagues would get a kick out of your reply to me.

We often travel as a party of 8, so the fees (which actually can run as high as 3.5 percent for smaller establishments) do add up. Regardless, my initial point stands: I want the server to get the entire gratuity I've designated. (Yes, I recognize that tips are often pooled.) Why should I have AmEx take a cut?

 

[Interpol]

My fellow math majors and former investment banking colleagues would get a kick out of your reply to me.

I'm not talking to your fellow math majors or former investment banking colleagues. I'm talking to you.

We often travel as a party of 8, so the fees (which actually can run as high as 3.5 percent for smaller establishments) do add up. Regardless, my initial point stands: I want the server to get the entire gratuity I've designated. (Yes, I recognize that tips are often pooled.) Why should I have AmEx take a cut?

Even 3.5% is less than 1% of the total bill. If you left a tip of $100 (say, 25% of a $400 meal bill) that only comes out to $3.50, so the server gets a 24.2% tip instead of 25% - big whoop. Like I said, if you're that concerned, just tip an extra $0.50 or $1 when you use a CC.

You can crow about your qualifications all you want the but bottom line is that the CC fee a server pays is insignificant and is really none of your business anyway. You're welcome to use all your vast math skills to prove me wrong.

 

[pixiewings71]

I would have disputed the CC charge and filed a complaint. What the Manager did was illegal and considered theft We also tip in cash however we write on table in tip slot and take a picture of it with our phone and tip

I tried that.....and was told (more than once) that it wasn't the banks problem that I had to resolve it. It wasn't on a standard cc, it was on my check card. They said the rules are different for check card purchases. And the $5 that the manager "gave" me, wasn't even enough to cover the tip that he had added himself......

 

[Disney st8 of mind]

I do tips both ways. However, if I leave cash, I find the server and hand it to him/her. I feel it's too tempting to leave unwatched money on the table.

I sometimes dine with a very elderly neighbor and when it's her turn to leave the tip, it's always $1. (Let's not talk about it, she's a lovely lady.) I add an appropriate amount based on the bill and hand it to the server personally while my friend is visiting the rest room. It's a discreet way to handle an awkward situation.

My Grandma was always the same way with the $1! It didn't matter where we ate or what we ordered she left $1. Her reasoning was that she had to pay for the food, why should she have to pay for the help too!

 

[SaraJayne]

Because if I feel the server has earned 20 percent, and I am paying the server 20 percent, I want the server to receive the entire 20 percent. I don't understand how that is confusing.

Then just add the extra 3.5% to the tip, to make sure the server gets 20%.