People You Should Never Tip

Tipping skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic when customers wanted to express their gratitude to front-line workers who risked their health to keep things going. However, the advent of digital payment screens that persistently ask customers if they want to leave a tip, even at businesses where tipping wasn't previously commonplace, has stayed long after the pandemic was declared over. 

According to a 2025 Bankrate study, a whopping 63% of Americans have a negative perception about tipping, with 41% chiming in that businesses should pay their employees a higher salary rather than making staff dependent on gratuity. That's not to say that Americans aren't prepared to tip when tradition calls for it — for example, service staff at restaurants. Bankrate found that 70% of respondents reported always tipping when dining out at an establishment with servers, compared to 75% who reported the same in 2021.

But what about the barista who prepared your morning coffee or the kitchen staff when picking up your takeout food order? Even some department stores and self-service kiosks give customers the option to tip, which can confuse the issue of when, or when not, to tip. While many elements of tipping culture are increasingly confusing, there are several areas of your life that don't require you to leave a tip. From airplanes to the mechanics shop, here are places where you can skip the extra expense.

Tipping flight attendants might seem crazy, but even just a few years ago it would have been considered equally crazy to tip fast food workers. However, flight attendants do sometimes serve you food and drinks as well. The good news is that it's not necessary to tip flight attendants. In comments made to Travel + Leisure, Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said, "Tipping is not part of a flight attendant's compensation for serving as aviation's first responders." She also pointed out that tipping could undermine a flight attendant's duty to focusing on safety first.

Most major airlines openly discourage or prohibit flight attendants from accepting tips, with one major exception. In 2019, low-cost carrier Frontier started offering the option to tip when purchasing food and beverages on its flights. Frontier aside, if you do feel like being generous to one or more members of a flight crew, it'll likely be appreciated. Speaking to The Washington Post, Ashlee Loree, a flight attendant for Delta, shared, "We are all doing our best and trying our hardest every day, and we are so grateful when that doesn't go unnoticed."

Doctors and lawyers are typically well compensated for their time and may even have an ownership interest in their practice, so tipping isn't necessary. It's more appropriate to reward them with a continuing stream of business, a positive review online, or even referrals from friends and family. If you feel a doctor or lawyer has gone above and beyond what was necessary and want to offer a token of gratitude, make sure it's modestly valued and won't cause any awkwardness in the future. In fact, a simple handwritten thank-you note can be an effective and appropriate way to express your gratitude.

The same goes for nurses or any other healthcare worker who can likely receive flowers or a homemade treat every now and again, but not tips. According to Holt Law, healthcare workers are generally prohibited from accepting gratuities due to potential legal and ethical issues such as perceived favoritism or even compromised objectivity. 

Like other professionals, mechanics are a skilled trade and typically well compensated, so tipping isn't strictly necessary. Instead a heartfelt thank you, a positive review of your experience, or referring new customers is likely the best way to express gratitude. That said, in the age of "tip creep," an increasing number of businesses are adding a tip function to their point-of-sale terminals, including automotive repair shops. One mechanic told CBC News that while the occasional gratuity is a nice treat, he skips past the tipping option before handing over the payment terminal to customers on particularly pricey repairs, which can run into the thousands of dollars since that type of customer is already paying enough.

Similarly, the technician who comes to repair your dishwasher probably isn't expecting a tip, either. According to Michigan Appliance Repair, only 4% of its clients give technicians a tip. The company also mentions that while repair professionals won't expect a tip, they also won't be offended if you were to offer one. Per the firm, customers who do tip, typically leave about 10% of the total repair bill, while a great review on social media can be equally appreciated.

When traveling abroad, Americans are well-advised to do some research on the tipping culture of the country or countries that they're visiting. In fact, in certain countries you might never need to leave a tip at all. This is because, in certain parts of the world professions like servers and bartenders are paid a living wage by employers and are therefore not dependent on tips. In the extreme, certain cultures may even be offended if you offer gratuity as they believe that good service is a duty.

On the other end of the spectrum, some countries have expectations of generous tips similar to the United States. Many countries in Europe fall somewhere in the middle. In fact, you may even find that a modest service charge has already been added to a restaurant bill in Europe, so it's okay to leave nothing. If you're feeling generous or your server did an amazing job, a 5% to 10% gratuity is likely more than sufficient, but tip rates can vary depending on the service provides. For instance, a cab driver in Europe might not get the same tip amount as a bartender.

In a nutshell, a little bit of reading on international tipping will go a long way toward avoiding an awkward, stressful moment when the check arrives after your first restaurant meal abroad.

As you can well imagine, tipping a law enforcement officer usually goes against a code of ethics. Police departments in different cities and states may have different restrictions, but typically, the threshold for a gift is quite low. Like with some other professions where it may not be appropriate to tip, a thoughtful thank-you card or a compliment-filled letter to the officer's supervisor can replace a gratuity as a token of your appreciation. You can also donate to a law enforcement charity in the officer's name. 

Similarly, don't be tempted to tip at your local Department of Motor Vehicles to speed up a driver's license, title, or registration process because it could be misconstrued as a bribe. That's exactly what happened at a California DMV facility in 2021, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, where a DMV manager was arrested for granting driver's licenses to applicants who couldn't legitimately pass their written exams. 

The same goes for local building or construction permit offices and building inspectors who operate in the field. These are fairly compensated professionals and gratuities shouldn't be necessary. What's more, an outsized tip or gift could be misinterpreted as trying to get a building plan or on-site quality check approved when it shouldn't be.