Tip questions

[scrollmaster]

First train trip.. Wife and I traveling in a couple weeks and will have 7 nights with bedrooms with all segments together. For two people together in a room is $20 an appropriate tip per day? And do you give it to your attendant when they initially bring you to your room or later?

 

[Rail Freak]

If they give great service, maybe? If they pull a disappearing act,$0!!! I'm a single traveler in a roomette, great service $10!

 

[RalphCT]

I definitely tip based on Service.

Great service in the sleeping car = $20.

Diner: Breakfast and lunch = $3; Diner $5

 

[tricia]

There's been a LOT of discussion about tipping on this forum over the past several years. You might want to look for some of that.

At the risk of being pilloried for it by folks here who'll say I've got it wrong (it's been a contentious subject here), here's a rough guide to my recollection of what folks here have most typically posted:

Sleeping car attendant: Anywhere from $5 per person per night and up, depending on how helpful they are. Zero if they're not reasonably available and helpful. I think most folks tip when they're leaving the train, but others tip at other times--there's no fixed "rule" for this.

Dining car: Either tip as you would at a restaurant, or a flat $1-3/person for breakfast or lunch and $5 for dinner, or not at all unless service is good. Note that waitstaff in the dining car, like all Amtrak employees, are paid a proper salary, not the sub-minimum wage most restauarant workers get (on the assumption that much of their pay is in tips). If you ask your sleeping car attendant to bring you a meal in your room, they get the tip for that.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip!

 

[cpotisch]

For standard service, I generally do $5 per person per night. If the SCA is crap (nowhere to be found, snide, unhelpful), then I might tip nothing. If they’re really nice, helpful, always on hand, then I might tip double what I usually would. And if I order food to my room, I just tip the attendant as I would in the dining car.

But I would say that a total of $5/person/night should be your baseline.

 

[cpotisch]

Oh, and I would generally tip when you’re retraining at your destination. You should set a reminder so you remember. One time when my dad and I were on the Silver Star for New Years Eve, we had a wonderful SCA (one of the best I’ve ever had) and forgot to tip him. On New Years Eve. With a wonderful attendant. Pretty sad way to start 2014.

 

[me_little_me]

First train trip.. Wife and I traveling in a couple weeks and will have 7 nights with bedrooms with all segments together. For two people together in a room is $20 an appropriate tip per day? And do you give it to your attendant when they initially bring you to your room or later?

Initially bring you to your room? What's that? Oh yeah! That's something redcaps do where they exist. As to the SCA, most don't even help us seniors in our 70s lift our bags up the stairs to the train level much less doing the same inside the train on a superliner. They do tell us which direction to turn when they check our names off as we board ourselves and our bags.

If I were to base my tip on their initial help, I'd almost never have to tip.

 

[Chey]

I definitely tip based on Service.

Great service in the sleeping car = $20.

Diner: Breakfast and lunch = $3; Diner $5

I usually tip $10 for room service, $5 for breakfast,lunch & dinner in the diner. I've seen coach passengers in the diner do even better, but usually wine is involved .

 

[cpotisch]

I definitely tip based on Service.Great service in the sleeping car = $20.Diner: Breakfast and lunch = $3; Diner $5

I usually tip $10 for room service, $5 for breakfast,lunch & dinner in the diner. I've seen coach passengers in the diner do even better, but usually wine is involved .

I just tip as I would in a restaurant, based on the menu prices. 20% for very good service. 15% for crappy service. And I do the same thing for room service.

 

[Dakota 400]

Dining Car: 20% of the cost of the meal even if I was not a Sleeping Car guest. If the service is not up to my expectation based on my past Amtrak experience, less is appropriate, I think.

SCA: $10/night is sufficient, I think. If the individual's service is truly exceptional, I'd adjust that amount. Poor and invisible service by the SCA would warrant a Thomas Jefferson bill at most. I'd have trouble with my conscious by not offering something upon disembarking the train.

Lounge/Cafe Car: $1 per drink is appropriate. For a more involved order, consider 10% of the charge, but no more.

 

[Lonestar648]

SCA my base is $5/day pp. I tip at the end of the trip, either when I am getting off or maybe 10 minutes before so I do not forget. A great SCA will get more, plus a letter of Thanks to Amtrak. SCA who is MIA except to have their hand out at the end of the trip receives nothing except a complaint letter to Amtrak. On long loop trips, I calculate my base tips for SCA, Dining Car, Cafe, Red Caps then go to the bank to make sure I have enough small bills. Getting change on the train isn't as easy as it used to be, especially if most people need change.

 

[scrollmaster]

Thanks everyone. I like the $5 per person and adjust up or down based on performance idea. Wish I could tip with card and avoid carrying cash at all.

