If you live in, or have visited the U.S., you’ve probably experienced it – places are asking for tips EVERYWHERE.
As a tipping society, having to tip restaurant servers, hotel housekeeping and skycaps, among others, has been a typical part of traveling for decades. But in the past several years, the requests for tips have increased significantly. The passive “tip jar” at a fast food and quick serve places has now become a more assertive “How much would you like to tip? 20%? 25%? 30%?” on the credit card swipe. The traditional 15% tip for servers has increased to 18%, 20% or even more. And some places, like at airports, that don’t even have employees on the floor ask for a tip after you’ve picked out your own items and are paying by a self-serve computer screen!
So yeah…some people are fuming about tipping. But like I said, we’re a tipping society. So until that somehow changes, most of us will still tip, because regardless of how you personally feel about tipping, it’d suck to not tip, say, a server, who is counting on your tip as part of their salary.
But of course, that’s us in the U.S.
Other countries have their own rules and guides for what’s an appropriate amount to tip; here are some pointers.
And some countries? They don’t tip at all. Or so very, very little and even that is optional.
So for those of you who’d like to visit some places where you don’t have to worry about tipping at all (or very, very little), check out:
Australia
Australia’s Fair Work Commission recently announced a 3.5% increase to their National Minimum Wage. That means that as of July 1, 2025, minimum wage in Australia will be A$24.95 per hour (that’s currently about $16.13 US), which is a living wage Down Under.
On Reddit about a year ago, an Australian said, in a question about tipping, “We generally don’t tip, Australia has one of the highest minimum wages in the world. Tipping is really only for exceptional service. Most Australians reject the idea of tipping as a concept – and believe it is up to the employer to pay their employee a livable wage.”
Belgium
In Belgium, the price of your meal, taxi ride, etc, already includes a service charge. Therefore no tipping is required.
Brazil
Restaurants, hotels, etc. in Brazil will add on an extra 10% service charge, but even then, the surcharge is optional. And although it’s customary to level up the price of, say, a taxi ride, it’s not required.
China
People don’t tip in China. Period.
Actually, that’s a fallacy. If you’re part of a tour group, your tour guide will charge an extra fee for their services. And restaurants in touristy areas have begun adding a service charge to the bill.
But other than that, people don’t tip in China.
Denmark
According to Visit Copenhagen, the Danish capital’s official portal for tourism information:
…tipping is not a tradition. If you receive extraordinary good service, you are welcome to reward it with a tip, but it is not expected.
Service is normally included in the bill at restaurants, hotels and taxis. Thus it is optional whether to round up the bill or not. Waiters and waitresses, taxi drivers etc. earn higher wages than in other countries and are not dependent on tips in the same way.
Tipping is greatly appreciated, but not expected, and you should only do so if you feel you are getting exceptionally good service. If you do tip, 10 percent of the bill is sufficient.
Dubai
Dubai adds a mandatory 10% surcharge to every service bill. So there’s no need to tip above that.
Estonia
Like China, tipping is simply not a thing in Estonia. If you feel the need to tip, go ahead, but it’s never expected.
Finland
Finland adds a small service fee to the bill, so there’s no need to tip.
France
Restaurants in France will generally add a 15% service charge to diners’ bills (you may see it on the menu with the words “service compris”). For bars and taxi drivers, tipping is optional and, at best, you can just “round” up to the nearest euro.
French Polynesia
Once again, no tipping at all is done in French Polynesia.
Iceland
Strong labor unions in Iceland make sure that all workers are paid a good wage. Therefore no tipping is expected in Iceland.
Italy
Italy is most definitely not a tipping culture. You can leave a few euros on the table as you leave a restaurant, or round up your taxi ride cost…but you don’t have to.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong used to have more Western-style etiquette rules, including tipping. But as the culture has been aligning with China in recent years, it’s following more Chinese norms. Which means no tipping.
Japan
Tipping is considered offensive in Japan. Don’t do it.
New Zealand
Some places might have a tip jar but you’re under no pressure to actually tip. No worries.
Singapore
Restaurants and bars typically add a 10% service charge so you don’t need to tip anyone there. Other than that, no one expects a tip.
South Korea
If you try to tip a worker in South Korea, don’t be surprised if they give you the “extra” money back, thinking you inadvertently overpaid.
If you come across extraordinary service, you can discreetly give them money in an envelope (make sure to use 2 hands – it’s a sign of respect). But you don’t have to.
Spain
Spain is another country where no one expects you to tip at any time. If you want to give a little extra because someone took special care of you, that’s fine. But if you don’t, that’s fine, too.
Sweden
Visit Sweden, the official tourism site for Sweden, says of tipping: “It’s always welcome but not expected.” At most, round up your bill to the nearest krona. But even that isn’t expected.
Switzerland
Federal laws in Switzerland mandate that all service charges be included in published prices. Therefore, no tipping is necessary.
Taiwan
Taiwan is another country, like many others in Asia, where tipping is simply not done. It’s OK to leave a bit for, say, housekeeping at your hotel…but if you don’t, that’s OK too.
Feature Photo (adapted): Lea Latumahina / flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.