Tipping In St Kitts and Nevis - A Complete Guide
Quick Guide
🍽️ Restaurant - 10-15% If No Service Charge
🍹 Bar - US$1/Drink or 10-15% If Good + No S.C.
🚕 Taxi - 10-15% Expected
🛎️ Porter/Bellhop - US$1/Bag Customary
🛏️ Housekeeping - US$2-4/Day (Opt. If S.C.)
📸 Tour Guide - 10-15% Customary
Both Kittitians and Nevisians appreciate tips but service charges are common and some even tip on top of service charges (for the reasons detailed in the guide below)
Calculate a culturally appropriate tip for St Kitts and Nevis using the calculator below and read on for more detail on tipping in Restaurants, Bars, Taxis, Hotels etc.
St Kitts and Nevis Tip Calculator
Good Tip For St Kitts and Nevis
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Total With Tip
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Tipping in Restaurants
First, check if the restaurant has added a service charge (typically 10%) to your bill.
If there’s no service charge, tip 10-15% for good service. Ifa service charge has been added, you could tip an extra 0-10% of the bill, in cash, on top of this.
It’s not a must to tip of top of the service charge but it’s really the only way to tip your server directly since the service charge is split between all staff.
Tipping In Bars
Getting table service or a lot of drinks? Stick to restaurant-tipping etiquette of 10-15% for good service if there’s no service charge. If there is a service charge, add a 0-10% extra cash tip.
If you’re just getting a drink or two at the bar, tipping isn’t necessary but the bartender would appreciate around $1 USD per drink in cash.
Tipping Taxi Drivers
Taxi drivers here usually expect a 10-15% tip. 10% is perfectly acceptable in any case but feel free to tip closer to 15% (or more) if your driver went above and beyond.
Tipping Porters/Bellhops
It’s customary to tip the bellhop $1 USD per bag whether the hotel charges a service charge or not. Service charges of 10% are common.
Tipping Housekeeping
Housekeepers are used to getting tips of around $2-4 USD per day.
If your hotel bill includes a service charge (typically 10%), consider this tip completely optional. If there isn’t a service charge, the $2-4 USD daily tip would be considered customary.
Tipping Tour Guides
It’s customary to tip your tour guide around 10-15% of the total tour cost. Stick to those guidelines whether you’re getting a tour of the island or you’re participating in a speedboat excursion, snorkelling experience or similar.
Always tip at the end of your tour in cash.
Which Currency To Use
Whilst the East Caribbean Dollar (EC$) is the official currency of St Kitts and Nevis, the US Dollar (USD) is widely accepted and even preferred in some cases.
Locals use both the USD and EC$ in everyday life and some vendors display prices in both currencies.
Since it isn’t easy for locals to get USD (due to typically expensive exchange rates), a lot of them save their USD tips and use them for travel.
Both islands, St Kitts and Nevis, have banks and 24/7 ATMs although they dispense EC$ only.
Whilst cards are accepted in most hotels and large restaurants, cash tips are usually preferred.
Enjoy your trip to SKN! 🇰🇳🏝️🚡
