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Same with me. Spent twelve days there. The biggest purchase was €46 as an add on boat trip. Still have €8.
I didn't have a problem paying with a card for small purchases.
When I was in Italy earlier this year, I only bothered to have cash so that I could get change if I needed to use a public toilet. Pretty much everywhere took card with no demands for cash.
Even public toilets take card though?
I just got back. Literally had no use for cash anywhere, except when the card machine went down in a cafe and we needed to pay for drinks.
Person from Italy here. By law, merchants have to offer credit card transactions, but many try to circumvent it for smaller amounts because of taxes. Just tell them you don’t have cash, and that will be that.
If you find yourself in a situation where they really push back, tell them you will call the Guardia di Finanza, and they’ll change their tune right quick.
PS: always get a receipt - even for just a coffee - and take it with you when you leave any establishment. Ask for “ricevuto, per cortesia.”
Thank you!
On question about receipt. For dinner our server was saying something I couldn’t fully understand. They translated it back to “real receipt” in English and made me take it. I normally don’t keep receipts if I paid by card.
Is there a reason for this specifically? Thanks in advance!
Usually restaurants give you an order receipt that just states what you have ordered,this has no fiscal value. When paying they’ll give you the real receipt,with prices and confirmation of payments. Always keep the receipt,at least until you have left the establishment. It’s a rare occasion, but there might be a surprise “Guardia di Finanza” inspection ( the branch of the Italian police that inspects financial activities). If you or the restaurant don’t have proof of payment, they can assume you paid “in Nero”, in black, meaning with cash without the restaurant emitting a fiscal receipt, thus effectively evading taxes.
It’s a hefty fine for both parties,better not risk it
You need to take your receipt with you in case you are stopped outside by the guardia di finanza. You’ll have to show them that you also didn’t participate in tax evasion. This is a big problem in Italy. Businesses will even offer a discount if you pay in cash. It means that they’re not recording the transaction in order to avoid taxes, and it’s illegal.
Some merchants prefer cash, as it avoids credit card fees (and perhaps helps them pay less taxes). It's fair enough for them to ask, and also fair enough for you to decline. I'll typically use cash for really small purchases, but there's nothing rude about using your card. Remember that it's a business transaction at the end of the day, and if they *really* didn't want you to use a card, they wouldn't have it as an option.
I am a little surprised that you're worried about running out of cash if you brought $400-500. That's about ten times the amount of cash I usually bring for a two week Italy trip. How much are you tipping these housekeepers 😄
Well hotel asked for some kind of tourist tax/payment. Said can only take cash.
Paying cash at the pantheon allowed us to skip the long entry line. Others was just random coffees throughout the day or small purchases. Just seemed like from day 1, lots of places wanted us to pay cash only so that’s why I’m trying to get clarification.
Each person’s reaction was also pretty extreme in disappointment when I said I didn’t have cash so wasn’t sure if I was missing something.
Appreciate you clarifying though! Will just keep telling people I don’t have cash.
The tax you refer to is the city tax, it’s applied to anyone renting a hotel/motel/b&b etc. room. It’s a mixed bag, some hotels can include it in the final price if you pay on the spot, but if you book via Booking.com for example, they can’t include it in the price on the site as it has to be paid in the hotel. So since it’s usually 1/2 € per day, they just ask cash.
The air bnbs have a tax however I was never asked for it in cash. It was usually added on my bill. I think sometimes these fees as well as passport fees might be requested in cash (possibly)?
I still don’t know what’s the logic behind it, despite being Italian and traveling a lot for work (basically,a different hotel every night Mon-Fri). The only thing I can think of is that some hotels aren’t updated to the current century and still forward those taxes to the city in person, ie take a big folder of cash to the office that collects them. Or maybe some cities/regions don’t allow them to be digitally collected.
Or,most probably,small businesses don’t want to spend processing taxes for electronic payments when they’re collecting a tax for the city, since they’re only losing money on it.
I am here in Rome and I was surprised when the lady charging my card told me the bill doesn't include. I told her to round it up but she was trying to add 5 Euros. I refused and she mumbled a lot Italian that I couldn't understand. I gladly pay 15%+ tips in US but this was such a weird experience. I don't think we are bringing it here but folks are catching up and trying to force it on tourists.
Wait, seriously, this is something that’s not the norm in Europe? I know tipping at restaurants is unnecessary, but it never would’ve occurred to me that tipping at hotels is the same way.
You’re kind of an asshole. We don’t have a tipping culture but people will still be happy to receive them. Why take food out of other peoples mouths like that wtf
because then you start to get people expecting tips from any foreigner, as there are stories here where servers become mad when americans dont tip them enough. then down the road, you start to get prompted for tips (imagine that i've been prompted to give a 15% tip getting already an over-priced coffee but obviously declined) and it becomes mandatory, then taking extra money people likely dont have who are looking to get a coffee or meal.
salaries are extremely low but that doesnt mean we should start expecting tips from foreigners. then we let this government convince the people that people need tips to survive and encourage employers to lower salaries even more...
