To Tip or Not to Tip, A Global Guide

Ian
Nov 23, 2023
9 min read

Updated: May 3, 2024

Introduction

It seems to me that the last decade has ratcheted up the confusion about where, when, and how much to tip at various locations. Coming from Canada, I had always been a relatively generous tipper at 20% for restaurant staff, and made sure to tip the hotel staff and taxi drivers. I would tip my hair stylist as well but would not think about tipping a Subway, Starbucks, Panera, or Dairy Queen for example.

Nowadays though it feels as though everywhere under the sun is trying to encourage tipping. This became particularly noticeable over the last 3-4 years with the implementation of electronic point of sale terminals. I could be at a local ice cream parlor buying a cone for my child and the Apple pay prompts me with a 15% / 20% / 25% option to tip. I see this everywhere, even in places like movie theatre concessions, gas stations, and self-service terminals. Yes, self-service terminals! Who exactly am I tipping, myself??? I even read about "Hopper", a Canadian online travel booking app that automatically adds a 10% tip to your booking to "thank" hopper for finding them the deal (um, isn't that the ****ing purpose of your app you bloody idiots!) and you need to opt-out to avoid it. WTAF?

It has gotten ridiculous.

I'm sorry but I hate feeling obligated to tip at these kinds of venues and I get angry when I see them laying a guilt trip on the consumer. We should not have to bear the burden of corporations not paying their employees enough. They are making more money for themselves by passing this cost down to the consumer and it irks me. Am I the bad guy here?

I know in my travels I have encountered many different cultures and none of them seemed to be as arbitrary and intrusive with respect to tipping as it is in North America. On a whim, I thought it might be fun to assemble a list of several countries around the world and compare the tipping protocols for each country. For each country I looked at the most typical circumstances. Dine-in restaurants, hotel staff (maid/bellhop/valet), taxi/Uber, and miscellaneous like Starbucks, fast food places, etc. I did not look at services like hair stylists, spas or the like as that I think comes down to more of a 'how happy are you with the treatment you received' from the individual and you play it by ear.

So, here are the results of my research. Feel free to leave me a tip if you liked it...

North America

Canada:

Restaurants: 15-20% is customary.
Hotels: $1-2 per bag for porters; $2-5 per night for housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but small change or rounding up is common.

United States:

Restaurants: 15-20% of the bill.
Taxis: 15-20% of the fare.
Hotels: $1-2 per bag for porters; $2-5 per night for housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but small change or rounding up is common.

Mexico:

Restaurants: 10-15% is customary.
Taxis: 10-15% of the fare.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

South America

Brazil:

Restaurants: 10% is customary.
Taxis: Round up the fare.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Peru:

Restaurants: 10% is customary.
Taxis: Round up the fare.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Argentina:

Restaurants: 10% is customary.
Taxis: Round up the fare.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

The Caribbean

Jamaica:

Restaurants: 10-15% is customary if a service charge is not included.
Taxis: 10-15% of the fare.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Barbados:

Restaurants: 10-15% is customary if a service charge is not included.
Taxis: 10-15% of the fare.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Bermuda:

Restaurants: 15-20% is customary.
Taxis: 10-15% of the fare.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Turks and Caicos:

Restaurants: 10-15% is customary.
Taxis: 10-15% of the fare.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Antigua and Barbuda:

Restaurants: 10-15% is customary.
Taxis: 10-15% of the fare.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Keep in mind that practices may vary within the Caribbean islands, so it's advisable to inquire locally or observe what others are doing. Some islands may have a service charge included in bills, while others may not. It's always a good idea to adapt your tipping habits based on the specific customs of the island you're visiting.

Europe

United Kingdom:

Restaurants: 10-15% service charge may be included; otherwise, leaving 10-15% is customary.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest pound.
Hotels: £1-2 per bag for porters; no tipping at reception.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not expected but rounding up is common.

Ireland:

Restaurants: 10-15% is customary, especially for table service.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest euro.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Netherlands:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; rounding up is common.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest euro.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Belgium:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; rounding up is common.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest euro.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

France:

Restaurants: Service charge is included (service compris). Additional small change is appreciated.
Taxis: Round up the fare.
Hotels: €1-2 per bag for porters; €1-2 for housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Small change or rounding up is common.

Germany:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; rounding up is common.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest euro.
Hotels: €1-2 per bag for porters; tipping housekeeping is common.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is usual.

Spain:

Restaurants: Service charge is not common. Leave small change or round up.
Taxis: Round up the fare.
Hotels: €1-2 per bag for porters; small tips for housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Small change or rounding up.

Italy:

Restaurants: Service charge is often included (coperto); rounding up is customary.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest euro.
Hotels: €1-2 per bag for porters; €1-2 for housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Small change or rounding up.

Greece:

Restaurants: Service charge is not standard; round up the bill.
Taxis: Round up the fare.
Hotels: €1-2 per bag for porters; tipping housekeeping is customary.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Small change or rounding up.

Turkey:

Restaurants: 5-10% is common.
Taxis: Round up the fare.
Hotels: Small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not expected but rounding up is common.

