U.S. Travel Tipping Calculator: Valet, Uber, Bellhop & More
Who to tip on a U.S. trip and how much: valet, bellhop, housekeeping, Uber and the rest, each from two or more tipping guides.
Taxi, Uber or Lyft · a $25 fare
Tip $3.75–5.0015–20% of the fare; Lonely Planet says 10–15% for taxis. At the end of the ride (in the app for Uber and Lyft).
In the guides’ own words
Your whole trip
Tips for the trip: $15.50–35.00Cash: $8–25 in small bills (housekeeping, bellhop, valet). In the app or on the card: $7.50–10.00 for the rides.
Who to tip, and how much
| Who | How much | When |
|---|
Each range from two or more guides: Tipping Rules, the Emily Post Institute, Lonely Planet and SmarterTravel; for a fishing charter, a ski lesson and an all-inclusive, FishingBooker, Boatsetter, Orvis, Ski Magazine, OnTheSnow, Islands and Afar.
Quick answer: on a U.S. trip, tip a valet $2–5 each time the car comes back ($5–10 at some hotels), housekeeping $2–5 a night, a bellhop $1–5 a bag, a skycap $1–2, and a taxi, Uber or Lyft driver 15–20% of the fare. Pick who you are tipping, or add up the whole trip.
How to use it
Pick who you are tipping. For a percentage (a ride, a tour, the spa, a meal) type the fare or the bill; for a fixed amount (valet, housekeeping, bags, the concierge) type how many times, nights or bags. The answer is the range the guides agree on, when to hand it over, and each guide’s own words. Under it, add up a whole trip: hotel nights, the bags the bellhop carries, the times the valet brings the car back, and your rides at their usual fare. It splits the total into the cash to carry in small bills and what you tip in the app or on the card.
Who to tip on a U.S. trip, and how much
Tipping has no official rate, so every range below comes from two or more guides, quoted word for word: Tipping Rules, the Emily Post Institute, Lonely Planet and SmarterTravel (its two tipping guides count as one). Where they disagree, the row says so; where only one guide gives a figure, the row says there is no settled figure. Those four do not cover a fishing charter, a ski lesson or an all-inclusive, so those rows come from guides that do: FishingBooker, Boatsetter and Orvis for the charter, Ski Magazine and OnTheSnow for the instructor, Islands and Afar for the resort.
| Who | How much | When |
|---|---|---|
| Valet parking | $2–5 each time the car comes back; SmarterTravel’s hotel guide says $5–10 | When the car is brought back |
| Hotel housekeeping | $2–5 a night, left daily | Every morning, with a note |
| Bellhop | $1–2 a bag; SmarterTravel says $2–5, more for heavy bags | When the bags reach your room |
| Skycap (curbside bag check) | $1–2 a bag | When you hand over your bags |
| Taxi, Uber or Lyft | 15–20% of the fare; Lonely Planet says 10–15% for taxis | At the end of the ride (in the app for Uber and Lyft) |
| Concierge | Nothing for a question; $5–10 for a booking, $15–50 for a hard one | After the help, or at the end of the stay |
| Doorman | $1–2 for hailing a cab (SmarterTravel’s hotel guide: up to $4) | Right away |
| Tour guide | 10–20% of the tour price, or $10–20 a day | At the end of the tour |
| Spa or massage | 15–20% of the treatment | When you pay |
| Food delivery | 10–20% of the bill | At the door, or in the app |
| Bartender | $1–2 a drink | With each drink, or on the tab |
| Restaurant server | 15–22% of the bill before tax | When you pay |
| Fishing charter or boat captain | 15–20% of the trip price, 20% for a good day; to the mate when there is one | At the end of the trip, in cash |
| Ski or snowboard instructor | $50 for a half-day private lesson, $100 for a full day; a group lesson about $10 an hour | At the end of the lesson |
| All-inclusive resort | About $20–25 a day in all, for the staff you meet; check the resort’s policy first, as some (Sandals) do not let most staff take tips | Through the stay, in small bills |
| Room service | No settled figure: one publisher (SmarterTravel) says 15–20% unless a gratuity is on the bill | — |
| Airport or hotel shuttle | No settled figure: one publisher (SmarterTravel) says $2–5, and nothing for a hotel’s free shuttle | — |
Worked examples
A weekend in Las Vegas with valet parking. Two nights, two bags, the car brought back three times, two Uber rides at $20: housekeeping $4–10, the bellhop $2–10, the valet $6–30, the rides $6–8. Carry $12–50 in small bills; tip the rides in the app.
