Every day, it seems like more and more businesses are asking their customers for tips. As a result, Americans are growing increasingly uncertain about when tipping is essential—and when companies are just being greedy. Here are 20 situations where you don’t need to leave a tip.
Dental Work
According to Express Dentist, 65% of adults in the U.S. visited their dentist in the past year. However, even if your dentist cleans up your pearly whites or fills an annoying cavity, you’re under no obligation to tip for their services. They’re financially stable even without an added bonus.
Landlords
The idea of tipping your landlord each month has become a joke online, but that’s just what it is—a joke. Don’t take this humorous hypothetical too seriously when it comes to settling up. Don’t allow your landlord to take advantage of you, or else you’ll be the butt of this popular gag.
Gas Stations
Filling up is expensive enough these days without having to worry about an additional tip. It’s common sense not to tip in this situation, especially if you pumped your own fuel. Don’t hesitate to stock up on gas station snacks for your road trip, but save the tip for another time.
Cashiers
Your weekly shop at Walmart or Target would be all the more expensive if you were expected to tip at the checkout. There’s no need to tip cashiers or other retail workers, even if they do a great job scanning your items. Don’t let stores take every last nickel and dime.
Doctors
The idea of a medical professional pointing to the tip jar after performing life-saving surgery is crazy, so don’t fall for greedy doctors who imply that you need to tip them. Your health insurance should do the financial heavy lifting here. Don’t tip, and leave your bank balance in a healthier state.
Tradesmen
Tradesmen, like electricians and plumbers, work hard to keep our homes in order, but this dedication doesn’t have to translate into tips. Savvy tradesmen will give you a proper, tip-free quote for the work they’re doing. However, be sure to offer them a cup of coffee while they’re helping you out.
Fast Food
Wanting to tip fast-food workers is understandable, as it’s easy to sympathize with young people working in a high-pressure, low-paying environment. However, don’t feel forced to give a tip while ordering your next Big Mac. In the end, it’s fast food, not fine dining.
Ordering Coffee
Newsweek reports that 62% of millennials are willing to spend $7 a day to get their caffeine fix. However, it’s up for debate about whether baristas should be tipped. Play this one by ear—consider tipping if you’ve ordered an elaborate drink, but save your cash if you ordered an Americano.
Double Tipping
Some businesses are particularly sneaky when it comes to asking for tips. If you choose to tip someone before paying the bill in full and are then asked to tip again on the card machine, you should refuse. You already tipped once—there’s just no need to do it twice.
Education and Tutoring
American public schools don’t cost a dime, and there’s no need to tip your kid’s favorite teacher. On the other hand, it’s not so cut and dry for private tutors. However, it’s safe to assume that they’ve factored all of their expenses into their hourly fee, so tips won’t be required to make ends meet.
Poor Service
Not every restaurant dinner or salon appointment goes entirely to plan, but you should take some consolation in the fact that there’s no need to tip when it comes to bad service. Tipping is meant to reward great work by dedicated employees. Giving a tip after a bad experience only incentivizes bad service.
Law Enforcement
Police officers are public servants, so there’s no need to tip the officer who pulls you over or who helps arrest someone who’s done you wrong. Likewise, lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals should never require tips for their work—even if they help you get away with murder!
Taking a Cab
Americans are split on whether or not to tip their cab drivers. If your bill rounds up to $20, there’s no harm in telling the driver to keep the change when you hand over the bill. However, electronic tipping is a gray area. Consider tipping if the driver did a great job, but don’t feel that there’s an obligation.
Traveling Overseas
Those who choose to visit foreign countries shouldn’t expect to tip while they’re there. Tipping is a primarily U.S. tradition. Many European countries ignore the practice, while Japanese businesses can actually find tipping offensive! A lot of Americans don’t need to worry about this, though, as the BBC reveals that only around 40% of U.S. citizens have passports!
Online Shopping
Whether you’re pro- or anti-tipping, we can all agree that the practice is about rewarding other people for helping us out. This being the case, why is there ever an expectation to tip when ordering online? Computer systems don’t have to cope with the cost of living—don’t let software guilt-trip you into overspending.
Pre-Emptive Tipping
Food delivery apps are pushing pre-emptive tipping, where customers tip their driver in advance. Tipping can guarantee speedy delivery, but it’s a topsy-turvy way to run a business. Tips should be given at the end of a transaction to indicate satisfaction, not before you know if the service is worth it.
Receiving a Package
Average Americans owe the Postal Service a great debt, as it effectively keeps the country functioning on a daily basis. However, unless the package specifically requests it, there’s no requirement to pay a tip on delivery. This is especially true when receiving a gift—why should you be obliged to tip for something somebody else ordered?
Public Transport
Americans are full of horror stories about the country’s public transportation systems—it’s a blessing, then, that tipping isn’t expected when catching the bus or subway. With public transport, you get what you pay for when you purchase a ticket. Not even an early arrival should make you consider tipping.
Sandwich Shops
Which jobs deserve a tip? Every American has a different answer, but a general consensus has emerged that ringing up the cost of a prepackaged sandwich at the cash register isn’t tip-worthy behavior. More boutique sandwich shops might deserve tips, but your daily sandwich purchase doesn’t really demand it.
When You Can’t Afford To
Data from Bloomberg shows that a third of Americans don’t feel secure in their financial situation. If you’re someone who’s feeling the pinch, disregard good manners when it comes to tipping and put essentials first. Ultimately, it’s unwise to tip if the extra expense is going to drain your checking account.
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