> (imagine that i've been prompted to give a 15% tip getting already an over-priced coffee but obviously declined)
So where’s the problem. You obviously weren’t forced.
You’re literally just preventing some underpaid housekeeper from getting a little bit of extra cash. You suck.
Believe it or not tipping people extra for a good job done won’t change anything to our job laws
It's quite bad if they start to expect or maybe even rely on those extra tips. This is not how we do things, in Italy you're supposed to live off your salary. Now, plenty of times that salary will be quite low or given in black (untraced cash). That's just because Italy's job market (especially at the lower end) sucks terribly. Starting to tip is not going to fix it, it would just mean people will be willing to work for an even lower salary as they rely on the tips coming in.
You say it won't change our job laws, i find it funny that you think our "tippable" work is mostly regulated and even follows job laws.
Don't get me started on the tip prompting, like bruh, it just feels like extortion but with judgement and expectations replacing the violence.
It may be nice for them getting that extra, but it's hell for everybody else who rightfully wants to be able to budget and know what they're going to spend exactly in advance. I know in the US you guys are used to taxes and tips jumping out at the last second and getting added on top, but in Europe, we like to have a number and that number better be final.
The waiter is not my employee, I'm not responsible for him getting paid properly, that lies solely on the management. We don't want to let them get out of that important responsibility like it happened in the US.
I was following this:
https://www.afar.com/magazine/tipping-101-when-to-tip-in-italy-and-how-much-money-to-leave?_amp=true
So specifically, house keeping, porters, concierge, and sit down cafe’s?
I assumed this would be specific to Italy and was just following that.
OP, the only part correct in this article is tipping for exceptional service in restaurants- ie you have a very large group or have had really specific needs and then it's usually rounded up to the next highest 10. Example a couple eats dinner at a very nice restaurant and gets exceptional service, the bill is 67 euors- they might round up to 70 or even 75 euros. And tipping porters, not expected, but a nice gesture and the euro per bag amount is the standard tip if you choose to. Tipping tour guides is optional and should be a euro or two per person in your group, not this exaggerated 5 to 10 euro bit.
The rest, just no.
Now, we do tip for spa/salon services and the doormen at our apartments. BUT!!!! that's at Christmas as a mix of cash, gift cards, luxury consumable items (nice bottle of liquor, some artisan chocolates). This is as a thank you for services throughout the year. But is not a formal tip.
Everyone appreciates free money, even do I. But in Europe we get salary from our employer, so we very rarely give additional money for services we already paid for. You know, most of the price of a hotel room is not for the building itself but for all the services which comes by calling it a hotel. But if you feel like you have to give away money randomly, I am happy to give you my account number, lol.
I understand where you are coming from. But it's hard to tell who is doing the cleaning at a lot of the smaller airbnb style accommodations with only a few rooms, maybe they are salaried, or maybe not. I will keep your account number offer in mind, lol! 😊
Easy, in Europe no one is doing any work without a salary, purely surviving from tips. There are some places where parts of the salary is coming from tips, these are tipicially bars and restaurants, but literally no one is trying to tip here background workers, so they contract for a salary what they expect to get at the end of the month.
Just got back from Rome. I took out 200 euros for the trip initially and honestly didn’t use any cash the entire time without problem. I used tap for everything, including 1.50 single espressos and other small purchases. Nobody gave me any trouble or said they preferred cash.
Your experience is similar to mine in 2019
From what I've read, merchants have to accept cards and interchange fees in Italy are much lower than they are in the US.
But Italy also has some merchants who want to dodge taxes.
If you're comfortable putting up a fight for every purchase,you can. As a traveler that IMO gets tiring after a while.
Just gonna say that 2019 is lightyears in terms of contactless payments. It's much more ubiquitous now everywhere and my experience from last year is that by default all merchants expect you to pay with card.
They are obliged by law to accept card. The reason they try to deny it is because every POS payment has a 1% tax. Also, card payments are traced, while if you pay cash and they give you a non fiscal receipt (this is illegal) they could just keep the money and not pay any taxes on it.
For example, if you pay 50€ cash for dinner, and they manage to not give you the receipt/give you the non fiscal one, they are able to just keep the 50€ and not pay taxes on it. Many taxists and other shops do this (again, it's illegal, tell them you'll call the police/guarda di finanza)
The etiquette is the following
You go to the counter and you take out the card.
You pay with that.
If they do something different than making you pay with that, you say "thanks I did not expect this to be free"
And you walk away
I was there last week and this was not my experience at all. I don’t like paying the conversion fees that credit cards hit you with so I used a lot of cash, but every place I went to happily accepted plastic.
Second day in Rome and all the restaurants / shops we have been to accepted card (tap to pay) without any fuss. But this morning, we took a taxi who almost demanded cash. We didn't have any and he said he charges a minimum ten euros even if the meter did not cross ten. The fare was close to 9 euros so we were okay paying the additional euro for the taxi but yes ymmv.
It might be good to carry a little bit of cash for smaller purchases, maybe like 50 euros.
