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Is it customary to tip in Europe? And is a 10% tip rude? How does France’s ‘pourboire’ compare with Italy’s ‘coperto’? Should you tip at a bar in America? And will a tip be considered rude in Japan?
Those are just a few of the many questions world holidaymakers ask themselves when navigating gratuity, tipping and service charges around the world. Even seasoned travellers can find themselves puzzling over how much to offer waiters, hotel staff, taxi drivers and tour guides.
Saying 'thank you' before receiving your change in a restaurant in Poland tells waiting staff that you’re happy for them to keep it all. However, if you do leave a tip after a meal in Japan in a less touristic area, you may find your waiter returning your 'lost' money to you.
In some European countries, where rounding up was once the standard, an increasing number of customers now tip 10% of the bill at the end of their meal. And visitors who haven’t been to the States in a while will be surprised to find that tipping 10% is more likely to bring a scowl from the wait staff than a thank you.
Check the table below to find out how much to tip in major holiday hotspots across Europe, Asia and North America, along with South Africa and Australia.
| Restaurants and bars | Hotels | Taxis | Tour guides | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tipping in France | Not obliged to leave a tip – hotels, cafés and restaurants should include 'service compris' (service charges) of around 15%. To reward good service, add a further 10-12.5%. The word for gratuity is 'pourboire', which means 'drinking money', but it's not customary to tip in bars. | If a porter carries your bag, €1-2 is expected. If you’re keen to tip housekeeping for exceptional service, €2 to €5 per day is normal. | Not necessary, round up to the nearest euro. | Discretionary. From €2-5pp/pd, plus €1-2pp/pd for the bus driver. |
| Tipping in Spain | Discretionary. In tapas bars, round up the bill to the nearest euro or leave your change. But at higher-end eateries, add around 10%. In bars, round up to the nearest euro. | Discretionary. Offer €1-2 for porters and housekeeping. | Not necessary, but round up to the euro, or give 10% of the final fare. | Reward good service with €5-10. |
| Tipping in Greece | Service/cover charges usually included in the bill. While discretionary, a 5-10% tip on top is common with tourists. To tip waiters, leave cash rather than adding tips to card payments. In bars, tipping is not expected. | Discretionary. Offer €1-2 for porters and housekeeping. | Not necessary, but round up the fare if you'd like to, or add 5-10% for longer trips. | For a group tour, tip €2-5pp, and for a private tour up to €20pp/pd. |
| Tipping in Poland | In Krakow, Gdansk and other popular cities, a 5-10% tip is increasingly expected, although not in bars. | Not necessary except in five-star hotels, where 5-10zl per bag or per day will do. | It is customary to round up to the nearest 5zl or 10zl. | Tip private guides 10%. Government guides at historical sites don't expect a tip. |
| Tipping in Italy | 'Servizio' (service charge) and 'coperto' (cover charge) are often included on Italian bills. You're not obliged to tip on top of this. If service hasn't been added (or to reward good service), round up to the nearest €5 or €10. In bars, tipping is at your discretion. A small tip (€1-2) is more common in tourist cities. Table and bar service can be priced differently. | Discretionary. Offer €1-2 for porters and housekeeping. | It's polite to round up to the nearest euro. | Not expected, but €5-10 (depending on whether the tour was a half-day or full-day tour) is appreciated. |
| Tipping in Australia | Tipping was not the norm in restaurants until recently, but nowadays 10% is standard in urban areas (although it may be refused). In bars, it's discretionary. If a cocktail mixologist has prepared something special, tip them a couple of dollars. | Not necessary, but for exceptional service or housekeeping, $5 is the norm or $1-2 per bag for porters. | Not necessary, but telling your driver to keep the change is appreciated. | Discretionary. Tour guides and private drivers can be tipped between $20 and $50 per day, and drivers $5 to $10 per day. |
| Tipping in Japan | Do not tip. | Japanese hotels do not expect their staff to be tipped. If you wish to tip, you can leave around 5,000 yen in an envelope, but it may be refused. Leaving a small gift is more common. | Do not tip. | If they have experience with international tourists, then your guide may accept a tip, but make sure it's presented in an envelope. |
