# Tipping in the UK **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061 "2004-01-18T05:13:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/1 "2004-01-18T05:13:54Z")
(This is a subject I have wanted to post about for a long time. It’s a borderline post it/don’t post it. Nothing much seems to be happening and I am bored so I decided it’s time to post it.) UK dopers, do you tip taxi drivers, take-away delivery people etc…? I often say “keep the change” but I am never sure if I am offending or surprising them. As I understand it the idea behind tipping in America is that people are deliberately underpaid because tipping makes up for it. In Britain people are paid an amount that does not take tipping into account. Tipping is much less common here. Correct me if I am wrong. Do you tip? How much? (as a rough percentage) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/2 "2004-01-18T06:35:14Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > (This is a subject I have wanted to post about for a long time. It’s a borderline post it/don’t post it. Nothing much seems to be happening and I am bored so I decided it’s time to post it.) > > UK dopers, do you tip taxi drivers, take-away delivery people etc…? > > I often say “keep the change” but I am never sure if I am offending or surprising them. As I understand it the idea behind tipping in America is that people are deliberately underpaid because tipping makes up for it. In Britain people are paid an amount that does not take tipping into account. Tipping is much less common here. Correct me if I am wrong. > Do you tip? How much? (as a rough percentage) Well, I spent the summer in the UK studying abroad, and in general, there wasn’t much opportunity to tip- the pubs and clubs had no tip jars, and restaraunts would just add a gratuity to large bills automatically. It sure seemed to us Americans that tipping wasn’t necessary or encouraged- the bar men at our local college didn’t mind us throwing money into a certain ashtray(no butts in it of course), but they seemed mostly bemused by the practice than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/3 "2004-01-18T10:33:30Z")
When ordering pizza, I will purposely make my order near the £20 mark and then tell the deliveryman to keep the change. At pubs, the accepted way is to tell the bartender, ‘have one yourself’. Restaurants often put a service charge on the bill, but it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for the bill without the service charge and then add your own tip. And don’t be afraid of saying to the manager that the food was excellent but the service was bad, so you’d like the whole tip to go to the kitchen staff. Kitchen staff are **very** badly paid. For taxis, I don’t tip - they charge an extortionate amount anyway. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/4 "2004-01-18T12:12:16Z")
I’ll add 10% to a restaurant bill (assuming there’s no service charge and I’m happy with the meal). I’ll round a taxi fare up to the nearest quid or two, particularly if it’s in the dead of night - admit it, driving drunks home at 4am is hardly the most desirable job. Other than that, nada. ---
**Author:** ![BettyT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@BettyT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BettyT)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/5 "2004-01-18T12:33:59Z")
\ I tip good bartenders (the kind that mix good drinks rather than flip the lids of bottles of Smirnoff Ice) about ten to fifteen per cent but never tip in pubs. Which makes little sense to me because the people working in pubs usually have a much harder job. And I’d always tip in a restaurant unless it’s truly shocking service. I think getting a physical bill works as a prompt maybe. Like qts, I’ve stopped tipping taxis - in London anyway. IMO (from being at the receiving end of tipping) it’s better to leave no tip than to leave small change, what do you think? \ ---
**Author:** ![fiercesheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@fiercesheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiercesheep)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/6 "2004-01-18T13:47:00Z")
I will tip at restaurants (unless the service is really bad) - usually about 15% but I’m not anal about working out a %, I will usually tip what seems reasonable given a) the bill b) the size of the group I’m with c) the drunkeness of the group (and therefore the potential for having been quite annoying) and d) the quality of the service. I’m not one of those people who expect wait staff to really suck up to me - a reasonably cheerful demeanor and the ability to get the orders right will suffice 🙂 I won’t tip at pubs as a routine. On a normal evening out (moderate -to-large) I will be drinking beverages which come in bottles - flipping the lid of a bottle does not warrant a tip. If I’m drinking beverages requiring some kind of mixing I may tip, but probably not as a routine. Depends how pissed I am. Taxi drivers - no way. Pizza delivery - like **qts** I will make my order up to near £20 and then let them keep the change. Although, I tend not to have cash and pay via debit card when I order, in which case I won’t tip. I was recently in Washington DC, and found the sheer amount of people you are expected to tip quite mind-blowing. Even checking into the hotel seemed to involve tipping every member of staff I spoke to 😕 Having seen how heated the ‘to tip or not to tip’ debates tend to get, I fully appreciate that when in the USA, tipping is de rigeur. However, in the UK it really is a) optional and b) much less common. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/7 "2004-01-18T16:20:04Z")
