What's the biggest tip you've ever given to someone?

[SacredCow]

Mine:

I had taken a cruise out of Miami in 1996 and on the last night out, the boat broke down due to water in the fuel lines. It ended up setting the schedule back by 3+ hours, and combined with the fact that I ended up being in the last group to disembark, I arrived at the airport just as my flight began boarding. Standing in a line of probably 100+ people who were waiting to have their luggage checked, I knew that there was virtually no chance of making the flight.

A rather jovial porter was helping to keep the line moving, so I pulled him aside and showed him a 50-dollar bill and said, "My flight is boarding right now, and I don't want to miss it. What can you do?" He snatched the bill and took my bags to be checked around to the back of the counter, then re-appeared and said, "Follow me- And try to keep up!!!" He escorted me around just about every checkpoint (Ah, the days before 9-11) and got me to the gate in record time.

Worth EVERY penny.

[ogneopasno]

1. Tipped a car-parker $20 once.

[LynneSin]

2. The best tips I ever gave out was to the bartender at 'open bar' nights

In Philly they would have these events at clubs where you pay $10 for all you can drink for 2 hours. I would always give the bartender this really great tip for my very first drink and the rest of the happy hour you were guarenteed very quick service.

[SacredCow]

6. I do that most of the time....

I do my tipping with my first drink, and get great service for the rest of the night.

[mcctatas]

3. As a former waitress I tend to over tip as a rule...

But the biggest tip I remember getting was from a bunch of Australian pilots during our airshow, they were really rowdy and ran my ass off for three hours but when it was done they left me $250 on a $350 bill, and then we met up after work and they bought my girlfriends and I drinks all night. We still get together once a year when the airshow is in town, good times and debauchery ensue :P

[SacredCow]

7. I tend to overtip as well....

especially when I see the jerks that leave a couple of bucks on a $50 bill.

[LynneSin]

9. If I tip someone 15% that means the person sucked

If I tip below 15% I've probably already spoke to the manager for the horrible service I received.

I waited tables for years - 20% is my starting point.

[Symarip]

4. About 7 or 8 inches

Ow ow OW!!!

[SacredCow]

5. I knew that type of answer would eventually surface.....

:hi:

[mcctatas]

8. So you tipped her 3 times?

:hide:

[Symarip]

10. It may be short

But it sure is thin.

[mcctatas]

11. Outstanding!

[MrCoffee]

12. $100

There's a restaurant we go on Saturday morning for breakfast a couple of times a month, where they know us on sight and seat us right away. 90% of the time we have the same server, and she is amazingly good at her job. We have 2 little kids, and there are rare occasions when they aren't at their best, but this server is phenomenal when it comes to taking care of the kids, both of whom adore her.

We left her a hundred dollar tip.

[HopeHoops]

13. Biggest tip? "Don't fart in an elevator."

[SacredCow]

16. That IS a good tip.....

:hide:

[Bertha Venation]

14. $20 on a $19 bill at a diner in Hollywood, FL,

where it's clear that the waitresses don't work because they want to.

[Rambis]

15. 15 Euro

Fenton the bartender looked at it and tried to hand it back to me and when I waived him on he looked very confused.

[lazyriver]

17. $110 to two bartenders on a cruise...

My wife and I were witnesses for our friends' wedding on a cruise ship. We aren't cruise people but they paid our way and really wanted us to be with them. Besides, it was December, below zero where we live in Maine and the cruise was from Tampa to Grand Cayman, Belize and Cozumel...so what the hell?

We learned drinks weren't included when we boarded and they wanted us to secure our "cruise cards" with our credit cards...I guess everything is supposed to be paid with the cruise card while on board and then they charge it all back to your credit card...no cash. Well after paying for our first round of drinks (way overpriced drinks)at the pool bar with the card and seeing a 10% tip included on the charge, Bill and I tipped the bartenders an extra 10% in cash as we each usually tip 20% to good bartenders. At first the two very cool Jamaican bartenders tried to refuse the cash saying, "No mon, tip is included already", but we insisted and they were very grateful. (I later learned how little money cruise ship employees actually make...they didn't even get to keep all of the 10% tip included on the bill).

So we had a second round and tipped them extra cash again. Later that evening we came back for some serious drinking and neither guy would accept our cards when we offered..."Dis one's on da house mon" is all they would say. Bill and I drank quite a bit, our wives had a couple fancy drinks as well but we weren't charged. A quick tally at the end of the night led us to estimate our bill should have been close to $200. Not looking for a free ride, we gave each bartender $100. We didn't pay for another drink for the whole week and we pretty much stayed drunk the whole time. We even ended up partying with both bartenders when we got to Cozumel. They had an 8 hour break to go ashore and told us where they would be. They even hooked us up with a local "agricultural products" salesman they knew from repeated stops in Cozumel. Bill and I figured we each drank at least $1200 worth of liquor on that ship and probably $200 each for our wives but spent only $220 in cash tips combined.

My liver has never been the same.

[SCantiGOP]

18. over 50% on a bar bill

We were drunk when we went in. I think the total bill was around $30 and I just miscalculated. My wife didn't let me forget it for a long time.