4th ABD and tip question

[heart]

Looking forward to SA which will be our 4th ABD.

Not a question on whether or not to tip--we always do.

Not a question on how much to tip--we've always tipped more than recommended as our guides have been fantastic. Will expect to do the same this time and round down only if unexpectedly disappointed.

The question is the same as I've had before, I just hope things have changed. Do I still have to carry that much US cash to tip guides? I remember previously some took PayPal,but there was no way to know ahead of time. How about Venmo?

 

[sayhello]

Still the same. Some Guides can take PayPal, but you don't know until you get there. Most places have ATMs, you could always wait & pull the tips out at the ATM at the last minute...

Maybe they'd take Zelle?

Sayhello

 

[OhanaCuz]

If they have an iPhone Apple Pay cash is a Venmo-like service.

 

[acndis]

By SA, do you mean Southeast Asia? If so, we had Chris Brown and Henry as guides. They are some of the best ABD guides ever! We brought American dollars and gave it to them on the first day (Chris thought this was hilarious). We did not want to carry cash around for the entire trip and this worked very well for us (we knew their service would be incredible, regardless of when we actually gave them the tip). This was a few years ago but neither took PayPal or Venmo.

 

[lucky1]

my first ABD, I thought the guides would be local, so we got extra local cash to give them. But then we found out they were US based and one of them would be getting on a plan to fly "home" the day we left, so it didn't seem right to give her the local cash as a tip. (we had enough US $ to tip and then just had to exchange the local money ourselves) I do wish they made it easier to tip without having to carry lots of cash. I know we can use ATM, but I could see me having a problem locating one when I need it. Our next ABD, we did all US $ and supplemented with extra EURO's we had left over.

 

[CaliKris]

We gave local currency in China since one of our guides lived there and the other was an ABD guide for China all summer. We went to the ATM the night the ABD was over and found out we were limited on how much cash we could take out. We were able to get enough by going back very early the next morning (the day everyone was leaving), but were lucky we didn't wait until the very last minute. They really need to work out a cashless system. It would help the guests as well as the guides having to make a trip to the bank with loads of cash. I would love to be able to put the tips on a credit card and earn miles for our next ABD.

 

[heart]

"They really need to work out a cashless system. It would help the guests as well as the guides having to make a trip to the bank with loads of cash."

Appreciate everyone's thoughts and responses.

We did Southeast Asia 2 years ago and it was wonderful! This time it's South Africa.

We're tipping for a family of five, so it adds up.

 

[BluesTraveler]

I saw a suggestion on Facebook to give Visa cards as a tip - has anyone done that? Thoughts?

 

[sayhello]

I saw a suggestion on Facebook to give Visa cards as a tip - has anyone done that? Thoughts?

I assume they mean pre-paid Visa cards. That's an interesting idea. You wouldn't be able to change the amount on it, but I guess if you plan on a certain amount that wouldn't matter too much. Or you could supplement it with cash.

But I'd make sure they're accepted in the country you're going to before counting on using them as tips.

Sayhello

 

[lucky1]

"They really need to work out a cashless system. It would help the guests as well as the guides having to make a trip to the bank with loads of cash."

Appreciate everyone's thoughts and responses.

We did Southeast Asia 2 years ago and it was wonderful! This time it's South Africa.

We're tipping for a family of five, so it adds up.

I would agree.. I wish I would have thought about this in my survey.

 

[BluesTraveler]

I assume they mean pre-paid Visa cards. That's an interesting idea. You wouldn't be able to change the amount on it, but I guess if you plan on a certain amount that wouldn't matter too much. Or you could supplement it with cash.

But I'd make sure they're accepted in the country you're going to before counting on using them as tips.

Sayhello

Yes, pre-paid Visa cards. Which are accepted anywhere a Visa credit card is accepted - so I would think that's everywhere ABD goes? Yes, I think if you got 2 cards each with an amount typical of what you usually give, then you could also supplement with cash for an outstanding guide(s). It would be easier to carry around than a wad of cash. Not really any more secure if lost, but at least functionally easier since you could just put it with the rest of your credit cards.

