Coin to carry in Southampton-London

We have already pre-paid for our travel from Heathrow to Southampton and are staying at the HI the night before our cruise. We have a tour post cruise that stops at Stonehenge and takes us back to the Airport where will are staying at another HI. We fly out the next morning to Barcelona.

We will most likely only need to pay for meals and tips while in England. Do most of the local eateries accept major credit cards (Visa/MC/AMEX)? What's the tipping policy after a meal? Do you tip the porters at the cruise ship? Are US dollars accepted?

Most eateries accept cards nowadays (AMEX might be tricky but Visa and Mastercard are universally accepted). Many places add a service charge (often 12.5%) so no extra tip required. If no SC then 10%-15% is common.

 

 

We have never tipped porters at Southampton. US dollars are not accepted in UK (except at a few touristy shops and at a criminal rate of exchange).

Payment with plastic is very widespread, particularly for significant purchases like a meal, but not so often at market stalls etc

Visa & M/C are equally acceptable, but don't rely solely on Amex which isn't so widely accepted outside London.

At airports folk normally use cards, even for just a coffee.

(decline any offer to convert the check into your home currency - leave it in sterling, & your card issuer will convert at a vastly better exchange rate)

 

A service charge is often applied on meals, particularly in tourist places like central London. That's for all patrons & not just large groups. Look out for the charge on menus, including menus displayed outside (by law it has to be mentioned). Brits tend not to add a tip when a service charge has been applied though you might want to do so for truly exceptional service.

In tourist areas you just might also find a cover charge (a pound or two) or an extra charge for veg. - in our case that's counter-productive cos we don't tip at all when there are add-ons. Again such charges must be clearly mentioned on the menu..

When there's no service charge it's entirely up to you whether & how much to tip. For excellent service at a full-service restaurant the absolute max would be 10%, though you'd have to disguise your north American accent :D.

Cash is preferable, but check whether you can add the tip to the credit card payment.

At some establishments - particularly pubs - you find your own table, order & pay at the bar. No tip, or mebbe a couple of pounds for the server.

 

It's not usual to tip bartenders.

 

£5 to £10 tip for the driver LHR to Southampton would be appreciated.

 

No, in the UK we don't tip luggage handlers at the port except for the occasional passenger who uses a porter to carry bags a significant distance. (At airports trolleys are freely available, if you use a porter there's a hefty fee).

 

There are legal minimum wages in the UK - tips are the jelly, not the bread & butter, so it's no big deal if you get it wrong.

 

No, USD or other currencies are only very rarely accepted - and if they are, the exchange rate will be awful. Use sterling or plastic.

The exception is for tips. Since these are optional there's no obligation to use sterling. Those in hospitality services dealing with international visitors (including car services to/from the port) will be quite used to tips in any major currency, and USD will be happily accepted.

 

BTW on the ship (including US ships) for tips over & above auto-tip, sterling is perfectly OK except mebbe for the last cruise of the UK season. A good way of using-up unspent sterling.

 

JB :)

We will most likely only need to pay for meals and tips while in England. Do most of the local eateries accept major credit cards (Visa/MC/AMEX)? What's the tipping policy after a meal?

Most eateries accept cards nowadays (AMEX might be tricky but Visa and Mastercard are universally accepted). Many places add a service charge (often 12.5%) so no extra tip required. If no SC then 10%-15% is common.

You should have very few problems trying to use an Amex in London - there are relatively few places that don't take Amex, and they tend to be smaller places that don't have the commercial clout to persuade Amex to reduce their fees. And to be frank, I have actually had few problems using an Amex anywhere in the country. However, because there are some places that don't, I have always carried a Mastercard or Visa as well; however, I use it for fewer than 1 in 10 in-person transactions.

 

Since the advent of chip and PIN as a card verification method, most London restaurants do one of two things. Either a service charge is added, which is technically voluntary but is a useful replacement for even thinking about tipping. Or if no service charge is added, the card machine is usually set up to allow you to choose a tip amount. This is because chip and PIN - and latterly, the spread of contactless payment - has meant that payment is much less often made using any form of cash. It is uncommon now to find a restaurant (at least in London) that doesn't do one of these two things.

 

Do you tip the porters at the cruise ship? Are US dollars accepted?

We have never tipped porters at Southampton. US dollars are not accepted in UK (except at a few touristy shops and at a criminal rate of exchange).

My experience is that the porters at Southampton don't hang around long enough for you to tip them, even if you were minded to. They grab the bags and vanish instantly.

 

No, USD or other currencies are only very rarely accepted - and if they are, the exchange rate will be awful. Use sterling or plastic.

The exception is for tips. Since these are optional there's no obligation to use sterling. Those in hospitality services dealing with international visitors (including car services to/from the port) will be quite used to tips in any major currency, and USD will be happily accepted.

