When tipping trips you up

August 3, 2017

To tip, or not to tip. That’s the question for a lot of frequent travelers. Do you tip hotel housekeepers? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

If only tipping were simple. You already know the etiquette for the common travel situations: restaurant servers, taxis, housekeeping. But sometimes it’s not so straightforward.

Here are six scenarios that can trip me up when I’m traveling:

1. I have no small bills. Sadly, I find myself in this situation more often than I’d like to admit, particularly with the valet or bellman. Recently I stashed a wad of singles and fives in a deep corner of my bag for just such emergencies.

2. I have no local currency. Often I don’t head to the ATM until getting settled into my hotel, which means I occasionally encounter an uncomfortable tipping moment in the meantime. Only recently did I learn that in many–if not most—countries, tipping in U.S. dollars is welcome and occasionally preferred. (This was especially the case on my recent trips to Cuba where $1 is a day’s wage.)

3. The service has been paid for by someone else, and it’s unclear whether the gratuity has been covered. I encountered this not long ago when a black car from the hotel to the airport had been paid by a third party. The discomfort was compounded by the afore-mentioned problem of having no local currency. Even if I had learned the gratuity was not covered, I couldn’t offer a credit card to charge the tip when I wasn’t even sure how much it cost. Awkward.

Good news: Uber joins Lyft in making tipping drivers easier

4. Traveling internationally, I am unsure of local custom. I wish I could say I’ve always done my tipping research before arriving in a country. Asian countries tend to have a no-tipping culture. Europeans tend to tip less than Americans. It’s complicated! Here’s a comprehensive international tipping guide from Conde Nast I’ve found helpful. Also, treat Las Vegas as a foreign country when it comes too tipping—a land where all sorts of free goodies are bestowed, but where tips should not be withheld. Read up on how to handle everything from casino culture to pool cabanas.

5. At a buffet or high-end cafeteria, the server has a limited role. Does the 15-20% still apply? Emily Post says 10% is appropriate, but I waiver between thinking this is too much and thinking it’s too little. And there’s a big difference between a luxe brunch buffet and a place just slightly nicer than Chipotle.

6. I received services from someone who could be considered a peer. On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I was provided a media guide. By the end of the day, he felt more like a colleague and friend than guide. Would a tip would be demeaning? I ended up thanking him with a letter of commendation to his client instead, but I wondered if I’d done the right thing.

Note: TravelSkills is on vacation this month. We hope you enjoy this previously popular post!

Tipping in Vegas? YES. And generously. Pictured: The new High Roller ferris wheel. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

I have found a few ways to tip with more confidence:

When in doubt, err on the generous side. Many workers depend on tips to make a living wage. According to PayScale.com, 25% of food servers’ income generally comes from tips. And there’s something to be said for karma. If you worry that you may be over-tipping because all you have is that big bill, hand it over anyway—make the guy’s day, and it will come back to you some day, somehow.

Do the research. Before a trip, check that you have small bills and do research about local customs when necessary. It just takes a few minutes and prevents hours of guilt and confusion.

Keep a tipping app on your phone or tablet. In your favorite app store you’ll find myriad options. Some are international guides that also provide advice (like GlobeTipping on iOS and Global Tipping Guide Pro on Android). Others are U.S.-focused and will calculate the tip and even split the bill. A few of these will calculate in local currency outside the U.S. (like Tip Calculator Pro+ on Android).

Related: How to tip properly in Asia

A tip says, “Thanks for making my trip better than it would otherwise have been.” Sure, situations will always arise when you’re unsure about protocol. But with the right tools and preparation, you’ll almost always be able to offer that appreciation befittingly.

What tricky tipping situations have you encountered, and how did you address them?

–Nancy Branka

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How to tip on Uber or Lyft

July 8, 2017

Taking Uber from Manhattan to Newark Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

With the rapid rollout of a tipping option on Uber’s app this month making it quick and easy to offer a gratuity, riders will now have to decide if they will use it – and if so, how much will they tip?

