Tipping in Mexico - To Tip or Not to Tip

Tipping in Mexico

Tipping in Mexico is an acceptable way to show your appreciation for good and in some cases, exemplary service. It is not mandatory. In fact, sometimes the best "tip" you can give someone who works in the service industry is no tip at all. In this article, you'll learn about the various situations you'll find yourself in and how to determine whether to tip and if so, how to determine how much is appropriate.

That said, while most of us feel that giving a percentage of the bill is obligatory, I believe this should be based on the circumstances and the level of service provided, especially when it is above and beyond what one would normally expect. Although it's easy to add 10% to the bill when tipping in Mexico and make this your standard tip, I tend to acknowledge service by giving a gratuity that ranges anywhere from 5% - 20%. Anything below or above 10% sends a message to the recipient—either your service is sub par, above average or even exemplary. Of course if service is exemplary, I do more than tip, I complement the person and make sure I tell the manager as well.

Guidelines for Tipping in Mexico:

• Restaurants - my standard tip for a waiter or waitress factors in a lot of things: did she attend to us soon after we were seated, was she responsive to requests, is she friendly, does she respond to complaints with diplomacy, was the food delivered hot and as requested, did she remember who ordered which meal, etc. If the answer is yes, I generally tip from 8-15%. (Be aware that some restaurants in Mexico automatically add a gratuity as high as 18%, so you won't want to tip on top of that especially if the service wasn't superb. If the service was sub par, I would complain to the manager and request that the gratuity be removed from the bill.)

• Bell Men - when tipping in Mexico, generally, I give bell men $1 per bag, more if the bags are extremely heavy. At the place we stay in Mexico, the bell men have to climb up three flights of stairs to place our bags in our room. These guys work hard. If they're friendly, treat my bags with care and offer a smile upon delivery, I will give them a little more, especially if it's a hot day and I can see they've been working hard. It feels good to reward extra effort, both for the recipient and the giver.

• Hotel Housekeepers - the guideline given by the timeshare where we stay in Cabo San Lucas is $1.50-$2.00 per day. You can give more for exemplary service, but be sure to give the money directly to the housekeeper. Sometimes, the cleaning staff will change on the day before you're scheduled to return back home, so make sure your housekeeper gets her tip a couple of days before you leave.

  
  
  

• Grocery Carryout - Usually young boys (elementary school or middle school age) work in the grocery stores and will load your bags from the cart into your car or taxi. (This is because many of the grocery stores have barricades that prevent you from rolling the cart out of the store.) Since the child is usually just lifting the bags from the cart into a waiting taxi, generally I give 10-20 pesos or $1-$2 US total. When you get to your hotel, you will also have to pay the bell man to deliver your groceries to your room, so be aware that all the tips (plus the cost of the taxi) can add up.

• Taxi Drivers - for the first ten years when I vacationed in Mexico, I gave tips to taxi drivers which meant one tip each way. With taxi fares becoming increasingly more expensive, this can increase the cost of getting around. Later I learned that taxi drivers are unionized and don't really expect a tip, although they'll have no problem taking the money you offer. Now that I know more about tipping in Mexico, I gave tips to taxi drivers only when they do something out of the ordinary, like wait for thirty minutes while I'm in the grocery store, share interesting facts about the area or carry my bags to the entrance of the airport.

• Mariachis - These are the guys who approach your table at a restaurant, ready to serenade you with their deep, resonant voices. Note to tourists: do not refer to them as "mariachi bands" because mariachi means "band." Just call them mariachis. If they sing a number of songs and can sing special requests (we love to hear our favorites, most of which are classics), we usually give them $3 - $5 for a couple of songs. If their performance is extraordinary, we might give a couple dollars more.

• Fishing Captains - normally, a boat captain gets a 10-15% gratuity. Base your decision on how hard he and his crew worked to locate fish for you to catch. Always reward an extraordinary fishing day. For instance, a couple of years ago, my family went marlin fishing and the captain and crew were excellent, pointing out landmarks, telling us stories, making sure our boys had an excellent bonding experience with their dad, cutting the engine so I could take photographs and helping us catch 12 fish. The cost of the fishing trip was $500 for the day, so we should have tipped them $50-$75, but we gave them $100 because they'd help create an extraordinary day that our family would look back fondly on and talk about for years.

I hope these guidelines for tipping in Mexico will help you know what to do in certain situations and will save you money that you might give only because you felt obligated. Although the upper class in Mexico do not tip as well as Americans do, it's feels good to reward a hard-worker for a job well done.

Best Resources for Making Travel Arrangements to Mexico:

The best place to get reasonably priced tickets online and the site we use every year to book our trip - Priceline.com Airfare - save up to 40%

Rent a beautiful vacation home in Mexico - Mexico Vacation Rentals

Search for hotel rooms based on price, the number in your party and availability:

Learn spanish before going on your trip - Rosetta Stone Spanish (Spain) Level 1

Tipping in Mexico - Cabo San Lucas Mexico Travel

Cabo San Lucas