Cyprus:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; rounding up is common.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest euro.
Hotels: Small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Small change or rounding up.

Portugal:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; rounding up is typical.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest euro.
Hotels: €1-2 per bag for porters; small tips for housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Small change or rounding up.

Sweden:

Restaurants: Service charge is often included; rounding up is customary.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest 10 SEK.
Hotels: Tips are included; small tips for exceptional service.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not common, but rounding up is okay.

Norway:

Restaurants: Service charge included; additional tipping is not common.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest 10 NOK.
Hotels: Tips included; small tips for exceptional service.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not expected but rounding up is fine.

Denmark:

Restaurants: Service charge is often included; rounding up is typical.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest 10 DKK.
Hotels: Tips included; small tips for exceptional service.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not expected but rounding is ok.

Finland:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; rounding up is common.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest euro.
Hotels: Tips are included; small tips for exceptional service.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not expected, but rounding up is fine.

Iceland:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; additional tipping is not common.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest 100 ISK.
Hotels: Tips are included; small tips for exceptional service.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not common, but rounding up is okay.

Poland:

Restaurants: 10% is appreciated.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest złoty.
Hotels: Tips are not obligatory but appreciated.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not common, but rounding up is okay.

Romania:

Restaurants: 5-10% is common.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest leu.
Hotels: Small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not expected, but rounding up is fine.

Hungary

Restaurants: 10% is customary.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest forint.
Hotels: Small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not common, but rounding up is okay.

Asia

Pakistan:

Restaurants: Service charge is usually not included; 5-10% is customary.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Bangladesh:

Restaurants: Service charge is not common; 5-10% is customary.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

India:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; rounding up is common.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest 10 INR.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not common, but rounding up is okay.

Japan:

Restaurants: Tipping is not a common practice and may even be considered rude. Exceptional service is acknowledged verbally.
Taxis: Tipping is not common; round up if you wish.
Hotels: Tips are not expected; exceptional service may be acknowledged with a thank you.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not expected.

China:

Restaurants: Service charge is included; additional tipping is not customary.
Taxis: Tipping is not expected, but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not common, but rounding up is okay.

Thailand:

Restaurants: Small change or rounding up is common.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest 20 THB.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Small change or rounding up.

Vietnam:

Restaurants: Tipping is not customary, but small change or rounding up is appreciated.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest 10,000 VND.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Philippines:

Restaurants: 10% is customary.
Taxis: Tips are not mandatory but appreciated.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

South Korea:

Restaurants: Tipping is not common; exceptional service may be acknowledged verbally.
Taxis: Tipping is not expected; rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are not customary; exceptional service may be acknowledged verbally.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not common, but rounding up is okay.

Russia:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; 10% is customary.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Middle East

Egypt:

Restaurants: 5-10% is customary.
Taxis: Tipping is not expected but appreciated.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not common, but rounding up is okay.

Saudi Arabia:

Restaurants: 10% is common, and some places may include a service charge.
Taxis: Tips are not expected but appreciated.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not common, but rounding up is acceptable.

Qatar:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; additional tipping is appreciated.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Iraq:

Restaurants: Tips may be included; additional tipping is appreciated.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory but appreciated.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Jordan:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; additional tipping is appreciated.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

United Arab Emirates (UAE):

Restaurants: Service charge is often included; additional tipping is appreciated.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Oman:

Restaurants: Service charge may be included; additional tipping is appreciated.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Israel:

Restaurants: 10-15% is customary
Taxis: 10-15% of the fare
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Oceania

Australia:

Restaurants: 10% is common, but tipping is not as prevalent as in some other countries.
Taxis: Round up to the nearest dollar.
Hotels: Tips are included; small tips for exceptional service.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not common, but rounding up is okay.

New Zealand:

Restaurants: 10% is common
Taxis: Round up the fare.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Papua New Guinea:

Restaurants: Tipping is not common, but rounding up may be appreciated.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory, but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are not expected but appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Tipping is not common, but rounding up is okay.

Tasmania:

Restaurants: Tipping is not obligatory; rounding up is common.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory, but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Not obligatory, but rounding up is common.

Singapore:

Restaurants: A 10% service charge is often included; additional tipping is not necessary.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory, but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Tipping is not expected, but rounding up is common.

Indonesia:

Restaurants: A 5-10% service charge may be included; additional tipping is appreciated.
Taxis: Tipping is not mandatory, but rounding up is common.
Hotels: Tips are appreciated; small tips for porters and housekeeping.
Coffee Shops/Fast Food: Tipping is not common, but rounding up is okay.

Summary

There we have it. A basic guide to some destinations. Hardly a comprehensive list, and I didn't have any countries from Africa I realize. I can continue to add to this list and structure it a bit more. I may even add a overall list of countries at the top that link to each entry for a faster search. For now, though, this will do. Bear in mind, this is just a guide and there may be some slight inaccuracies. It is best to read up a little bit on your destination to learn the local customs and expectations.

Happy Travels!

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