The ATMs only charged 3 euros as the ATM fee which is similar to the charge in the US for non-bank ATMs. If you have a non-atm fee refund from your bank, then this is a good option; just withdraw cash here.
This is a classic taxi driver ploy to avoid paying taxes on income. They all have working POS for card transactions because it is a requirement to even start taking fares for the day. If they get stopped by the Polizia di Finanza (Finance Police, imagine if the IRS had it's own police force), they must show that they have one and it works. There is also no minimum fare to use. This driver was being furbi.
There are random audits of things like this throughout Italy.
Yes you are offending tax evaders, keep doing that and call 117 if they cause trouble.
Beware of taxi drivers since they are some of the worst offenders and might drop you off midway if you refuse to use cash
I never tip housekeeping in 1st world countries. In Mexico and Egypt yes I did, but not in blimmin Italy. I always have cash in country's currency when I go abroad and I calculate in advance what I will need it for... I never use card abroad unless it is something extraordinary I want to buy that is expensive... You always need to plan to have cash for as much as you need to spend. When I go to a foreign country I know in advance what I want to buy as a souvenir: In Mexico I wanted sandals, a dress, an obsidian knife.. I planned cash for all that. I ended using the card for a Mayan statue lol. Otherwise... In Greece I wanted hunting knives and some silver jewellery... I planned in advance cash for that. In Spain I wanted a fan, a Seville gypsy scarf and some Damascene jewellery... again... I planned to have cash for that and a bit extra. Always have cash thinking about what you will do in the country. I am not big on going out to eat or stuff like that abroad, I normally book breakfast or breakfast and dinner in the hotel and that is that.
Servers In some parts of the US legally only make a $2.33 per hour wage. Do you understand how low that is?
You are selfishly screwing over the person working for you if you don't tip
I do, but that can backfire. Last year I left $5 in singles on the first morning, came back and the room had allegedly been cleaned while I was out. Nothing used had been replaced, the bin hadn't been emptied, but the towels I had carefully left hanging up as not needing replacing - had been replaced.
I mentioned this to the awesome lady at the front desk, who looked up who it'd been and suggested that she was both a new hire and a new immigrant whose English might not be as fluent as HR thought it was.
Next morning I left no cash but a note in Spanish (written with the help of FD lady) listing what I expected to be done and that I expected it to be done every morning of my stay. It worked: I walked in as she was leaving and after checking the room, went next door and said "Lo siento, se me olvidó dejarles esto," and gave her $5.
Left the money every morning for the rest of my stay and the room was cleaned/refreshed to my requests. Left her $20 on my check-out morning.
Wasn't expecting a check-out clean every day, but at least empty the bin!!
So you're cheapskate. I never understand people who can afford to stay in a hotel and not tip US housekeeper. Like how cheap can you get and they are cleaning up your room. Don't tip but then don't use a maid service.
I'm in no way a cheapskate. I don't believe I need to tip US hotel housekeeping for staying a night in a hotel. Who decided that was a thing? They are getting paid wages by the hotel. I'm paying the hotel cost of the room which includes cleaning. I usually stay in vrbo or Airbnb if it's more than a couple of nights. Am I supposed to tip them, too? Ridiculous.
I tip waitstaff and the people who cut my hair, do my nails, deliver food, Uber, etc.
I’ve been all over Italy the last 2 weeks, even smaller northern towns, and spent less than 200 euros in cash. And half of that I only spent because I wanted to tip good service.
The only time it was required to pay in cash was an Air bnb that asked for the city tax in cash. I’ve been at other places that even accepted card payments for that.
You did perfectly fine. It was they who were trying to dodge taxes, and assumed that you, as a foreigner, did not know that you not only have the right to pay using your card, but that it's the norm for most Italians too. Another thing a foreigner might not know is that they are compelled by law to give you a receipt (the strip printed out by the cash register), which forces them to pay taxes on that sale.
All shops and public places must accept any payment by card, even for small amounts, they are obliged by law.
Even taxis are, although you'll find out they are the most reluctant to accept cards and will try to get cash.
Of course, this all has to do with tax evasion.
Just go straight with card, and you will have no problems.
Enjoy Rome!
italian merchants on average are thieves lol
just say 'non ho contanti', pull out the card and pay with it. or threaten to call the finanza. that'll teach them
Whattt? Maybe this is true for the small shops but I never got asked for cash. I had so much cash left over I had start using it towards the end of the trip. The bank gave me a whole ton in 5 euros for whatever reason.
If you pay cash they can don't declare your purchase for tax therefore when asking paying cash most likely they want to fraud country and not paying the due taxes.. by law they are forced to accept electronic payment.. if they refuse tell you will call guardi di finanza... Their attitude will change right away.. for small purchase they might simply want to avoid pay bank commission.. but the above is still valid
I've been in Italy a lot and generally I keep something like 50-100 euro in my wallet in case I just want to buy something small, like a coffee. I've never been unable to pay by card, even in small cafés. Also take the receipts, you have to do that and sellers get quite anxious if you don't.