 

[sayhello]

Yes, pre-paid Visa cards. Which are accepted anywhere a Visa credit card is accepted - so I would think that's everywhere ABD goes? Yes, I think if you got 2 cards each with an amount typical of what you usually give, then you could also supplement with cash for an outstanding guide(s). It would be easier to carry around than a wad of cash. Not really any more secure if lost, but at least functionally easier since you could just put it with the rest of your credit cards.

That sounds like an excellent idea. You'd probably want to put it in an envelope that indicates how much money is on the card, since the card itself doesn't indicate that, unless it comes in a holder or something.

Sayhello

 

[acndis]

We thought of the prepaid Visa cards and actually asked ABD about it. They mentioned that cash was preferred. Also, not all Visa cards are equal. Some carry fees and are hard to use. For example, ABD actually gave US gift cards to use in Wyoming and the restaurant would not accept them. It's a great idea but we decided against using it for tips for this reason.

 

[BluesTraveler]

We thought of the prepaid Visa cards and actually asked ABD about it. They mentioned that cash was preferred. Also, not all Visa cards are equal. Some carry fees and are hard to use. For example, ABD actually gave US gift cards to use in Wyoming and the restaurant would not accept them. It's a great idea but we decided against using it for tips for this reason.

That's good to know - the guides work so hard definitely would not want them shorted. But I agree with others I wish ABD made it easier.

 

[OhanaCuz]

We thought of the prepaid Visa cards and actually asked ABD about it. They mentioned that cash was preferred. Also, not all Visa cards are equal. Some carry fees and are hard to use. For example, ABD actually gave US gift cards to use in Wyoming and the restaurant would not accept them. It's a great idea but we decided against using it for tips for this reason.

That's bonkers. I barely carry any cash and I certainly don't want to carry a wad of cash around in a foreign country.

That's one thing I really liked about the Amawaterways cruise I took. I could just go up to the front desk and put my tips for the cruise manager and crew on my credit card. I got points that coded as travel and I didn't have to mess with cash. Win win for everyone.

 

[leannak]

Just checking to see if there have been any updates on tipping convenience/methods since this thread from a year ago. I’d prefer not to bring a pile of cash along, especially when I might bring the wrong currency for the particular guides’ preferences anyway.

Also, is everyone trying to find the right moment to tip the guides on the last night?? How does that work? Is it awkward?

 

[sayhello]

Just checking to see if there have been any updates on tipping convenience/methods since this thread from a year ago. I’d prefer not to bring a pile of cash along, especially when I might bring the wrong currency for the particular guides’ preferences anyway.

Also, is everyone trying to find the right moment to tip the guides on the last night?? How does that work? Is it awkward?

The 2 (AMAZING) Adventure Guides for my Japan ABD both took Paypal. I was ready to hit the ATM in Tokyo, but it turned out to be unnecessary. But it's currently only an option for the Guides if they want to use it; it's not mandatory. So you really won't know until you get there if your Guides will accept it or not.

If I'm paying cash, I usually give it to them at the farewell breakfast if I know they're going to be there, or at the end of the farewell dinner otherwise. It's always a bit awkward, but not any more than tipping any sort of guide or your servers on a cruise, etc.

Sayhello

 

[laceltris3]

Every thread on this topic makes me wonder why ABD doesn't implement a cashless option or just include all gratuities in the price of the trip. I want more than anything for the guides to be fairly compensated, but I am paying to not have to worry about stuff on this trip, and carrying tons of cash (for my family of 5) or planning an ATM strategy is just not necessary.

 

[sayhello]

Every thread on this topic makes me wonder why ABD doesn't implement a cashless option or just include all gratuities in the price of the trip. I want more than anything for the guides to be fairly compensated, but I am paying to not have to worry about stuff on this trip, and carrying tons of cash (for my family of 5) or planning an ATM strategy is just not necessary.

I totally agree with this!!

Sayhello

 

[BluesTraveler]

I've actually been thinking about this in the context of group size. One thing about ABD really trending towards the larger group size is that the guides then make more money, so it I imagine the guides prefer the larger group size. The whole tipping issue with ABD definitely does not work to align interests for everyone.