From Tom Parsons - Check Your Bill Or You May Tip Twice Due To Automatic Gratuity
Jul-26-2013

Most of us dine out when we travel and if you don't pay attention, you could pay more for your meals.

While we often see restaurants add an automatic gratuity to parties of six or more people, we are starting to see this happen even if you are a party of one, especially in tourist areas. You better check your bill before you pay because it is easy to overpay.

No one is sure when tipping came into fashion, some say it was Tudor England and others say it started in the 18th century. One thing most people can agree on is that while it is expected in restaurants, it is not mandatory and customers should be able to give what they like.

In the United States and Canada it's now customary to tip 15-20 percent, but that's not the case in the rest of the world. Tipping customs vary by country and in most of the world it's 10 percent. In many Asian countries like Singapore, Vietnam and China, no tipping is expected and in Japan, it's considered to be an insult. In Europe you'll often find a service charge and a tip is not expected. No matter where you go, if you pay your bill with a credit card, the wait staff would prefer that you give them their tip in cash. You can learn about international tipping customs at www.ccrainternational.com/tools/TippingGuidelines.htm.

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Posted by Ken at 6:49 PM - Link to this entry  |  Share this entry  |  Print