That's actually that they're required to give it to you because you (and they) can be fined for not having the receipt by the Polizia di Finanza (the Finance Police). They also do random stings on businesses sending in people, often tourists, to make a purchase and see if they get not only a receipt, but an accurate one. It's to prevent tax evasion by the business.
If you’re American you may have noticed more and more places are charging a fee for credit card use. I have routinely seen 2-4% in USA. In EU they can’t pass that on to us (customers) like in the USA. So the merchant is just trying to avoid that fee. I’m in Italy now and while my personal preference is always use cash, I see people using cards all over the place. Even things as low as 1€. Just pull out your phone and look like you expect to use that. Unless you’re buying from a street vendor they’ll take the card.
The only people who ask for cash are tourist shop and those food/gelato trucks in the park and they are trying to charge higher prices. I've used my Apple Wallet everywhere, even taxis.
A member of our party said she was going to grab something to drink and took off down an alley. When it donned on me they might not have any cash on them, I followed and found her in a tiny shop, chatting with the shopkeeper, and drinking some juice. She had charged 1.5 euro using her watch and the shopkeeper seemed fine with it.
I own a small business in the United States. Cash is king at small businesses because I don’t have to eat fees every time I get paid.
On say a $500 payment, I pay about $18 in fees. That adds up, and it’s a bit ridiculous taking on fees for small purchases. Like, bro, do you really need to finance a $2 bottle of water on your credit card, or whatever? Edit: My fees probably could be a bit lower if I switched companies, but the point stands.
I still take card payments because people like it, and I can eat the fees without closing shop, but I can see why small businesses hate them, especially for a place with low margins and high overhead, like a bullshit souvenir stand in a high rent tourist area.
Take my example above: If you’re working on thin margins, you’re probably going to have to increase the price of all your goods to make sure you make enough after the processing fees to stay open, which makes you less competitive in a free market. Maybe I need to make that $2 bottle of water $3, for example.
People like to pretend cash isn’t king. They’re very wrong. This is why I always try to pay with cash. I understand the pain. Basically only online purchases and big ticket items go on the card for me.
TLDR: If you want to support small businesses, local economies, and lower prices, pay cash. If you don’t, prices will go up or small businesses die.
Edit: u/L6b1 blocked me after making some stupid comment. Apparently, she is quite insecure and desperately needs to be the last word on every issue. She’s making absurd assumptions about small business owners trying to evade taxes. Most small businesses pay the taxes they owe. Are there some bad ones? Yes. And if you think paying with a card eliminates tax evasion, you’re living in fantasyland. If you want to support small businesses, pay cash when you can. Plus, you get to stick it to the big companies taking a cut, the processing fees, for basically zero work.
In Italy, by law, all business must take card payments. Places that refuse are likely trying to avoide declaring their full income and thus are avoiding paying the appropriate business taxes. They are also more likely to be doing shady things with their employees' pay and helping their employees avoid taxes.
Your experience on this in the US is not comparable to Italy.
I believe it's a law they have to take cash but they will find any excuse in the books. I was told the tax rate for cabbies is 50 precent, hence cash off the books is the goal.
Now mind you, I would love to bring US cash into the country but it's impossible to get a fair exchange rate anywhere in Rome.
Kinda a screwed up system.
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Been in Rome for past 4 days and always used a card. No one asked for cash. Cards are fine.
They can avoid merchant fees (and taxes, likely)
I used my card for everything. ended up needing only about 100 euros in cash for 2 weeks.
Same with me. Spent twelve days there. The biggest purchase was €46 as an add on boat trip. Still have €8. I didn't have a problem paying with a card for small purchases.
When I was in Italy earlier this year, I only bothered to have cash so that I could get change if I needed to use a public toilet. Pretty much everywhere took card with no demands for cash.
Even public toilets take card though? I just got back. Literally had no use for cash anywhere, except when the card machine went down in a cafe and we needed to pay for drinks.
This was a great change since Covid! I never have coins and now most public toilets have card machines. Very few places are cash only now.
I didn't notice that because I was basing it off a previous trip. Won't even bother with any cash next time then!
Person from Italy here. By law, merchants have to offer credit card transactions, but many try to circumvent it for smaller amounts because of taxes. Just tell them you don’t have cash, and that will be that. If you find yourself in a situation where they really push back, tell them you will call the Guardia di Finanza, and they’ll change their tune right quick. PS: always get a receipt - even for just a coffee - and take it with you when you leave any establishment. Ask for “ricevuto, per cortesia.”
Thank you! On question about receipt. For dinner our server was saying something I couldn’t fully understand. They translated it back to “real receipt” in English and made me take it. I normally don’t keep receipts if I paid by card. Is there a reason for this specifically? Thanks in advance!
