Tipping in China: When You Don't, When You Might, and What the Law Says

In mainland China you normally don't tip. Not in restaurants, not in taxis, not with ride-hailing apps like DiDi, not at hotel front desks. The price on the menu, the meter or the app is the full price, and if you leave extra money, staff will often hand it back because they think you forgot your change. Licensed tour guides are not allowed to ask you for a tip at all — it's written into Chinese law. Hong Kong and Macau are different: many restaurants there add a service charge to the bill. Below: why tipping isn't part of daily life, what the rules say about guides and restaurant charges, the few situations where a tip is welcome, and what to do if someone asks you for one.

Do you tip in China? The short answer is no

Tipping is not expected anywhere in everyday mainland life. You pay what you're asked to pay and walk away, and nobody thinks twice about it. This covers almost everything a visitor does:

• Restaurants, cafés, street food and food courts — pay the bill, that's it. There is no tip line on the receipt or in the payment screen.
• Taxis and ride-hailing — pay the meter or the fare the app shows. Drivers don't wait for extra.
• Hotels — nothing at check-in, nothing for the front desk, nothing at most domestic chains and budget hotels.
• Shops, convenience stores, hairdressers, ticket windows — no tipping, ever.

Three things explain why.

Wages don't depend on tips

In the US, a server's base pay can be low because tips are expected to make up the rest. Chinese service jobs don't work that way. Staff are paid by their employer, and the menu price already covers the service. Nobody is counting on you to top up their income, so leaving nothing is not taking anything away from them.

Good service is seen as part of the job

Older generations sometimes read extra money for ordinary service as a hint that the worker needs charity, which isn't a compliment. Most people today don't take offence at a tip — they just find it unnecessary and a little confusing. A polite "xièxie" (谢谢, thank you) is the normal way to show you were happy.

Mobile payment leaves no room for a tip

Most payments in China happen by scanning a QR code with Alipay (支付宝, Zhīfùbǎo) or WeChat Pay (微信支付, Wēixìn Zhīfù). Foreign visitors can pay by mobile payment, bank card or cash. With a QR payment you type or confirm the exact amount and you're done. There is no "add a tip" step, no round-up prompt, and no change left on a tray. That has kept the no-tip habit firmly in place.

What the rules say: guides, service charges and minimum spend

A few rules matter to visitors here. Some say tour guides may not ask you for tips. Others say a restaurant or hotel can only charge you what it has clearly listed.

Tour guides are not allowed to ask for tips

The Tourism Law of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国旅游法) says that tour guides and tour leaders must not ask tourists for tips, and must not trick or pressure them into shopping or paying for extra activities. A guide who breaks this rule must give the money back and can be fined 1,000 to 10,000 yuan, and in serious cases can have their guide licence suspended or cancelled. You can read the law on the National People's Congress website (in Chinese).

Two further sets of rules say the same thing in more detail. The Regulations on the Administration of Tour Guides cover asking for a tip "openly or by hinting", with fines of 1,000 to 30,000 yuan, and in serious cases the travel agency that sent the guide can also be punished. The Measures for the Administration of Tour Guides, in force since 2018, list asking for tips alongside selling things to tourists and taking commission from shops as things a guide must not do.

What this means in practice: the law stops a guide from asking. It does not stop you from offering. If you want to thank a guide who did a good job, you can, and neither of you is breaking any rule. But a guide who tells you tips are "required", hints heavily at the end of the day, or builds a tip into the itinerary is doing something the law forbids.

Restaurant charges: what's allowed and what isn't

Restaurants in mainland China don't expect a tip, but some do put extra items on the bill. Here is how the rules treat each one.

• Minimum spend. The Measures for the Promotion and Administration of the Catering Industry, which took effect on 15 June 2025, ban restaurants from setting a minimum spend, and require them to have a way of handling customer complaints. These measures replaced the older 2014 catering rules and apply to restaurants everywhere in the mainland.
• "No outside drinks" rules and private-room minimums. In 2014 the Supreme People's Court (最高人民法院) said that "no outside drinks" rules and minimum charges for private rooms are unfair terms, and that notices containing them are invalid under consumer protection law. This was a statement of the court's view, published in its newspaper — not a court judgment — but it is the clearest official position there is. A corkage fee for drinks you bring yourself is a different thing: like any other fee, it is only allowed if the restaurant listed it in advance.
• Service charges and any other fees. Businesses must not add anything on top of the marked price or charge any fee they haven't listed. So a service charge (服务费, fúwùfèi) is only acceptable if it was shown to you in advance — on the menu or on a clear notice. A charge that appears on the bill without having been listed is exactly the kind of fee the rules forbid.
• Food-waste fee. Under the Anti-Food Waste Law, a restaurant may charge customers who leave an obvious amount of food uneaten, but only if the fee is clearly posted in advance. You'll rarely see this applied to tourists. Our guide to ordering food with zero Chinese covers portion sizes so you don't over-order.

The text of the 2025 catering measures is on the Chinese government's official gazette. In real life, a service charge is something you mostly meet in hotel restaurants and a few high-end places. Ordinary restaurants simply charge what's on the menu.

Hotels follow the same price rules

Hotels set their own room prices and can raise them on holidays, but market regulators require them to mark prices clearly and not charge fees they haven't listed. If an international hotel adds a service charge to room or restaurant bills, it should be shown when you book or on the menu. Check the booking confirmation so you know what's included before you arrive.

The exceptions: where a tip is welcome

There are a handful of situations, nearly all linked to international tourism, where some visitors do tip and the person will usually accept it. None of these is a rule. They are habits that grew up around foreign travellers, and in every case a tip is optional.

