Tipping, taxes, cards: managing your money in the USA

In the United States, the price shown is almost never the price paid: sales tax is added at the register, and the tip is added to the bill. In restaurants, the custom is to leave 18 to 20% (15 to 20% according to California’s tourist board); the tax depends on the state and the city: 0% in Oregon, 8.875% in New York. For the rest, bank cards are accepted almost everywhere, and a little cash is enough for tips and remote places.

One example makes things concrete: a $50 dinner on the menu of a New York restaurant comes to $63 or $64, that is $4.44 of tax and $9 to $10 of tip. All the figures in this article were noted in October 2026 on official websites, cited as the text goes along: check them again before you leave.

Tipping in the United States: who, how much, when?

No official text sets the amount of a tip: it is a custom. The benchmarks below are those published by two tourist boards, that of New York City and that of California.

Situation	Custom indicated	According to
Restaurant with table service	18 to 20% of the bill; 15 to 20% depending on the service	New York; California
Bar	$1 per drink, more for an elaborate cocktail	New York and California
Taxi	15 to 20% of the fare	New York and California
Ride-hailing (Uber, Lyft)	15 to 20%; a few dollars	New York; California
Hotel porter	$1 to $2 per bag	New York
Room cleaning	$3 to $5 per day	New York
Doorman who hails a taxi	$2 to $5	New York

The percentage only concerns table service: at the counter or for a takeout order, the custom is much lighter.

Why the tip is not just a gesture

The tip is part of the wage. Federal law allows an employer to pay $2.13 an hour to a tipped employee, when the federal minimum wage is $7.25: the gap is supposed to come from customers, and the employer only makes it up if the tips fall short. These amounts are those published by the US Department of Labor, in a table revised on July 1, 2026.

Not all states follow this rule. Seven of them require the full minimum wage before any tip: Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington State. California’s tourist board nonetheless recommends 15 to 20% in restaurants.

Tip: In music bars where entry is free, like the honky-tonks on Broadway in Nashville, tipping the musicians is the rule. Keep $1 and $5 notes: US currency has seven denominations of note, from $1 to $100.

Sales tax: why the price at the register exceeds the label

Price labels, restaurant menus and room rates are quoted before tax. Sales tax is set by each state, then increased by counties and cities. So there is no single American rate, but one rate per place.

Place	Sales tax	Detail
New York (city)	8.875%	4.5% for the city, 4% for the state, 0.375% transport surcharge
Las Vegas (Clark County)	8.375%	Nevada base rate: 6.85%
California	7.25% at minimum	District taxes of 0.10 to 2.00% are added, sometimes combined
Oregon	0%	No general sales tax

Rates noted in October 2026 from the tax authorities of each state or city. The calculation of the overall budget, item by item, is in our article on the budget for a trip to the United States.

Resort fees and hotel charges: what is added to the room price

The resort fee is a compulsory daily flat charge that some hotels bill on top of the night. In Las Vegas, allow $40 to $50 per night, the order of magnitude we give travelers on our Deserts and Las Vegas stage, and up to $55 before tax in the big hotels on the Strip, an amount noted in October 2026 on a hotel’s website. These charges change often: check your own hotel’s.

Since May 12, 2025, a rule from the FTC, the federal consumer protection authority, has required short-term lodging to advertise a total price that includes all compulsory fees. It specifically names the resort fee. Two limits to be aware of:

• Taxes may remain outside the total price. They only have to be shown before payment.
• Lodging taxes are added to sales tax. In New York, for example, the city collects $2 per day per room on top of a percentage tax, and the state $1.50 per day.

So always compare the final amount, taxes included, and not the headline price.

Bank cards in the United States: payment and deposit

Cards are accepted almost everywhere and contactless payment is widespread. The point that surprises people is the hold: on arrival at the hotel or at the rental desk, the business may reserve the estimated amount of the bill on your card, without debiting it.

Watch out: According to the FTC, this hold is replaced by the actual charge within a day or two if you pay with the card presented on arrival. If you pay another way, it can last up to 15 days. With a debit card, it is the balance of your account that goes down during that time.

The FTC advises asking on arrival whether there is a hold, what its amount is and how long it lasts. For the car, the other charges are set out in renting a car in the United States.

Cash and cash machines: how much to keep on you?

Little. Cash is mainly useful in a few situations:

• tips at the hotel and the bar;
• campsites and markets;
• stalls and excursions on Navajo land;
• some music clubs, where a minimum spend replaces the entry ticket.

In the rural West, cash machines become scarce: between Page and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, it is better to have withdrawn beforehand. As for fees, the operator of an ATM that takes a commission must state the amount, on screen or on paper, before you confirm, and you can then cancel without paying anything. Your own bank’s fees, however, do not appear on screen: ask about them before you leave, along with the rest of the preparations for a trip to the United States.

So, how should you plan your money in the United States?

• In restaurants, add 25 to 30% to the menu price in the big cities: the local tax, then an 18 to 20% tip.
• At the hotel, only compare total prices, resort fee and taxes included.
• To pay, the card, and the same card from start to finish of a hotel stay or a rental.
• In your pocket, small notes for tips and remote stops.

The hardest item to anticipate remains New York, where everything adds up: 8.875% sales tax, room taxes and tips at every service. Our New York in 9 days itinerary gives the price benchmarks per meal. All the other regions are on the United States page.