Uber introduced the long-awaited (by drivers, anyway) tipping option on its app in three cities last month, and as of this week, it’s available in a total of 100 urban areas in the U.S. and Canada. (Chris used it for the first time today in San Francisco.) Uber has pledged that app-based tipping will be available for all its U.S. drivers by the end of July. (Competitor Lyft has had app-based tipping for quite some time.)

Something else is changing at Uber this month as well – instead of giving the passenger five minutes to show for a pick-up, that window is being cut to two minutes – after which a fee will apply.

The thing is, many Uber riders may have adopted the mindset that Uber rides are tipless. It was only last year that Uber decided that tipping would be allowed, but it was not added to the app back then, so drivers had the awkward option of soliciting tips with a sign in the car or by telling riders they could offer a gratuity.

So now that riders can tip the driver quickly and easily with a tap, they have to decide first if they will indeed do so, and then how much to tip.

Image: Uber

Once you rate your Uber driver, the updated Uber app gives you pre-set tipping options of $1, @2 or $5; or you can tap “Enter Custom Amount” and put in a different number.

So how do you decide on an amount? Consider some of the same things you would when rating the driver – condition of the car, personal courtesy, professionalism, and so on. As Chris advises in this story on AFAR.com:

So, for regular rides operating at standard rates, a tip of 10 to 20 percent is probably equitable. Some riders might want to reduce that percentage if the the service is running on surge pricing, since drivers make more on those rides.

But essentially, tipping an Uber or Lyft driver is just like any other tipping situation – it’s a reward for good service. Right? Are you more inclined to tip your driver now that it’s easier? Please leave your comments below.

This article in The Verge lists all the cities where Uber’s app tipping is now available.

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Uber app adds a tipping option

June 20, 2017

Image: Uber

Faced with growing pressure from its drivers and from some regulators to add a tipping function to its app, Uber this week caved in and said it will.

A year ago, Uber agreed to let its drivers solicit cash tips from riders. More recently, regulators ranging from the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission to the California legislature started to take steps that could make a tipping app mandatory.

Image: Uber

Uber said this week that it just updated its app for riders in Seattle, Minneapolis and Houston so they can add a tip to their fare. “We’ll be adding more cities over the next few weeks and making tips available to all U.S. drivers and delivery partners by the end of July 2017,” the company said on its website.

When the customer’s ride is finished, he will see the usual option to rate the trip/driver, and a new prompt to click through to add a tip. The app will suggest preset tips of $1, $2 or $5, or will allow the user to enter a specific tip amount of his preference.

And there’s no rush – Uber will give riders up to 30 days after a trip to add a tip.

In April, we reported on the growing pressures on Uber to add a tip function to its app. We also polled our readers on whether they would be inclined to tip their Uber driver if they had an option to do so on the app. Readers were evenly divided, with half saying they would and half saying they wouldn’t.

Drivers with whom I’ve discussed Uber’s resistance to allowing tipping frequently pointed to CEO Travis Kalanick for the hard line against it. With Kalanick on indefinite leave, it now sounds like cooler, fairer heads are making decisions.

How do you feel about tipping your ride-sharing drivers? Please leave your comments below.

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Uber could make tipping easier – but would you? POLL

April 18, 2017

Uber may have to alter its app to allow tipping. (Image: Uber)

Even though its competitor Lyft has always allowed customers to tip drivers through its app, ride-sharing giant Uber has firmly resisted that option – although it might soon be forced to change its policy.

New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission this week said it will take up a proposal that would require car services that rely on app-based credit card transactions to include a way for customers to tip drivers through the app. If the commission ultimately decides to adopt the rule, a process that could take several months, other cities might follow suit.

>>SEE POLL BELOW!>>

The New York proposal is backed by a petition effort signed by thousands of drivers. Two months ago, a bill was introduced in the California legislature that would impose a similar requirement on Uber.