| Tipping in South Africa | A service charge is often included in the bill. If not, leave 10-15%. In bars, add 10% to the total bill. | Give R20 a night for the housekeeper and R20 per bag for the porter. | Round up to the nearest R20. | At safari lodges, leave one tip of 10% or more at the end of your stay. This is equally distributed to front and back-of-house staff. |
| Tipping in India | For high-end eateries, tip 10% on top of the 5-10% service charge, which should be on your bill. For casual ones, add 5-10%. In bars, it's not necessary. | A service fee is often added to your bill. Give 100-200 rupees per bag to porters and per day for housekeeping. You can increase this to 500 rupees in five-star hotels. | Round up the fare for taxi and rickshaw drivers. | 500-600 rupees per day, up to 800-1000 for two or more passengers. For group tours, 50-100 rupees per day. |
| Tipping in USA | Nowadays, in popular tourist spots, a 20% tip is standard. If you're impressed with the service, then reward on top of this, but make sure any tip is based on your bill before tax. Outside of large cities and tourist areas, 15-20% is acceptable. For a buffet, tip each person who collects your plate $1. In bars, tip $1-2 per drink. It's customary to leave this on the counter after you've paid. | Tip the bellhop $1 per bag unless you're staying at a five-star address, where a $5 per bag tip is expected. Don't forget that doorpeople, valets, casino staff (5%), housekeeping and room service (15-20%) will also expect a tip. For spa treatments, 15% of the bill is considered reasonable. | At least 15% of the total fare, then a further $1-2 per bag if anyone assists you. | This depends on the type of tour and can range from $10-20 per day for the guide and an additional $5-10 for the driver, to a whopping 10-20% of the cost of the trip for bus tours. If it's a free tour, tip $5 per person. |
The language around additional charges on bills differs across the world. Most often in English, the terms ‘service charge’ and ‘gratuity’ are used interchangeably and refer to an additional payment added to a bill, usually somewhere from 10-20%.
A tip is an amount of money you choose to pay on top of those charges.
In the UK, there’s a difference between a compulsory service charge and a discretionary service charge.
These rules differ country by country – you can consult the table above to learn more about gratuity and tipping across the world.
In Britain, pubs, bars, cafés, restaurants, beauty salons and even casinos all have a legal obligation to pass tips on to workers, without deductions (apart from statutory ones such as tax and National Insurance).
This is because of the Tipping Act, which came into effect Britain-wide in October 2024. The law says that any tips collected and shared out by employers must be passed on entirely to the staff working there.
There is no equivalent EU-wide law, and rules are set at a national level. In the USA, there is no nationwide tipping law, but in some states, employers may count tips toward minimum wage.
Other countries you visit may have their own laws that determine whether your tip is passed on. If you’re unsure, you can always ask the waiter before leaving a tip.
This depends on the country you’re in. Some countries, such as the USA, will expect an additional tip on top of gratuities. Others, such as Japan, may refuse your tip altogether.
If you want to holiday without worrying about tips, book in at an all-inclusive hotel or resort. Generally, gratuity is included when you buy this type of package, except at any a la carte restaurants.
Check with your cruise operator when booking whether gratuities are included in the headline price. Brands such as APT River Cruises and Saga are all-inclusive. Otherwise, budget per passenger, per day for tips for ship staff and your programme director (Viking suggests £15pp/pd), as well as for local guides and drivers. Look out for cruise lines such as Oceania, which automatically charge gratuities as part of the fare, and further service charges on other things such as beverages and spa treatments. See our ocean and river cruise reviews online to find out each cruise lines’ tipping policy.
When calculating how much to tip, you should base this on the figure before tax is added. There are free apps that can help with quick calculations based on your bill, such as Gratuity.
Paying by card? Be aware that if you pay by credit card, staff may never see the tip. And if you’re using the chip and Pin machine, make sure you don’t accidentally add another tip when it’s already been included in your receipt. It’s always more straightforward to tip in cash, if you can.
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