Travel Essentials: Tipping

Overview

In Germany a service charge (Bedienung) is always included in the price. If the service is satisfactory, tipping an additional five to 10 percent is customary. When paying a restaurant bill, it is considered poor etiquette to leave the tip on the table: handing your server the tip along with your payment for the bill is the proper protocol. If you need change, simply specify the amount you wish to pay. For instance, to pay 22 euros (€22) for your €20 check, hand your server €30 and say "22, bitte" so then your server will bring you back €8. It is also common practice in Germany to round to the nearest euro for a service tip. Most monetary transactions in Germany are done with cash, not credit cards.

Tips are accepted in the national currency, the euro.

Tipping Guide

Setting	Gratuities
Transportation	Tip taxi drivers 10 percent.
Hotels	Tip porters €2 to €3 per item. Tip housekeepers €2 to €3 per day.
Restaurants, Bars, Cafés	In addition to the service charge, if the service is satisfactory, add 10–15 percent.
Personal Services	Tip hairdressers 10 percent.

Terms for Payment and Tipping

German is the official language of Germany. Terms you might encounter and find useful for point-of-payment situations are below.

English	German	Phonetic Pronunciation
The bill, please.	Die Rechnung, bitte.	dee rekh-noong, bit-teh.
How much is it?	Wie viel kostet das?	VEE-feel KOHS-tet DAHS?
Is service included?	Ist der Service inbegriffen?	ist dehr zehr-vees in-be-grif-fen?
Money	Geld	gehld
Please	Bitte	BIT-te
Thank you	Danke	DAHN-ke
Yes	Ja	YAH
No	Nein	NAIYN