A year ago, as part of a settlement with drivers in California and Massachusetts, the company agreed that it’s OK for drivers to solicit cash tips by posting signs in their cars, or simply by asking customers.

Uber drivers want an easier way to collect gratuities. (Image: Uber)

On its website, Uber informs customers who look for guidance that its app does not include a tip in the trip fare. “In most cities, Uber is a cashless experience,” the website says. “Tipping is voluntary. As a rider, you are not obligated to offer your driver a gratuity in cash. If you decide you would like to tip your driver is welcome to accept.” That verbiage was recently changed from the previous version: “You don’t need cash when you ride with Uber. Once you arrive at your destination, your fare is automatically charged to your credit card on file — there’s no need to tip.”

After the company changed its policy on tipping last year, an article in the Harvard Business Review was highly critical of the company’s decision not to allow gratuities to be paid through its app, instead requiring a separate transaction between passenger and driver.

“While this tipping procedure sounds harmless, it puts Uber at a significant competitive disadvantage,” the article said. “In addition to the inconvenience of the extra step, which will require business travelers to collect multiple receipts for expense account reimbursements, many riders will feel pressured to be overly generous in the amount they tip.” It noted that customers might also feel pressure to cough up a bigger tip if they want a good rating from the driver. “Customers never enjoy being strong-armed over a gratuity,” the article said.

When we polled our readers in February 2016, we found that by a two-to-one margin, they do not regularly tip Uber (or Lyft) drivers. Would that change if you could tip through the Uber app?

POLL:

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Uber’s getting headaches from Harvard Business School

May 7, 2016

Should Uber add a tipping option to its app? (Image: Uber)

Ride-hailing giant Uber is no stranger to controversy (just ask any licensed taxi driver) but now it is enduring a couple of new headaches courtesy of Harvard Business School – one in the form of an article blasting its new tipping confusion, and another in the form of a pricing comparison app created by students there.

As we reported a couple of weeks ago, in its recent settlement of a class action lawsuit filed by its drivers, Uber agreed to let riders know that tips are not included in the fare, and to let drivers solicit tips by putting up a sign in their car or just by asking for them. Uber maintains that this has always been its policy, and said it still will not include a tipping feature in its app.

But Uber is taking fire for that stance from an article in the latest issue of the Harvard Business Review, which carried the headline “Uber’s new tipping policy is a mistake.”

Author Rafi Mohammed, described as a pricing strategy consultant, said that Uber’s decision not to add a tipping feature to its app — instead requiring customers to use cash or a separate credit card transaction if they want to tip a driver – “puts Uber at a significant competitive disadvantage. In addition to the inconvenience of the extra step, which will require business travelers to collect multiple receipts for expense account reimbursements, many riders will feel pressured to be overly generous in the amount they tip.”

That pressure is created by Uber’s driver and passenger rating systems, because drivers will know before they rate a passenger whether and how much that person tipped them, Mohammed notes, adding: “Customers never enjoy being strong-armed over a gratuity.”

He said the “easiest remedy” is for Uber to follow Lyft’s example and allow tipping through its app. “However, if Uber is intent on maintaining its no-tipping policy, it should find another method to reward highly rated drivers,” he added.

Meanwhile, Uber is fighting to block a group of Harvard Business School students from displaying its prices in a new app they created. The app, called Urbanhail, lets users see and compare the price of a trip on different ride-sharing services and taxis before they request a ride. It’s currently available only for Boston, and the group is offering free downloads through the end of May.

Reporting on the spat, The Boston Globe noted that Uber’s terms of use bar app developers from displaying its rates alongside those of competitors, but the students said that their professors encouraged them to move ahead with their plan anyway – just as Uber has often started operating in cities that haven’t authorized it to do so.

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Should I tip my Uber or Lyft driver? [Poll]

February 9, 2016

Is your inclination to tip drivers changing? (Photo: Uber)

Last week I received an earful of anger from an UberX driver about how recent discounting by the ridesharing app is translating to less money for its drivers.