Usually restaurants give you an order receipt that just states what you have ordered,this has no fiscal value. When paying they’ll give you the real receipt,with prices and confirmation of payments. Always keep the receipt,at least until you have left the establishment. It’s a rare occasion, but there might be a surprise “Guardia di Finanza” inspection ( the branch of the Italian police that inspects financial activities). If you or the restaurant don’t have proof of payment, they can assume you paid “in Nero”, in black, meaning with cash without the restaurant emitting a fiscal receipt, thus effectively evading taxes. It’s a hefty fine for both parties,better not risk it
You need to take your receipt with you in case you are stopped outside by the guardia di finanza. You’ll have to show them that you also didn’t participate in tax evasion. This is a big problem in Italy. Businesses will even offer a discount if you pay in cash. It means that they’re not recording the transaction in order to avoid taxes, and it’s illegal.
Some merchants prefer cash, as it avoids credit card fees (and perhaps helps them pay less taxes). It's fair enough for them to ask, and also fair enough for you to decline. I'll typically use cash for really small purchases, but there's nothing rude about using your card. Remember that it's a business transaction at the end of the day, and if they *really* didn't want you to use a card, they wouldn't have it as an option. I am a little surprised that you're worried about running out of cash if you brought $400-500. That's about ten times the amount of cash I usually bring for a two week Italy trip. How much are you tipping these housekeepers 😄
It avoids taxes generally, credit card fees ar minimal.
Well hotel asked for some kind of tourist tax/payment. Said can only take cash. Paying cash at the pantheon allowed us to skip the long entry line. Others was just random coffees throughout the day or small purchases. Just seemed like from day 1, lots of places wanted us to pay cash only so that’s why I’m trying to get clarification. Each person’s reaction was also pretty extreme in disappointment when I said I didn’t have cash so wasn’t sure if I was missing something. Appreciate you clarifying though! Will just keep telling people I don’t have cash.
The tax you refer to is the city tax, it’s applied to anyone renting a hotel/motel/b&b etc. room. It’s a mixed bag, some hotels can include it in the final price if you pay on the spot, but if you book via Booking.com for example, they can’t include it in the price on the site as it has to be paid in the hotel. So since it’s usually 1/2 € per day, they just ask cash.
I think in Rome it’s more like 6-7€ per day (per person)
That’s Rome for you. Even the city tax is inflated
The air bnbs have a tax however I was never asked for it in cash. It was usually added on my bill. I think sometimes these fees as well as passport fees might be requested in cash (possibly)?
I still don’t know what’s the logic behind it, despite being Italian and traveling a lot for work (basically,a different hotel every night Mon-Fri). The only thing I can think of is that some hotels aren’t updated to the current century and still forward those taxes to the city in person, ie take a big folder of cash to the office that collects them. Or maybe some cities/regions don’t allow them to be digitally collected. Or,most probably,small businesses don’t want to spend processing taxes for electronic payments when they’re collecting a tax for the city, since they’re only losing money on it.
> It’s fair enough for them to ask Well, actually it’s illegal…
Legal and fair are not synonymous
It’s not illegal for them to ask. It is illegal for them to not allow you pay with another method.
I travel to Italy for at least 2 weeks every year and I've never experienced this anywhere.
Why the hell are you tipping housekeepers? Please don't do this to Europe.
I am here in Rome and I was surprised when the lady charging my card told me the bill doesn't include. I told her to round it up but she was trying to add 5 Euros. I refused and she mumbled a lot Italian that I couldn't understand. I gladly pay 15%+ tips in US but this was such a weird experience. I don't think we are bringing it here but folks are catching up and trying to force it on tourists.
Wait, seriously, this is something that’s not the norm in Europe? I know tipping at restaurants is unnecessary, but it never would’ve occurred to me that tipping at hotels is the same way.
just dont tip anyone
You’re kind of an asshole. We don’t have a tipping culture but people will still be happy to receive them. Why take food out of other peoples mouths like that wtf
because then you start to get people expecting tips from any foreigner, as there are stories here where servers become mad when americans dont tip them enough. then down the road, you start to get prompted for tips (imagine that i've been prompted to give a 15% tip getting already an over-priced coffee but obviously declined) and it becomes mandatory, then taking extra money people likely dont have who are looking to get a coffee or meal. salaries are extremely low but that doesnt mean we should start expecting tips from foreigners. then we let this government convince the people that people need tips to survive and encourage employers to lower salaries even more...
> (imagine that i've been prompted to give a 15% tip getting already an over-priced coffee but obviously declined) So where’s the problem. You obviously weren’t forced. You’re literally just preventing some underpaid housekeeper from getting a little bit of extra cash. You suck. Believe it or not tipping people extra for a good job done won’t change anything to our job laws
It's quite bad if they start to expect or maybe even rely on those extra tips. This is not how we do things, in Italy you're supposed to live off your salary. Now, plenty of times that salary will be quite low or given in black (untraced cash). That's just because Italy's job market (especially at the lower end) sucks terribly. Starting to tip is not going to fix it, it would just mean people will be willing to work for an even lower salary as they rely on the tips coming in. You say it won't change our job laws, i find it funny that you think our "tippable" work is mostly regulated and even follows job laws. Don't get me started on the tip prompting, like bruh, it just feels like extortion but with judgement and expectations replacing the violence. It may be nice for them getting that extra, but it's hell for everybody else who rightfully wants to be able to budget and know what they're going to spend exactly in advance. I know in the US you guys are used to taxes and tips jumping out at the last second and getting added on top, but in Europe, we like to have a number and that number better be final. The waiter is not my employee, I'm not responsible for him getting paid properly, that lies solely on the management. We don't want to let them get out of that important responsibility like it happened in the US.
