tipping in England

Like restaurants, most room service hotel bills in England include a service charge, which is usually up to 10%-12%. However, if there is no service charge added, you can consider leaving a small tip for the room service waiter. For the bell-boy or porter who brings you bags to the room, make sure to leave at least a minimum of £1 or more if the bags are heavy.

It isn’t customary to tip the maid either, but if you have received exceptional service feel free to leave an amount of your choosing on departure. The concierge or hotel portiere too will never expect a tip, but you can of course reward them for good service. Usually, the more difficult the task, the higher you should tip. Regardless, the norm tipping etiquette is £5 per request.

Tipping in England eateries or restaurants is pretty straightforward. It isn’t treated as a requirement, but as mentioned earlier should only be left when the service received is more than satisfactory. However, if you are dining in a fairly elegant restaurant, a minimum of 10% can be given as a tip. But, even so if you have not received good service, you don’t have to think much about skipping it altogether.

In a less fancy restaurant, tipping your waitress or waiter slightly expected and small amounts of cash is will appreciated. Regardless, if you present anything more than 10% it will be resented and perceived as condescending and pretentious. This is mainly because the English don’t appreciate extravagance and can often misunderstand excessive tipping as a vulgar display of health.

People generally do not tip in pubs and bars in England. For this reason, bartenders, waiters, and waitresses often hand back change on a tipping tray, but you can always choose to leave behind a tip. You don’t even have to give a tip for each drink you have like in the US! Keep in mind that tips are discretionary, so if you really want to do something, try offering a drink to the bartender.

For instance, if you receive good service and the barman fills several big orders for you, offer a small sum with the words “and one for yourself”. The barman or barmaid may put the money aside to have a drink later or will probably pour themselves a drink on the spot and have a little chat with you. However, if you feel the ‘pub’ is more of a restaurant than a ‘bar’, leave behind a tip similar to that in a restaurant.

When it comes to tipping taxi drivers in England, it is usually polite to leave behind 10%-15% of the total fare. However, sometimes people simply round up the fare to the nearest pound sterling and tell the driver to keep the change. If the driver has assisted you in lifting your bags, then you can tip a little more if you feel generous. For rural taxis and minicabs, a pre-agreed, flat fare is decided, so there is no need to add an additional tip.

Tour guides are perhaps the only industry in Scotland where individuals actually expect a tip. But the amount you are supposed to tip usually depends on the type of tour you are taking. For instance, if you are taking a small walking tour, it would be nice to leave a tip of around £5. Conversely, if you are taking a tour around the entire city of Scotland or ask your tour guide to show you or visit extra places, you may want to tip them 10% of the bill.