--- title: Tipping Your Auto Mechanic? Here’s Where People Draw the Line on Adding Gratuity description: In a new survey, 90% of people said tipping has gotten out of hand. Here are the top four places Americans hate to tip most. authors: - name: Adam Hardy role: Lead Data Reporter url: https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/ bio: Adam Hardy is a lead data journalist at Money, where he frequently reports on financial barriers that affect low-income Americans. Adam’s work has also appeared in Business Insider, Forbes, Nasdaq, The Penny Hoarder, Yahoo! Finance and more than a dozen local and regional newspapers. education: University of South Florida, BA, Magazine Journalism at_money_since: 2021 articles: 499 covers: - Personal Finance - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - The Penny Hoarder - Forbes Advisor - Creative Loafing - The New York Times - The Washington Post - Bloomberg - Harvard Law School - The Federal Register - National Consumer Law Center - CBS News - Becker's Hospital Review - Business Insider - Mother Jones - The Week - Fortune - The Philadelphia Inquirer - National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NAFSAA) - Education Advisory Board (EAB) - The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) - This Morning with Gordon Deal - Empower - Reddit social: - https://www.x.com/hardyjournalism - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardyjournalism/ editors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Personal Finance - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum published: '2024-10-02T18:31:07.000Z' modified: '2024-10-02T18:44:24.000Z' section: Personal Finance tags: - News word_count: 698 canonical: https://money.com/where-not-to-tip-survey/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Photo-illustration of hands tipping with a cash in a jar, tapping an ipad, and using a card reader.](https://img.money.com/2024/10/News-Least-Likely-Tipping.jpg) Americans are already coping with elevated prices [thanks to inflation](https://money.com/how-bad-is-inflation-under-joe-biden/). So often it feels particularly egregious when they’re asked to tip on top of that — sometimes 20% or more — at seemingly random places like the grocery store or fast-food counter. The increased pressure to tip in evermore scenarios is leading some folks to draw the line. A [new survey](https://upgradedpoints.com/news/where-americans-are-least-likely-to-leave-tips/) from Upgraded Points, a credit card rewards site, shines light on where, exactly, most Americans are comfortable skipping the tip. “As tipping culture evolves and the cost of living continues to climb, it’s clear that Americans are feeling the strain,” Alex Miller, Upgraded Points' CEO, wrote in the report. In the survey, which was based on responses from over 3,300 Americans, 90% of people said tipping has gotten out of hand. More than half said that being prompted to tip by a screen outright angers them. ## Regain financial stability with the help of Freedom Debt Relief ### Freedom can start you on the path to resolve your debt, especially if you owe over $20,000. Why wait? Select your state to get started today! [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/l67257dab4e3?ap_referrer=%2Fwhere-not-to-tip-survey%2F) ## Where people hate tipping the most The survey suggests that Americans tend to skip tipping at businesses that prioritize fast-paced service and minimal interaction with the workers. That means people are least likely to tip... - **At the car repair shop:** 82% of respondents said they don’t tip on auto services. Perhaps more surprising is that the remaining 18% actually do tip on these services. - **At sporting events:** 76% said they don’t leave tips at sporting-event concession stands. - **At fast-casual restaurants:** A small majority, 53%, do not tip at so-called “fast casual” restaurants, like Chipotle or Panera Bread. - **On food pickup orders:** When picking up their meal from a restaurant, 51% said they don’t tip. On the other hand, Americans said they are most likely to tip for food delivery (93%), ride-sharing (88%) and grocery delivery services (86%). Upgrade Points also analyzed how residents of different states tip. Different parts of the country have very different tipping habits. About 72% of residents in Vermont tip across the board, including at auto shops, fast-casual restaurants, coffee shops and more. Just over 70% do the same in Rhode Island. In terms of tip skipping: Gratuity is [least prevalent in California](https://money.com/states-best-worst-tippers-restaurants-ranking/), with 56% of residents saying they tip. In Utah, 57% of residents frequently tip. ## Why do Americans tip so much? Tipping is ingrained in America’s economic DNA, and it became the norm after the U.S. Civil War when formerly enslaved Black people were integrated into the workforce. In many cases, employers paid them little-to-no wages, and [Black workers largely relied on tips](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b4274673&view=1up&seq=8) to make a living. Fast forward nearly 160 years, and about 4 million employees still make most of their earnings through tips, according to the Department of Labor. However, that number is likely far larger due to the rise of tip-reliant gig workers, who are classified as independent contractors. At places like coffee shops, employees who receive a regular minimum wage may get tips on top, as well. Then came the COVID-19 crisis. Myka Meier, etiquette expert and founder of Beaumont Etiquette, [previously told Money](https://money.com/tipping-etiquette-when-ok-not-tip/) that the pandemic ushered in a “new expectation of higher tipping and more frequent tipping.” In the early days of the pandemic, tipping was a way to show genuine appreciation to the folks who often used apps like Uber, DoorDash and Amazon to zip around town and deliver food, groceries and packages while everyone else sheltered in place at home. As businesses began to reopen, contactless and digital payment options quickly took over in the form of those sleek little screens and [point-of-sale systems](https://money.com/best-tablet-pos-system/) that line checkout counters all around the country. This made explicitly asking for tips automatic and far less awkward. According to a [Pew Research survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/2023/11/09/tipping-culture-in-america-public-sees-a-changed-landscape/) from last November, 72% of Americans said that tipping is expected in more places these days. The antiquated tip jar that used to quietly sit off to the side collecting leftover change from cash payments has become an automated, individualized prompt at the end of every order, beckoning customers to tip 18%, 20% or even 25% on their burrito before they’ve taken a bite. ## Reduce payments and make debt manageable with a Debt Relief program ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/2ab1a325cc77?bidid=4063706302&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=665784373&ptoken=1f3b846d01e5be21c6f20f7902587003) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/23879/medium_3847e650-29eb-411b-9b8c-05deb0d02cbc.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/1855d368bf31?bidid=4063706305&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=665784373&ptoken=e32bcea90b2f90c2ba58a17fbe403b80) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/15565/medium_832cc4b7-74f8-4735-8fe1-6917816cbe8d.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/5a9ad3c76b5d?bidid=4063706299&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=665784373&ptoken=094063eb31a20fb10c4f45b7346309e4) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/22445/medium_ba73f26a-1e1e-4e49-9739-df1298783de6.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/e804ec9940c5?bidid=4063706312&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=665784373&ptoken=f2388b9958d6d0d655127df80074a580) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/9246/medium_94931930-28cf-46b5-b09d-683979caec81.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/422f15160cce?bidid=4063706306&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=665784373&ptoken=962e316f4e9f3a42a2ffd404e8e9d185) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) If you owe over $20,000 or more, Freedom Debt Relief can help you get back on your feet! [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/u5c2defb44d4?ap_referrer=%2Fwhere-not-to-tip-survey%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/where-not-to-tip-survey/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Personal Finance", "item": "https://money.com/personal-finance/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tipping Your Auto Mechanic? Here’s Where People Draw the Line on Adding Gratuity" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/where-not-to-tip-survey/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/where-not-to-tip-survey/", "name": "Tipping Your Auto Mechanic? 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