A $40 ride to the airport. 15–20% of the fare is $6–8. At the curb, a skycap who checks two bags gets $2–4.
A half-day fishing charter at $800. 15–20% of the trip price is $120–160, in cash at the end of the trip. With a mate on board, hand it to the mate: FishingBooker says “you won’t go wrong if you leave your tip directly to the first mate”.
Five days at an all-inclusive. At $20–25 a day for the staff you meet, carry $100–125 in small bills. Read the resort’s policy first: at Sandals and Beaches, Islands notes, most staff are “not permitted to accept any tips from guests”.
Two days of private ski lessons. $100–200, from the baseline a PSIA coach gives Ski Magazine: $50 for a half day and $100 for a full day.
A concierge who books dinner. Nothing for directions or a question; $5–10 for the booking, and $15–50 for a table or tickets that were hard to get.
Common mistakes
- Tipping the valet only when you drop the car off. The Emily Post Institute and SmarterTravel’s hotel guide tip when the car comes back, each time.
- Leaving housekeeping one tip at checkout. SmarterTravel: “The same person may not clean your room each day.” Leave it every morning, with a note.
- Thinking a resort or valet fee is the tip. SmarterTravel: “The fee goes to the hotel. The tip goes to the valet.”
- Tipping room service twice. SmarterTravel: “Many hotels include an automatic gratuity of 15-20%”. Check the bill first.
- Arriving without small bills. Housekeeping, bellhops and valets are tipped in cash, and SmarterTravel warns: “ATMs don’t dispense singles.”
More for the trip
Riding Florida’s free shuttles? Read how much to tip for free rides in Florida. Planning the drive: how to prepare for a road trip to Florida. A spa day: the best spas in Florida. And before an all-inclusive, what the price quietly hides. On the water: fishing in Kona; on the snow: the ski packing checklist. Going abroad? The Tipping Calculator by Country has 30 countries.
FAQ
How much to tip valet parking at a hotel?
$2–5 each time the car is brought back, say Tipping Rules, the Emily Post Institute and SmarterTravel’s general guide; SmarterTravel’s hotel guide says $5–10. The Emily Post Institute and SmarterTravel’s hotel guide tip when the car comes back, each time.
How much to tip Uber drivers?
Tipping Rules gives 15–20% for car services and Uber, the same as for taxis; the Emily Post Institute and SmarterTravel give taxis 15–20%, and Lonely Planet 10–15%. On a $25 ride, $3.75–5.00, in the app at the end of the ride.
How much to tip a bellhop?
$1–2 a bag: the Emily Post Institute says $2 for the first bag and $1 for each after it, Lonely Planet $1 a bag. SmarterTravel says $2–5 a bag, and $4–5 for heavy or oversized luggage.
How much to tip a taxi driver?
15–20% of the fare, from Tipping Rules, the Emily Post Institute and SmarterTravel; Lonely Planet says 10–15%. The Emily Post Institute adds at least $1, and $2 for the first bag the driver carries.
How much to tip a fishing charter?
15–20% of the trip price, says FishingBooker; Boatsetter and Orvis put 20% at a good day. When the boat has a mate, the mate usually gets the tip, in cash at the end of the trip.
How much to tip room service?
No settled figure: only SmarterTravel gives one, 15–20% of the bill, and only when the hotel has not already added a gratuity. Check the bill first.
How much to tip at an all-inclusive resort?
About $20–25 a day in all, for the staff you meet: Islands says $20 a day, Afar $20 to $25. Check the resort’s policy first; SmarterTravel notes that many include gratuities in the package price, and Sandals does not let most of its staff take tips.
How much to tip a ski instructor?
For a private lesson, $50 for a half day and $100 for a full day, the baseline a PSIA coach gives Ski Magazine; one instructor told OnTheSnow that private clients who tip average about $100. A group lesson, about $10 an hour.