He complained about how expensive it is to operate a car in San Francisco and that his costs are going up at a time when his revenues are going down. He said he thought that Uber “wants all its drivers to end up homeless” or “put Lyft out of business” and that he supported the various driver protests taking place in San Francisco during Super Bowl week.

Since I had accepted his ride at 1.6x surge I asked, “Well it seems I’m paying Uber surge pricing a lot more these days, don’t you guys make more when a surge is in effect? And aren’t you paying less for gas these days?”

He said something like, “Yes, we make more during surge, but it’s not enough to counteract the losses during non-surge, which is most of the time.” He did not respond to my question about lower gas prices.

His diatribe went on for nearly the length of my 20-minute ride across town. When I got out of the car, I thought to myself, “Jeez this guy needs to find another job.”

I also wondered if perhaps he was gunning for a tip.

I did not tip him, but it made me wonder… should I be tipping my Uber drivers these days?

When Uber first cranked up five years ago, one of the hallmarks of the new service was that it was cashless… there’s nothing to do at the end of the ride except to say “thanks” and “goodbye.” It was my understanding that the tip was built into the rate and that the the tip would be taken care of by Uber.

What about you? Please take our TravelSkills poll at the bottom of this post!

But that understanding and ease is starting to erode. I’ve asked around have found that, at least anecdotally, a lot of folks are now tipping their Uber drivers with cash. I get emails from Uber drivers asking me to encourage users to start tipping more. As a matter of fact, I did a quick Twitter poll this week and found that about 30% of my followers regularly tip Uber or Lyft drivers. And with UberX saving me so much on rides these days, I wouldn’t mind tossing in a tip from time to time.

But should I?

Add a tip after riding Image: Lyft

Uber’s FAQs clearly discourage tipping, stating, “You don’t need cash when you ride with Uber. Once you arrive at your destination, your fare is automatically charged to your credit card on file — there’s no need to tip.” So if you do want to tip your driver, you have to do it with cash– which can be unwieldy and time consuming and awkward if you don’t have the right change. (Update: UberTAXI does allow users to leave tips)

On the other hand, Lyft, which I have started to use a lot more frequently, encourages tipping, but only after the ride. When you get your receipt, it asks if you’d like to tip your driver. It even offers a “how to tip your driver” page on its website. Nonetheless, when I ask my friends if they tip on Lyft…or ask my Lyft drivers how often they get tips, it sounds somewhat rare.

On FlyWheel, the taxi industry’s new mobile platform, “You can adjust the tip amount (percentage) at any point during your ride or up to 5 minutes after. The tip is automatically applied and charged to your card along with the metered fare and $1 service fee. On average, most passengers leave a 20% tip so that’s where we set the default amount.”

So, in the end, even though that Uber driver irritated me with his complaining, he made me re-assess my tipping practices when it comes to ride-sharing. So starting now, if I have a few extra bills or a $5, I’ll offer it to a good Uber driver. And I will regularly say “yes” when Lyft asks me for a tip. And as always, I’ll tip my taxi driver with cash, or via FlyWheel.

What about you? Please take our TravelSkills poll or leave your comments below.

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Update: Check out this online forum of Uber drivers under the headline “Gratuity”

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6 tricky tipping dilemmas that trip up travelers

April 10, 2015

Ti tip, or not to tip. That’s the question for a lot of frequent travelers (Dave Dugdale / Flickr)

If only tipping were simple. You already know the etiquette for the common travel situations: restaurant servers, taxis, housekeeping. But sometimes it’s not so straightforward.

Here are six scenarios that can trip me up when I’m traveling:

4. Traveling internationally, I am unsure of local custom. I wish I could say I’ve always done my tipping research before arriving in a country. Asian countries tend to have a no-tipping culture. Europeans tend to tip less than Americans. It’s complicated! Here’s a comprehensive international tipping guide I’ve found helpful. Also, treat Las Vegas as a foreign country when it comes too tipping—a land where all sorts of free goodies are bestowed, but where tips should not be withheld. Read up on how to handle everything from casino culture to pool cabanas.

