Tipping norms vary by city, restaurant type and whether a service charge is already included on the bill. Treat these as general starting guidance, not a fixed rule.
Tipping culture varies more across the world than most travellers realise, and both directions of getting it wrong carry a real social cost: under-tipping in a country where it's expected and relied upon by service workers as part of their income can come across as rude or stingy, while over-tipping in a country where it isn't customary can create genuine awkwardness, with some staff actively trying to hand the money back. This tool gives country-specific starting guidance for the three situations travellers ask about most — restaurants, taxis and hotel staff — rather than applying one global percentage everywhere.
In several countries, notably Japan, tipping isn't part of standard service culture at all, and good service is considered simply the baseline rather than something that warrants an additional payment on top. Attempting to tip in these settings can occasionally cause confusion or even mild offense, since it can be read as implying the staff need extra incentive to do their job properly. Understanding this in advance saves an awkward moment of a server or driver declining money you're trying to hand them.
A large number of countries, particularly across parts of Europe and the Middle East, routinely add a service charge directly onto restaurant bills, which functionally serves the same purpose as a tip. Travellers unfamiliar with this practice sometimes tip on top of an already-included service charge, effectively double-tipping, or fail to notice the charge was ever there and don't tip at all in a place where an additional small tip for excellent service is still a nice, if optional, gesture. Always check your bill's itemisation for a line like "service charge" or "service compris" before deciding what, if anything, to add.
It's a common assumption that a country's restaurant tipping culture applies equally to taxis and hotel staff, but that's often not the case — many countries where restaurant tipping is expected treat taxi tipping as more of a rounding-up gesture than a percentage calculation, and hotel porters or housekeeping are frequently tipped in small flat amounts per bag or per night rather than as a percentage of anything. This tool deliberately breaks guidance out by setting rather than giving one blanket percentage for the whole country.
Tipping norms can also vary meaningfully within a single country — a high-end restaurant in a major city and a casual roadside eatery in the same country can have noticeably different expectations. Use this tool's guidance as a sensible starting point before a trip, then take cues from what feels normal for the specific type of establishment you're actually in once you're there, since local context ultimately trumps any general guide.
A last note: carrying a small amount of local small-denomination cash specifically for tipping is worth doing even on a largely cashless trip, since card payment terminals in many countries don't have a built-in way to add a cash tip, and not every service worker has an easy way to receive a digital one.
Check the itemised bill for a line labelled service charge or similar. If it's already included, an additional tip is optional rather than expected — a small extra amount for standout service is still a nice gesture in most places, but it isn't required on top of an included charge.
It can come across as unusual or occasionally slightly awkward rather than outright rude, particularly in countries like Japan where tipping isn't part of standard service culture, but it's rarely taken as a genuine offense — just be prepared for it to be politely declined.
They're a general country-level starting point. Norms can vary between a high-end city restaurant and a small casual local eatery even within the same country, so use local context alongside this general guidance.
Local currency is generally preferable and more practical for the recipient, since foreign currency and coins can be difficult for service workers to exchange, especially in smaller denominations.