Is tipping with a foreign currency acceptable/appreciated? [closed]
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I'm traveling from Peru to New Zealand and I have some leftover Soles. I'm curious if I were in a coffee shop or a restaurant: how would my server react to a tip that includes a foreign currency?
To be clear, I would still leave a proper tip in the local currency (NZD in this case), but I might add a few Peruvian coins/bills "for fun".
Would this sort of thing be appreciated, should I not bother, or maybe does it depend on the situation (e.g., tip jars at a coffee shop work differently than tipping your server at a restaurant)?
Best Answer
Tipping on foreign currency is okay if:
- It's a global currency (dollars, pounds, euros) or a locally known currency (e.g. Australian dollars in New Zealand)
- You have notes rather than coins, since most exchange places only accept bills
- You're in a touristy place
Otherwise it would only annoy the server as they'd have to go out of their way to exchange your money, or just throw it out as a useless piece of paper. So to answer your question - no, do not tip in Soles while in New Zealand.
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