How Much Should I Tip?

September 11, 2017

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Have you ever walked into a Starbucks and seen that tip jar on the front counter and wondered, “How much should I tip? Or do I even need to tip at all?”

Or have you ordered food to your house and the delivery person comes to the door and you think, “What’s a good tip for this person?”

I’ve been thinking about these tipping conundrums for a while now. I've had some fun debates with my wife and my friends about what is “the right amount” to tip. I've always wanted to be the generous person that is tips well, but I have had no basis for what’s typical or what’s the correct etiquette.

In my mission to educate myself in all things financial, I decided to talk to some experts on tipping. This way, I could create a tipping guide for myself (and of course you all) that I can use going forward.

On today’s show, we’re going to do 3 things …

  1. We’re going to hear from Modern Etiquette Expert, Maggie Oldham. With her professional background in etiquette, she’s going to tell us how to tip in modern society.
  2. Matt Schultz from CreditCards.com will share some survey results on how people in 2017 are actually tipping.
  3. I’m going to share my thoughts on how I’ll be tipping going forward following these interviews.

Click the play button above or listen on iTunesGoogle Play or Stitcher.

Our Tipping Experts

Maggie Oldham

Modern Etiquette Coach, Maggie Oldham, has been featured in People Magazine, Fox News, CBS and many other major news outlets. She specializes in helping people live classy, confident and successful lives. Today we’re asking Maggie about how we can be classy, confident and successful with our tipping. She’s going to tell us what “Modern Etiquette” says about tipping in 2017.

matt schulz

Senior Industry Analyst from CreditCards.com, Matt Schulz is sharing the results of a US-based survey highlighting our country's tipping habits. He and his team analyzed demographic data like gender, political affiliation and geographic locations as well as various areas of tipping such as restaurants, coffee shops and hair salons.

Andy's Tipping Plans

After my interviews with Maggie and Matt and a little bit more soul-searching, I developed a tipping cheat sheet below. I'll be using this handy-dandy list going forward for all of my tipping questions. Here it is!

Food Service

  • Sit Down Restaurants:  20%
  • Food Delivery (Pizza, Sandwiches, etc):  20% (rounded to the next dollar)
  • Coffee Shop, Sandwich Shop and any other Fast Casual Place: No tip, just a smile and thanks (if I’m a regular, I’ll drop a dollar every once in a while)
  • Larger Catering Orders Picked Up: 10%

Travel

  • Curb Side Check In:  $1-2 / bag
  • Transportation from Airport:  10%
  • Shuttle / Van to Hotel:  $1-2 / bag
  • Host at Hotel Opening Door:  No tip, just a smile and thanks
  • Porter Bringing Bags to Room:  $1-2 / bag (if utilized)
  • Housekeeping:  $2-3 / day
  • Valet:  $3-$5 / car
  • Concierge:  $2-5 / request (if utilized)

All inclusive Travel

  • Check with the hotel or your travel agent to see if gratuity is included – if it is, no need to tip.
  • $20-$50 at the end of the week for individual staff members that made your trip extra special

Show Resources

FREE Guidebook to Saving $1,000 Without Leaving Home: 3 Steps to a cool grand in your pocket. Enjoy!

Learn More about Maggie Oldham

Learn More about Matt Schulz

Talking in Class:  Matt Schulz's initiative to bring money-smart grown-ups into classrooms to help kids become smarter about money.

Support this Show

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I truly appreciate the podcast love everyone!

Carpe Diem Quote

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” -Winston Churchill


When, where and how much do you tip?


Andy Hill

Andy Hill, AFC® is the award-winning family finance coach behind Marriage Kids and Money - a platform dedicated to helping families build wealth and happiness. With millions of podcast downloads and video views, Andy’s message of family financial empowerment has resonated with listeners, readers and viewers across the world. When he's not "talking money", Andy enjoys being a Soccer Dad, singing karaoke with his wife and relaxing on his hammock.

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