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Sydney Morning Herald
27-04-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Seven sneaky ways America squeezes tourists for every cent
Few things divide us from our American cousins like tipping. Like many of the big debates in life, it boils down to a fundamentally different moral outlook: they see tipping as basic fairness, whereas we tend to see it as an optional generosity. Naturally, the whole American payment infrastructure is built around tipping. Order a single drink in a bar and you'll be handed a credit card receipt with a space for you to sign and add the amount of your tip, sometimes with a suggested amount. What if you leave it blank, you ask? Well, you're perfectly entitled to do that, just as American tourists in London are entitled to stand on the left-hand side of the escalator or snap their fingers to attract a waiter. It's legal by all means, but will be seen as deeply rude. As a rule of thumb, 20 per cent is seen as the expected minimum when it comes to tipping in restaurants. If that seems steep, remember that America has a lower minimum wage for tipped employees, which can be as low as $US2.13 ($A3.33) an hour. Of course, it isn't just restaurant servers who you're expected to tip. Hotel housekeepers, bellhops, valet attendants and even the staff who bring your room service orders are all tipped employees – and will expect to be treated as such. ATM fees Is there anything more annoying than having to pay to access your own money? Usually, the only way to withdraw cash for free is to be a customer of the bank that owns the machine: something that is by definition going to rule out the vast majority of visitors. Paying a fee is inevitable then, but that doesn't mean that you have to accept the first one you find. If you can find one that charges less than $US4 per withdrawal, you know you've done well. Loading Parking fees At busy attractions in big cities, paying to park is perfectly understandable. But when you're at a resort hotel or attraction sitting in the middle of nowhere? Not so much. Unfortunately, this is another one being pushed by some of the big hotel chains. At a swanky resort in Sedona, I was surprised to find that all guests were expected to pay $US18 per day purely for the privilege of parking their vehicle. As with the resort fees, the fact that you happen to be a guest of the hotel is irrelevant. If you want to park, you have to pay. Sales taxes For all the fuss about the cost of living, Australia will always have one thing in its favour. We know that the price we see on the shelf will be the one we pay when we get to the checkout. Not so in the US, where 45 of the 50 states impose a sales tax. Something that many tourists only find out when they reach the counter. While it's rarely more than 10 per cent, it can still be a nasty surprise. Are there any advantages to adding the tax at the point of sale? A Republican friend of mine argues that it makes people more aware of the tax they're paying and thus more likely to vote for low-tax politicians. Expensive water When the waiter offered to bring water, I thought nothing of it. Sure, it was a smart-looking restaurant in a fashionable part of Arizona, but just how expensive could it possibly be? Loading It turns out my naivety was a costly mistake. Checking the bill later, I noticed that the two bottles of water had cost $US12 each – and that's before the tip. Why the hefty charge? It turns out this wasn't just any water but Fiji Water – the fashionable hydration brand favoured by celebrities and increasingly by hotels and restaurants too. The American 'pint' Yes, we all know that Americans use different measurements. But while we don't begrudge them using liquid ounces and the like, there's something irritating about them pinching foreign labels and changing them. A case in point is the American 'pint', which is increasingly becoming the measure of choice in fashionable craft beer bars. Any thirsty Aussies who order one will be surprised when they find out it's 473ml – almost 20 per cent smaller than in Australia, where pints are 570ml.
The Age
27-04-2025
- The Age
Seven sneaky ways America squeezes tourists for every cent
Few things divide us from our American cousins like tipping. Like many of the big debates in life, it boils down to a fundamentally different moral outlook: they see tipping as basic fairness, whereas we tend to see it as an optional generosity. Naturally, the whole American payment infrastructure is built around tipping. Order a single drink in a bar and you'll be handed a credit card receipt with a space for you to sign and add the amount of your tip, sometimes with a suggested amount. What if you leave it blank, you ask? Well, you're perfectly entitled to do that, just as American tourists in London are entitled to stand on the left-hand side of the escalator or snap their fingers to attract a waiter. It's legal by all means, but will be seen as deeply rude. As a rule of thumb, 20 per cent is seen as the expected minimum when it comes to tipping in restaurants. If that seems steep, remember that America has a lower minimum wage for tipped employees, which can be as low as $US2.13 ($A3.33) an hour. Of course, it isn't just restaurant servers who you're expected to tip. Hotel housekeepers, bellhops, valet attendants and even the staff who bring your room service orders are all tipped employees – and will expect to be treated as such. ATM fees Is there anything more annoying than having to pay to access your own money? Usually, the only way to withdraw cash for free is to be a customer of the bank that owns the machine: something that is by definition going to rule out the vast majority of visitors. Paying a fee is inevitable then, but that doesn't mean that you have to accept the first one you find. If you can find one that charges less than $US4 per withdrawal, you know you've done well. Loading Parking fees At busy attractions in big cities, paying to park is perfectly understandable. But when you're at a resort hotel or attraction sitting in the middle of nowhere? Not so much. Unfortunately, this is another one being pushed by some of the big hotel chains. At a swanky resort in Sedona, I was surprised to find that all guests were expected to pay $US18 per day purely for the privilege of parking their vehicle. As with the resort fees, the fact that you happen to be a guest of the hotel is irrelevant. If you want to park, you have to pay. Sales taxes For all the fuss about the cost of living, Australia will always have one thing in its favour. We know that the price we see on the shelf will be the one we pay when we get to the checkout. Not so in the US, where 45 of the 50 states impose a sales tax. Something that many tourists only find out when they reach the counter. While it's rarely more than 10 per cent, it can still be a nasty surprise. Are there any advantages to adding the tax at the point of sale? A Republican friend of mine argues that it makes people more aware of the tax they're paying and thus more likely to vote for low-tax politicians. Expensive water When the waiter offered to bring water, I thought nothing of it. Sure, it was a smart-looking restaurant in a fashionable part of Arizona, but just how expensive could it possibly be? Loading It turns out my naivety was a costly mistake. Checking the bill later, I noticed that the two bottles of water had cost $US12 each – and that's before the tip. Why the hefty charge? It turns out this wasn't just any water but Fiji Water – the fashionable hydration brand favoured by celebrities and increasingly by hotels and restaurants too. The American 'pint' Yes, we all know that Americans use different measurements. But while we don't begrudge them using liquid ounces and the like, there's something irritating about them pinching foreign labels and changing them. A case in point is the American 'pint', which is increasingly becoming the measure of choice in fashionable craft beer bars. Any thirsty Aussies who order one will be surprised when they find out it's 473ml – almost 20 per cent smaller than in Australia, where pints are 570ml.