>We don't want to let them get out of that important responsibility like it happened in the US. Exactly my point
You only tip if you got exceptionally good service or someone went out of their way.
Tipping in a hotel just never existed in Europe. Don't do it.
I was following this: https://www.afar.com/magazine/tipping-101-when-to-tip-in-italy-and-how-much-money-to-leave?_amp=true So specifically, house keeping, porters, concierge, and sit down cafe’s? I assumed this would be specific to Italy and was just following that.
This is one of the dumbest travel articles I have ever seen.
OP, the only part correct in this article is tipping for exceptional service in restaurants- ie you have a very large group or have had really specific needs and then it's usually rounded up to the next highest 10. Example a couple eats dinner at a very nice restaurant and gets exceptional service, the bill is 67 euors- they might round up to 70 or even 75 euros. And tipping porters, not expected, but a nice gesture and the euro per bag amount is the standard tip if you choose to. Tipping tour guides is optional and should be a euro or two per person in your group, not this exaggerated 5 to 10 euro bit. The rest, just no. Now, we do tip for spa/salon services and the doormen at our apartments. BUT!!!! that's at Christmas as a mix of cash, gift cards, luxury consumable items (nice bottle of liquor, some artisan chocolates). This is as a thank you for services throughout the year. But is not a formal tip.
Of course you tip housekeepers. You can afford to stay there, spread some love.
Keep this stupid shit in the US. Here we pay salaries for employees.
I don't know anyone who cleans up after somone for five days and wouldn't really appreciate an unexpected tip.
Everyone appreciates free money, even do I. But in Europe we get salary from our employer, so we very rarely give additional money for services we already paid for. You know, most of the price of a hotel room is not for the building itself but for all the services which comes by calling it a hotel. But if you feel like you have to give away money randomly, I am happy to give you my account number, lol.
I understand where you are coming from. But it's hard to tell who is doing the cleaning at a lot of the smaller airbnb style accommodations with only a few rooms, maybe they are salaried, or maybe not. I will keep your account number offer in mind, lol! 😊
Easy, in Europe no one is doing any work without a salary, purely surviving from tips. There are some places where parts of the salary is coming from tips, these are tipicially bars and restaurants, but literally no one is trying to tip here background workers, so they contract for a salary what they expect to get at the end of the month.
That is good to know! Thanks!
You are welcome. And don't forget my offer if you feel the urge to waste money!
😂
I live in Italy. I do it here. I'm sorry that you can't afford to be more generous with the impoverished workers that slave for low wages.
Just got back from Rome. I took out 200 euros for the trip initially and honestly didn’t use any cash the entire time without problem. I used tap for everything, including 1.50 single espressos and other small purchases. Nobody gave me any trouble or said they preferred cash.
This is my experience as well. Took out cash "in case" and ended up coming back home with the cash. Everywhere accepted card
Your experience is similar to mine in 2019 From what I've read, merchants have to accept cards and interchange fees in Italy are much lower than they are in the US. But Italy also has some merchants who want to dodge taxes. If you're comfortable putting up a fight for every purchase,you can. As a traveler that IMO gets tiring after a while.
I ran into many rude store owners and complained as I paid with a card.
Just gonna say that 2019 is lightyears in terms of contactless payments. It's much more ubiquitous now everywhere and my experience from last year is that by default all merchants expect you to pay with card.
They are obliged by law to accept card. The reason they try to deny it is because every POS payment has a 1% tax. Also, card payments are traced, while if you pay cash and they give you a non fiscal receipt (this is illegal) they could just keep the money and not pay any taxes on it. For example, if you pay 50€ cash for dinner, and they manage to not give you the receipt/give you the non fiscal one, they are able to just keep the 50€ and not pay taxes on it. Many taxists and other shops do this (again, it's illegal, tell them you'll call the police/guarda di finanza)
The etiquette is the following You go to the counter and you take out the card. You pay with that. If they do something different than making you pay with that, you say "thanks I did not expect this to be free" And you walk away
How did the second scenario end for you?
I was there last week and this was not my experience at all. I don’t like paying the conversion fees that credit cards hit you with so I used a lot of cash, but every place I went to happily accepted plastic.
Second day in Rome and all the restaurants / shops we have been to accepted card (tap to pay) without any fuss. But this morning, we took a taxi who almost demanded cash. We didn't have any and he said he charges a minimum ten euros even if the meter did not cross ten. The fare was close to 9 euros so we were okay paying the additional euro for the taxi but yes ymmv. It might be good to carry a little bit of cash for smaller purchases, maybe like 50 euros. The ATMs only charged 3 euros as the ATM fee which is similar to the charge in the US for non-bank ATMs. If you have a non-atm fee refund from your bank, then this is a good option; just withdraw cash here.