 

[Triley]

First train trip.. Wife and I traveling in a couple weeks and will have 7 nights with bedrooms with all segments together. For two people together in a room is $20 an appropriate tip per day? And do you give it to your attendant when they initially bring you to your room or later?

Initially bring you to your room? What's that? Oh yeah! That's something redcaps do where they exist. As to the SCA, most don't even help us seniors in our 70s lift our bags up the stairs to the train level much less doing the same inside the train on a superliner. They do tell us which direction to turn when they check our names off as we board ourselves and our bags.
If I were to base my tip on their initial help, I'd almost never have to tip.

Not that you should have to, but next time ask them to assist you once the train departs and they're able to. SCAs aren't suppose to leave the door unattended while it's open. I haven't reviewed the SCA section of the rule book, but I believe it tells them to leave the luggage in the vestibule and bring it up after departure.
This reminds me I bed to go download my updated book too!

 

[Triley]

Thanks everyone. I like the $5 per person and adjust up or down based on performance idea. Wish I could tip with card and avoid carrying cash at all.

If you purchase something from the cafe, or an alcoholic beverage from the diner, you may tip on your credit card. But only for that one transition and person, of course.

 

[JRR]

Thanks everyone. I like the $5 per person and adjust up or down based on performance idea. Wish I could tip with card and avoid carrying cash at all.

If you purchase something from the cafe, or an alcoholic beverage from the diner, you may tip on your credit card. But only for that one transition and person, of course.

Actually you can purchase and charge for others at the table. You just have to have it put on your dinner ticket.

 

[snvboy]

My best rule of thumb on tipping the sleeping car attendant is this:

A couple years ago I took the California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville in a bedroom with my wife. Her cousin traveled in coach, but joined us in the room during the day. Our attendant kept our ice bucket full, turned the room around without us needing to ask, and would check in throughout the day. Everything a good SCA should do.

I slipped him a $50 as we alighted the train. About twenty seconds later, he came jogging after me on the platform because he thought I had mistakenly tipped him too much. He wasn't a newbie at this, and had obviously been around as an SCA for a while.

So, for a two night, two(ish) person trip, I think $50 should be your upper limit on an SCA tip and only for exceptional service.

 

[Triley]

Thanks everyone. I like the $5 per person and adjust up or down based on performance idea. Wish I could tip with card and avoid carrying cash at all.

If you purchase something from the cafe, or an alcoholic beverage from the diner, you may tip on your credit card. But only for that one transition and person, of course.

Actually you can purchase and charge for others at the table. You just have to have it put on your dinner ticket.

It doesn't have to be put on your meal check. You just tell the LSA you want to pay for whoever's meals. We don't care who pays for what, as long as it all gets paid for.
What I was saying is that you can only tip one person per transaction. But not like..put $20 and ask for them to give $15 of it to your sleeping car attendant. That $20 counts as income to your diner attendant, so it wouldn't be fair to have that included on their income, but have some of the money go to sleeper attendant.

 

[JRR]

Thanks everyone. I like the $5 per person and adjust up or down based on performance idea. Wish I could tip with card and avoid carrying cash at all.

If you purchase something from the cafe, or an alcoholic beverage from the diner, you may tip on your credit card. But only for that one transition and person, of course.

Actually you can purchase and charge for others at the table. You just have to have it put on your dinner ticket.

It doesn't have to be put on your meal check. You just tell the LSA you want to pay for whoever's meals. We don't care who pays for what, as long as it all gets paid for.
What I was saying is that you can only tip one person per transaction. But like..put $20 and ask for them to give $15 of it to your sleeping car attendant.

That’s interesting. I didn’t know that you could put a tip for the SCA on your dining car charge.

 

[cpotisch]

But like..put $20 and ask for them to give $15 of it to your sleeping car attendant.

Of course there’s always a risk that your waiter “forgets” and just happens to not give the money to the SCA...

 

[Triley]

But like..put $20 and ask for them to give $15 of it to your sleeping car attendant.

Of course there’s always a risk that your waiter “forgets” and just happens to not give the money to the SCA...

Thanks everyone. I like the $5 per person and adjust up or down based on performance idea. Wish I could tip with card and avoid carrying cash at all.

If you purchase something from the cafe, or an alcoholic beverage from the diner, you may tip on your credit card. But only for that one transition and person, of course.

Actually you can purchase and charge for others at the table. You just have to have it put on your dinner ticket.

It doesn't have to be put on your meal check. You just tell the LSA you want to pay for whoever's meals. We don't care who pays for what, as long as it all gets paid for.
What I was saying is that you can only tip one person per transaction. But like..put $20 and ask for them to give $15 of it to your sleeping car attendant.

That’s interesting. I didn’t know that you could put a tip for the SCA on your dining car charge.

That's because I need to stop making posts on my phone. I was trying to clarify that you can NOT tip any person other than your attendant in the diner on a credit card check in the diner.