Private guides and drivers on multi-day tours

This is the most common case. If you hire a private English-speaking guide or a car with driver for several days, many travellers give a thank-you at the end. As a common custom, not a rule, that is roughly 100–200 yuan a day for a private guide and roughly 50–100 yuan a day for a driver — amounts vary, so check what your tour company suggests. Group tourists sometimes pool a small amount for the guide on the last day. Some tour companies mention what other travellers usually give; that's guidance, not a charge.

What the guide may not do is ask, as covered above. If the service was poor, you owe nothing. And if a guide pressures you, keep in mind that the same laws also ban forced shopping stops — our guide to tourist scams in China covers how those trips work.

If you'd rather not think about any of this, a group day tour booked through GetYourGuide shows the price and what's included before you pay, so you know the cost of the day up front.

International-brand hotels

At international five-star hotels used to Western guests, staff may accept a small note from you for carrying heavy bags to your room or for a concierge who sorted out something difficult. By custom, not rule, some guests give roughly 10–20 yuan to a porter and perhaps 20–50 yuan to a concierge for real extra help — amounts vary, so check your own sense of the service. It's accepted, not expected. At domestic chains, budget hotels and hostels, none of this applies.

Massage and spas

At an ordinary foot-massage or massage shop, you don't tip. At a spa inside a luxury hotel or resort that mainly serves international guests, some visitors leave a little extra for a therapist they liked — by custom, not rule, perhaps around 10% of the treatment price, though this may vary by hotel. It's never required. One thing to watch: the UK government warns that in popular tourist areas, friendly strangers sometimes invite visitors to a bar, tea house or massage, and the venue then demands a very large bill. That is a scam, not a tipping question.

Bars in big cities

In cocktail bars aimed at foreigners in cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen, some customers round up the bill or leave small change for the bartender — as a custom, not a rule, perhaps 10–20 yuan, though this may vary by bar. At ordinary Chinese bars and karaoke (KTV) venues, it isn't done.

Hong Kong and Macau: a service charge on the bill

Hong Kong works differently from the mainland. Restaurants there may add a service charge — usually 10%, known locally as "加一" ("add one") — but it must be shown clearly, and staff should explain it if you ask, according to the Hong Kong Consumer Council. Some restaurants also charge for tea, sauces and small snacks; the Council suggests checking the menu or notices, or asking staff before you sit down. When that service charge is on the bill, you don't need to add anything more. In Hong Kong taxis and at small cafés, many people leave the coins from their change.

Macau is closer to Hong Kong than to the mainland: hotel and casino restaurants in particular often add a service charge, so check the menu or the bottom of the bill. Our Hong Kong and Macau guide covers the rest of the trip.

Quick reference: tipping by situation

How to tip if you want to, and what to do if someone asks

When you choose to tip

• Use cash. Payment apps don't have a tip button, so a few small notes are the easiest way. If you're doing a multi-day guided tour, get some cash from an ATM early on — see where to exchange money in China.
• Hand it over in person. Money left on a table can be taken as forgotten change, and someone may run after you with it. Give it directly, with a short "thank you, this is for you".
• Expect a "no" first. Some people politely refuse once or twice. If you really want them to have it, offer again. If they still say no, accept that and thank them.
• Don't over-tip out of guilt. A very large tip, sized to what you'd give at home, tends to make the moment awkward rather than nice.
• Scanning a payment code is possible if a guide offers you their personal code, but paying an individual's personal code may not work from a wallet linked to a foreign card. Cash is simpler.

If a guide asks you for a tip

You can say no. A guide who asks, or hints, is breaking the rules covered above, and the penalty falls on them, not you. If it happens on a package tour, tell the travel agency that sent the guide. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism says illegal practices on tours, such as forced shopping, can be reported to the 12345 government service hotline in the place where it happened, and that you should keep your tour contract, itinerary, payment records and chat messages.

If a restaurant bill has a charge you didn't expect

1. Ask to see where the charge is listed on the menu or a notice. If it was clearly shown, it's legitimate.
2. If it wasn't listed, say so calmly and ask for it to be removed. Restaurants are required to have a way to handle complaints.
3. If they refuse, pay the bill, keep the receipt and your payment record, and take photos of the bill and the menu.
4. Then you can file a complaint with the market regulator through the national 12315 platform, the 12315 hotline, or an office window, giving the business's name and address and what you want. The regulator should decide whether to take the complaint within seven working days.

Where a business has deliberately cheated you, Chinese consumer law lets you claim extra compensation of three times what you paid, with a minimum of 500 yuan. For a short trip that's rarely worth pursuing, but it's useful to know the law is on your side.

What it means for your budget

For most of a mainland trip, tipping simply isn't a cost. You don't need to add a percentage to every meal or taxi in your head. The only thing worth setting aside is a small amount of cash if you'll have a private guide or driver for several days, plus room for service charges if you're spending time in Hong Kong or Macau. For the rest of your costs, see our China travel budget guide.

FAQ

The short version

In mainland China you don't tip in restaurants, taxis, ride-hailing or ordinary hotels, and nobody will think less of you for it. Licensed guides are not allowed to ask for tips. Restaurants may not set a minimum spend, and any service charge must be listed before you order. The only places a tip is common are private multi-day guides and drivers, a few international hotels, luxury spas and expat bars — always optional, always best in cash, handed over directly. In Hong Kong and Macau, check the bill for a service charge and don't add more on top. If you're asked to pay something you didn't agree to, ask where it's listed, keep the receipt and use 12315.

Last updated: October 2026