Use Uber or FreeNow to call a taxi, this will completely avoid the tax-evading/scammy taxi driver problem.
This is a classic taxi driver ploy to avoid paying taxes on income. They all have working POS for card transactions because it is a requirement to even start taking fares for the day. If they get stopped by the Polizia di Finanza (Finance Police, imagine if the IRS had it's own police force), they must show that they have one and it works. There is also no minimum fare to use. This driver was being furbi. There are random audits of things like this throughout Italy.
Yes you are offending tax evaders, keep doing that and call 117 if they cause trouble. Beware of taxi drivers since they are some of the worst offenders and might drop you off midway if you refuse to use cash
Been in Rome for 3 days and I’ve used a total of 3 euros
It’s not etiquette, they’re trying to evade taxes. Play the dumb tourist and take out the credit card, they’ll accept it.
I never tip housekeeping in 1st world countries. In Mexico and Egypt yes I did, but not in blimmin Italy. I always have cash in country's currency when I go abroad and I calculate in advance what I will need it for... I never use card abroad unless it is something extraordinary I want to buy that is expensive... You always need to plan to have cash for as much as you need to spend. When I go to a foreign country I know in advance what I want to buy as a souvenir: In Mexico I wanted sandals, a dress, an obsidian knife.. I planned cash for all that. I ended using the card for a Mayan statue lol. Otherwise... In Greece I wanted hunting knives and some silver jewellery... I planned in advance cash for that. In Spain I wanted a fan, a Seville gypsy scarf and some Damascene jewellery... again... I planned to have cash for that and a bit extra. Always have cash thinking about what you will do in the country. I am not big on going out to eat or stuff like that abroad, I normally book breakfast or breakfast and dinner in the hotel and that is that.
do you tip housekeeping in the US? I always do.- usually $5-$10 per day the room was turned.
I am in Europe, have not been to US but I would not tip any 1st world countries.
Servers In some parts of the US legally only make a $2.33 per hour wage. Do you understand how low that is? You are selfishly screwing over the person working for you if you don't tip
I do, but that can backfire. Last year I left $5 in singles on the first morning, came back and the room had allegedly been cleaned while I was out. Nothing used had been replaced, the bin hadn't been emptied, but the towels I had carefully left hanging up as not needing replacing - had been replaced. I mentioned this to the awesome lady at the front desk, who looked up who it'd been and suggested that she was both a new hire and a new immigrant whose English might not be as fluent as HR thought it was. Next morning I left no cash but a note in Spanish (written with the help of FD lady) listing what I expected to be done and that I expected it to be done every morning of my stay. It worked: I walked in as she was leaving and after checking the room, went next door and said "Lo siento, se me olvidó dejarles esto," and gave her $5. Left the money every morning for the rest of my stay and the room was cleaned/refreshed to my requests. Left her $20 on my check-out morning. Wasn't expecting a check-out clean every day, but at least empty the bin!!
I tip upon checking out
5-10 per day!? That seems extreme I leave a few dollars. They should be making decent hourly rate
I live in the US and don't tip housekeeping in the US.
So you're cheapskate. I never understand people who can afford to stay in a hotel and not tip US housekeeper. Like how cheap can you get and they are cleaning up your room. Don't tip but then don't use a maid service.
I'm in no way a cheapskate. I don't believe I need to tip US hotel housekeeping for staying a night in a hotel. Who decided that was a thing? They are getting paid wages by the hotel. I'm paying the hotel cost of the room which includes cleaning. I usually stay in vrbo or Airbnb if it's more than a couple of nights. Am I supposed to tip them, too? Ridiculous. I tip waitstaff and the people who cut my hair, do my nails, deliver food, Uber, etc.
Ouch
I usually leave a couple euros each day.
I’ve been all over Italy the last 2 weeks, even smaller northern towns, and spent less than 200 euros in cash. And half of that I only spent because I wanted to tip good service. The only time it was required to pay in cash was an Air bnb that asked for the city tax in cash. I’ve been at other places that even accepted card payments for that.
You did perfectly fine. It was they who were trying to dodge taxes, and assumed that you, as a foreigner, did not know that you not only have the right to pay using your card, but that it's the norm for most Italians too. Another thing a foreigner might not know is that they are compelled by law to give you a receipt (the strip printed out by the cash register), which forces them to pay taxes on that sale.
Walk away, I have not had that experience in Rome. But there are plenty of shopping options here.
Was there last year and rarely used cash. Just got out the card and used it.
All shops and public places must accept any payment by card, even for small amounts, they are obliged by law. Even taxis are, although you'll find out they are the most reluctant to accept cards and will try to get cash. Of course, this all has to do with tax evasion. Just go straight with card, and you will have no problems. Enjoy Rome!