I once had a funny chat with someone who found himself sometimes getting tipped in USD. There was never enough of them to do anything with, so he decided to wallpaper his toilet with them. People will be perfectly friendly and cordial while you're tipping them, and then they will have a belly laugh once you're out of sight and earshot. There really is no point trying to do this, unless specifically invited. (I did once encounter a taxi driver who had a sign expressly welcoming USD. Because of the ludicrous exchange rate he was offering, he found it a cheap way of collecting some spending money for his annual family holiday in Orlando.)

 

I once had a funny chat with someone who found himself sometimes getting tipped in USD. There was never enough of them to do anything with, so he decided to wallpaper his toilet with them.

 

Hi G.,

 

Either that person didn't deal with many international visitors, or their service was so goddam awful that tips weren't forthcoming ;)

Or mebbe they have a particularly small toilet :D

 

My coach-driving duties included ships' transfers, and USD tips used to provide my spending money on trips to the USA.:)

 

JB :)

We have already pre-paid for our travel from Heathrow to Southampton and are staying at the HI the night before our cruise. We have a tour post cruise that stops at Stonehenge and takes us back to the Airport where will are staying at another HI. We fly out the next morning to Barcelona.

We will most likely only need to pay for meals and tips while in England. Do most of the local eateries accept major credit cards (Visa/MC/AMEX)? What's the tipping policy after a meal? Do you tip the porters at the cruise ship? Are US dollars accepted?

 

From your itinerary, I would say that you are unlikely to need any cash at all in the UK. Ask your friends if they have any GBP left over from a trip and bring 20 or so to cover tips (for the post-cruise tour).

 

As an illustration - on our cruise from Southampton this year we drove 120 miles to Portsmouth to stay the night with DD, bought a takeaway in the evening and then drove to Southampton. All without spending any GBP at all.

My coach-driving duties included ships' transfers ...

That put you in a rather special position, unlikely to be shared by many people even if they have a lot of contact with tourists generally!

That put you in a rather special position, unlikely to be shared by many people even if they have a lot of contact with tourists generally!

 

Not really, G.

Yes, needs to be in a "tipping" profession.

Yes, needs to have a high proportion of international visitors.

So not a lot of use to a waiter in Bradford, or a cab driver on the Gower.

 

But fine for a guide in Bath, or a Southampton to Heathrow car service driver.

 

JB :)

We ate in a couple of restaurants in London that did not take credit cards. The big surprise for us was needing coins to use the toilet in Victoria Coach Station. It was 30p. Fortunately I had enough for both of us to go.

From your itinerary, I would say that you are unlikely to need any cash at all in the UK. Ask your friends if they have any GBP left over from a trip and bring 20 or so to cover tips (for the post-cruise tour).

 

As an illustration - on our cruise from Southampton this year we drove 120 miles to Portsmouth to stay the night with DD, bought a takeaway in the evening and then drove to Southampton. All without spending any GBP at all.

 

just to add to your post

asking USA friends if they have any left over £ may fall flat if they visited over a year ago as our £5 and £10 notes are now plastic and old paper notes no longer accepted

 

on cruise this year several Americans asked me if their old paper notes could be used and I had to tell them no

just to add to your post

asking USA friends if they have any left over £ may fall flat if they visited over a year ago as our £5 and £10 notes are now plastic and old paper notes no longer accepted

 

on cruise this year several Americans asked me if their old paper notes could be used and I had to tell them no

 

Yet we have several reports on this board of people taking them into any random bank and having no trouble with an exchange. It's true that commercial places won't accept them though so they are a little more of a problem.

along the same lines here

 

Are their public W/C s where you may need coins to use them like in Europe?

Not good standing in line dancing while you see if you or someone in line has some to change

 

we wil be in Southampton, Portsmouth & Winchester

Thanks all for the input.

 

While on board we typically tip our room steward and for drinks in the Diamond lounge. Would the tips be in Sterling? Our cruise is very near to the TA back to the states.

Thanks all for the input.

 

While on board we typically tip our room steward and for drinks in the Diamond lounge. Would the tips be in Sterling? Our cruise is very near to the TA back to the states.

 

I'm assuming that this is on top of auto-tips.

Being close to the end of the ship's European season, I think USD would be preferred.

 

But if you have left-over sterling (or euros) it makes sense to use them up.

Bear in mind that the lowest bill denominations are £5 and €5 so if you have a stack of coins use the last transaction you do in the UK / Euroland to swap coins for bills, allowing the stewards to exchange them for USD if necessary.

 

JB :)

We ate in a couple of restaurants in London that did not take credit cards.

 

And you survived?

along the same lines here

 

Are their public W/C s where you may need coins to use them like in Europe?

Not good standing in line dancing while you see if you or someone in line has some to change

 

we wil be in Southampton, Portsmouth & Winchester

Just use pubs, easy, especially if they have people sitting outside.

 

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