Related: Tipping is not a city in China

Tipping in Vegas? YES. And generously. Pictured: The new High Roller ferris wheel. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

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I have found a few ways to tip with more confidence:

Do the research. Before a trip, check that you have small bills and do research about local customs when necessary. It just takes a few minutes and prevents hours of guilt and confusion.

What tricky tipping situations have you encountered, and how did you address them?

–Nancy Branka

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Australia Day: 5 ways to behave down under

January 26, 2015

It’s January 26: Australia Day 2015, a perfect time to examine the subtle and not so subtle ways of our Aussie mates. With the Australian dollar hitting new lows against the US dollar, now’s a great time to extend a business trip…. or just head down for a nice vacation.

This is the first of a TravelSkills series of cross-cultural business tips that we’re thinking of calling “Oh, behave!” Let us know what you think!

Let’s jump right in with five ways to behave in the Land of Oz:

A lovely lunch at Balmoral on Sydney Harbour (Photo: Herry Lawford)

Tipping Point: The debate on tipping versus no tipping in Australia is ongoing. However, more often than in the past, tipping is now accepted even though that was not the case back ten or twenty years ago. In fact, in business and especially while hosting a meal at a fine restaurant, the act of leaving a tip is increasingly common.

As one Sydneysider told TravelSkills, “If you love the service, tip as much as you want. If you don’t, really don’t bother.” She added, “The minimum wage is a lot higher here, so there is no need to tip as a matter of course. Even if you are trying to impress a room full of business contacts, I would still follow this policy. After all, Aussies won’t respect someone for tipping bad service.”

Sit up front when jumping in a Australian taxicab (Nicki Mannix / Flickr)

Riding Along: Australian taxi riding is played out in a much different way than in, say, New York or San Francisco, where getting into a cab means getting in the back seat unless more than a couple people are riding with you.

In Oz, the opposite is true. If you’re sharing a taxi with a colleague, by all means sit together in the back but if you’re flying solo, choose the front seat beside the driver. And expect a good gab session out of this experience as well since cabby’s are happy to chat about almost anything with the person paying the fare.’

A long black coffee contains espresso and hot water (Katherine Lim / Flickr)

The Language Beat: Talking to another an Australian can test even the most acclimated traveler’s verbal knowledge. Those of us who have traveled to Australia before [See Chris’s BBC Business Trip Sydney] may have found out the hard way that if you want American coffee, you need to order a long black- a combination of espresso and hot water.

Other words and phrases to get know so you can act like a local are numerous. Some include “aggro” which is short for aggressive, and “arvo,” short for afternoon. A “bludger” is a lazy person, a term no business traveler wants to be tagged, and a “bogan” is a person without class or good taste (also not good if you want to conduct business with the person calling you this).

Meanwhile, “strewth,” which rhymes with “truth,” means just that and “on the piss” indicates it’s time to leave work and go out to a bar to drink together. The latter can be a very bonding experience that could put your business acquaintanceship into the friend category by the end of the evening.

Rude Reactions: Learning to avoid certain offensive silent expressions in Australia might come in handy during a business trip to Oz.

So, keep in mind that although a thumbs-up signals a positive, happy meaning in the United States, and is almost universally used around the world and even down under, this same signal is traditionally unacceptable with older Australians. In fact, the gesture is often interpreted as being downright obscene among older generations while younger nationals will probably not care at all or else will just let it go in short order.

A Good Day: Finally, Australia is a very friendly place where saying hi after offering a semi-hardy handshake is just fine when meeting a business associate who hails from this chummy nation. However, don’t try to be a good business mate by saying “G’day” because that overused and, yes, abused way of saying hello is just for tourists — and, even then, only tolerated.

–Jane Lasky

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