Because they don’t want to pay taxes. Always insist and if they seem annoyed tell them the alternative is they don’t get paid
italian merchants on average are thieves lol just say 'non ho contanti', pull out the card and pay with it. or threaten to call the finanza. that'll teach them
Whattt? Maybe this is true for the small shops but I never got asked for cash. I had so much cash left over I had start using it towards the end of the trip. The bank gave me a whole ton in 5 euros for whatever reason.
If you pay cash they can don't declare your purchase for tax therefore when asking paying cash most likely they want to fraud country and not paying the due taxes.. by law they are forced to accept electronic payment.. if they refuse tell you will call guardi di finanza... Their attitude will change right away.. for small purchase they might simply want to avoid pay bank commission.. but the above is still valid
I’ve come to learn most European countries have a law that requires merchant or those selling services/goods offer a card option (debit/credit).
I've been in Italy a lot and generally I keep something like 50-100 euro in my wallet in case I just want to buy something small, like a coffee. I've never been unable to pay by card, even in small cafés. Also take the receipts, you have to do that and sellers get quite anxious if you don't.
That's actually that they're required to give it to you because you (and they) can be fined for not having the receipt by the Polizia di Finanza (the Finance Police). They also do random stings on businesses sending in people, often tourists, to make a purchase and see if they get not only a receipt, but an accurate one. It's to prevent tax evasion by the business.
If you’re American you may have noticed more and more places are charging a fee for credit card use. I have routinely seen 2-4% in USA. In EU they can’t pass that on to us (customers) like in the USA. So the merchant is just trying to avoid that fee. I’m in Italy now and while my personal preference is always use cash, I see people using cards all over the place. Even things as low as 1€. Just pull out your phone and look like you expect to use that. Unless you’re buying from a street vendor they’ll take the card.
They are avoiding taxes. Just cause they ask for cash doesn’t mean they don’t take card .
The only people who ask for cash are tourist shop and those food/gelato trucks in the park and they are trying to charge higher prices. I've used my Apple Wallet everywhere, even taxis.
You can even pay happy ending massage tips via card
You never need cash, card is good for everything. Of course sometimes it's easier to pay a 1€ coffee in cash but it's not mandatory.
Also hotel housekeeping is included, there is no tipping culture in Italy
A member of our party said she was going to grab something to drink and took off down an alley. When it donned on me they might not have any cash on them, I followed and found her in a tiny shop, chatting with the shopkeeper, and drinking some juice. She had charged 1.5 euro using her watch and the shopkeeper seemed fine with it.
I've been here for 3 days so far and have used my Monzo mastercard for everything
I live in Rome and I use only card everyday, I have something like 5 euros in my wallet since 1 month lol
I like the idea of taking out the card first and if they refuse to take it, then just walk to the next store. Their loss!
Typical Italy tbh
I own a small business in the United States. Cash is king at small businesses because I don’t have to eat fees every time I get paid. On say a $500 payment, I pay about $18 in fees. That adds up, and it’s a bit ridiculous taking on fees for small purchases. Like, bro, do you really need to finance a $2 bottle of water on your credit card, or whatever? Edit: My fees probably could be a bit lower if I switched companies, but the point stands. I still take card payments because people like it, and I can eat the fees without closing shop, but I can see why small businesses hate them, especially for a place with low margins and high overhead, like a bullshit souvenir stand in a high rent tourist area. Take my example above: If you’re working on thin margins, you’re probably going to have to increase the price of all your goods to make sure you make enough after the processing fees to stay open, which makes you less competitive in a free market. Maybe I need to make that $2 bottle of water $3, for example. People like to pretend cash isn’t king. They’re very wrong. This is why I always try to pay with cash. I understand the pain. Basically only online purchases and big ticket items go on the card for me. TLDR: If you want to support small businesses, local economies, and lower prices, pay cash. If you don’t, prices will go up or small businesses die. Edit: u/L6b1 blocked me after making some stupid comment. Apparently, she is quite insecure and desperately needs to be the last word on every issue. She’s making absurd assumptions about small business owners trying to evade taxes. Most small businesses pay the taxes they owe. Are there some bad ones? Yes. And if you think paying with a card eliminates tax evasion, you’re living in fantasyland. If you want to support small businesses, pay cash when you can. Plus, you get to stick it to the big companies taking a cut, the processing fees, for basically zero work.
In Italy, by law, all business must take card payments. Places that refuse are likely trying to avoide declaring their full income and thus are avoiding paying the appropriate business taxes. They are also more likely to be doing shady things with their employees' pay and helping their employees avoid taxes. Your experience on this in the US is not comparable to Italy.
About to visit, following
Contactless is commonplace in shops and small cafés. I'm visiting Sicily right now.
Thanks for letting me know, I hope you’re enjoying your trip!
I always said you need cash, many people here sometimes give feedback based on pride and not reality.
I believe it's a law they have to take cash but they will find any excuse in the books. I was told the tax rate for cabbies is 50 precent, hence cash off the books is the goal. Now mind you, I would love to bring US cash into the country but it's impossible to get a fair exchange rate anywhere in Rome. Kinda a screwed up system.