Everything about tipping in Israel
This Article is about customary gratitude for services in Israel.
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Customary gratitude in Israel
Every country has its own tipping tradition and standards. As a tourist in a new country you don’t want to embarrass anyone, you don’t want to be disrespectful to people that work hard to serve you and you certainly don’t want to overpay. Tipping standards for services in Israel should be clear to you before you arrive to the country. There is a good chance that you will meet people that will service you on your first day in Israel and maybe even on your first hours at the airport.
Here is all the information you need, regarding tipping in Israel: Amounts quoted here are in US dollars
Private tour
Traveling in Israel on a private tour- meaning the guide is also a driver and you are on a personal tailor made tour. It is not a cheap service and therefore many people think or convince themselves to think that it includes the tip. What ever the price of the tour is, you should calculate an addition amount for tipping the tour guide.
How much to tip:
- less than 50$ per day (LOW if this is what you have- hopefully the guide will appropriate it)
- less than 100$- per day (An average tip for an average work)
- 100$ -200$ per day (A respectful and appreciative tip for good work).
Be careful tipping with coins- it is insulting and very cheep. The coins that you have left with can be used in restaurants, at the airport when you leave or should be denoted on the airplane.
Restaurants
The official percentage of tipping in restaurant is 12% and in some places 15%. Most of the times the tip will not be included automatically on the bill (Hebrew letters will indicate that at the bottom of the bill). The VAT of 17% will always be included and some tourist think that that is the tip. Tip in restaurants is usually left on the table in cash, yet if you wish to tip using your credit card, you have to ask if it is possible to do so before you pay the bill. Some restaurants can add it to the bill and some cannot. Make sure you have cash for the tip before you eat and avoid inconveniency. Unlike other countries in Israel you cannot write on the receipt the amount that you intend to tip after paying the bill.
If it’s a big group of 30-50 people having big meal together and serviced by 2-3 waiters, depending on the amount of the bill but it can reach thousands of shekels, then the tip will not go by percentage but by a service tip for each waiter that can be around 100-200 shekels.
Taxi
It is not customary to tip a taxi driver in city rids. Yet taxi drivers that give you special service, rides from and to the airport and day trips will expect a small tip.
A respectful tip for a taxi ride from the airport can be 10 USD and if the driver spend the whole day with you around 30-50 USD per day.
Hotels
All workers in hotels in Israel will appreciate tipping them for their service, yet the ones that will expect a tip for the service are: ball boys for helping with your luggage. they will expect bills and not coins. so around 20 shekel bill or 5$ bill.
At the hotel’s restaurant tipping the waiters with coins is fine
cleaning rooms- at the end of your stay if you were happy with the service you can leave a bill- 5$-20$. Most people will not leave, Yet if your think they did a good job you should tip.
Room service- around 5$
Bus tours
If you are on a daily tour that collects passengers from various hotels you should tip the guide and the driver around 5$ per person to driver and 10$ per person to guide. Nothing will happen if you will not tip on this type of tour, but it will be appreciates.
If you are on a private group tour- meaning, a tour that was organized in advance, take the same group of people for a trip of various days, then you should make sure that at the end of the tour the guide will get an envelop with (5$ per person per day, minimum 100$ per day) and the driver will get an envelop with (3$ per person per day minimum 50$ per day).