I tip taxi drivers and at restaurants. I very occasionally tip after a haircut. I don’t tip at bars or pubs, or anywhere else that I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/8 "2004-01-18T20:04:28Z")
I tip good waiters/waitresses, but that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/9 "2004-01-18T20:29:11Z")
I don’t tip taxi drivers, after all you wouldn’t tip Dick Turpin if he waylaid your stage coach. You should always tip waiters/waitresses, at 10-15% of the bill if service isn’t included (though service is usually included in your bill, in which case you don’t want to pay twice for the same thing, but if your feeling genourous you might want to tip a couple of quid), you shouldn’t tip if you are being served by the owner of the resturant you are eating at or the service is crap. I don’t tip at pubs or bars, it’s not expected. The only tip I give people who deliver takeaways to my house is “You’ve got the wrong house” as I never eat takeaways. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/10 "2004-01-18T21:07:27Z")
This year I tipped the postman , paperboy and dustmen at Christmas but only because they had all given good service . ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/11 "2004-01-18T21:14:59Z")
I always tip at restaurants (unless a service charge is included). I round up for delivery take-aways too. I always tip my hairdresser (they get paid peanuts) and if a taxi ride is near enough to a pound I’ll round it up. But I never tip in a bar unless it’s the occasional “have one yourself”. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/12 "2004-01-18T23:53:23Z")
> [@Crusoe](#): > > I very occasionally tip after a haircut. Before I moved to the isle of man, and before I could afford to/or thought about tipping people I got very cheap haircuts from the same guy since I was probably 8. Now that I am in the Isle of Man the cost of a haircut is enough to make me cry _without_ a tip. So tips for the barber? Bloody no chance. After seeing the replies in this thread I may consider reducing or eliminating the tip for the taxi driver. I do the same as others regarding food orders - My order tends to be around 8 or 9 quid so I give them a tenner and say keep the change. Sometimes the order comes to £9.80. So I feel bloody stupid saying “Keep the change” ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2004, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/13 "2004-01-19T11:35:59Z")
I always tip my hairdresser, plus a quid for the shampoo girl, unless she’s a cheeky little mare like the last one was. Always tip in restaurants unless the food and/or service was bad. Only tip the taxi driver if he’s been particularly helpful, such as carrying my shopping to the door. Generally just let delivery drivers keep the change. Having worked in bars, I don’t generally tip, as most chain pubs don’t let their staff accept tips. ---
**Author:** ![auntnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@auntnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntnut)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/14 "2004-01-20T05:10:55Z")
> [@Rayne Man](#): > > This year I tipped the postman , paperboy and dustmen at Christmas but only because they had all given good service . What is a “dustmen” ? (Thanks in advance) ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/15 "2004-01-20T07:55:28Z")
> [@auntnut](#): > > What is a “dustmen” ? > (Thanks in advance) A refuse collector. I gave a tip to bee shared out to all the men on the refuse truck. We call our trash cans _dustbins_ ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/16 "2004-01-20T07:57:46Z")
> [@Rayne Man](#): > > A refuse collector. I gave a tip to bee shared out to all the men on the refuse truck. We call our trash cans _dustbins_ Sorry about the typo it shoild read “be shared…” ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/17 "2004-01-20T07:59:35Z")
I’m going to shoot myself about all these typos, it’s too early in the morning :smack: ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/18 "2004-01-20T14:41:13Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > I always tip my hairdresser, plus a quid for the shampoo girl, > Having worked in bars, I don’t generally tip, as most chain pubs don’t let their staff accept tips. Don’t drink in chain pubs then 😉 I’m a big “keep the change” person - particularly with takeaways. If i’m in a pub and the bar staff have been polite, chatty, and served me at the right time then i will, at some point, buy them a drink - i don’t mind whether they _actually_ have the drink, or whether they just pocket the money. Either way i figure they’ve earnt it. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tipping-in-the-uk/225061/19 "2004-01-20T17:25:57Z")
[QUOTE=garius] Don’t drink in chain pubs then ;)QUOTE] That’s pretty much all there is in Plymouth, unfortunately, unless you want to drive, which to me negates the point of going to the pub. There is one independant club, but I’m barred from there :smack: .