Short answer
Do not tip in mainland China. Not at restaurants, not in taxis or DiDi, not at hotels, bars or cafés. The price on the bill is the whole transaction, staff are paid a wage, and leaving extra money is more likely to cause confusion than gratitude — servers have been known to chase customers down the street to hand cash back.
Check the bill before you decide anything. Some upscale and international-hotel restaurants add a service charge (服务费) of around 10–15% automatically, and some Cantonese restaurants add a per-person tea and seat charge. If a service charge is already on the receipt, that is the end of it — no tip is expected on top.
The exceptions are narrow and specific: private tour guides and private drivers, and optionally staff at international five-star hotels who handle your luggage. Even there, a modest cash thank-you is a courtesy, not a rule — there is no official standard. One practical catch: WeChat Pay and Alipay have no tip field, so any tip has to be handed over in cash.
Why there is no tipping culture
Tipping in China is not rude so much as unnecessary. Service staff work for a fixed wage, the service is built into the price, and paying more for good service reads as an odd signal — closer to an apology than a thank-you. Refusing a tip is itself a polite gesture, and you should not insist past a first or second offer.
That said, China's tourism industry has produced a few grey areas where foreign visitors do leave money, mostly in guided travel and at luxury hotels. The table below covers the situations you are likely to meet.
| Situation | Mainland China | Hong Kong & Macau |
|---|---|---|
| Local restaurant | No tip. Servers may return the money | 10% service charge usually already added |
| Upscale or hotel restaurant | No tip. Check for a 10–15% service charge on the bill | Service charge on the bill; a small extra is optional |
| Street food and small shops | No tip — pay the stated price | No tip |
| Metered taxi | No tip. Rounding up to the nearest yuan is fine if you pay cash, but expect change back | Round up; small change is fine as a tip |
| DiDi / ride-hailing | No tip. The app charges the displayed fare exactly | No tip in the app |
| Hotel housekeeping, front desk | No tip | Small tip appreciated at higher-end hotels |
| Luxury hotel porter / bellhop | Optional. A small cash note for heavy bags is common at international five-star properties | Common, small note per bag |
| Private tour guide | Optional but increasingly normal. Travellers commonly report a thank-you in the tens of yuan per day | Expected on private tours |
| Private driver on a multi-day tour | Optional, same convention as guides | Expected |
| Massage, spa, hair salon | No tip | Small tip at higher-end venues |
Reading the bill: service charge vs tip
A Chinese receipt can carry two lines that look like a tip and are not one. Learn to spot both, because they change the answer completely.
| What you see | What it is | What to do |
|---|---|---|
服务费 (fúwù fèi) | Service charge — added automatically, usually around 10–15%, and paid to the restaurant | Nothing. No tip on top. If it is on the bill, the question is closed |
茶位费 (chá wèi fèi) | Tea and seat charge — a small per-person cover charge at many Cantonese and dim sum restaurants | Nothing. It is a cover charge, not a service charge and not a tip |
| Rounding up | Not a tip — a convenience habit many locals share | Fine with cash. Expect the change back anyway |
If you are paying by phone, which is how nearly everyone pays in China; there is no interface for adding a gratuity. The scan-to-pay amount is the bill. That is another reason tips in China are almost always a cash note handed to a person.
Taxis and ride-hailing
The fare is the fare. In a metered taxi, hand over the amount on the meter or let the driver scan your payment code; if you pay cash and round up, most drivers will still return the change, and that is not a snub. In DiDi, the app charges the displayed price and there is nowhere to add extra.
Helping with luggage is part of the service and not a tipping trigger. If a driver has gone out of their way, waited while you fetched something, carried bags up a flight of steps, a small cash note is a reasonable gesture, but nobody will be waiting for it.
Guides, drivers and the one real exception
Guided travel is where Chinese practice bends towards international norms, because guides and drivers working with foreign groups are used to being tipped. A cash thank-you at the end of a day or a tour is welcome, particularly for a private guide or a driver who has been with you for several days.
- There is no official rate. Reported amounts vary widely by city, group size and level of service, and cluster in the tens of yuan per day rather than a percentage of the tour price.
- Tip at the end, in cash, in a plain envelope or hand to hand. Say thank you; do not make a show of it.
- If you booked through an agency, ask what is customary for your specific tour, some agencies pool gratuities, and some explicitly say not to tip.
- Group tours work differently from private ones; a shared tip collected by the group leader is common on multi-day foreign-language tours.
Hong Kong and Macau are different
The "no tipping" rule applies to the mainland. In Hong Kong and Macau, a 10% service charge is routinely added to restaurant bills, and tipping culture is closer to the UK: rounding up and small change are normal, and a modest extra at higher-end restaurants is acceptable if the service charge is not already included. Hotel porters and housekeeping expect small notes. Treat these two cities as a separate country for tipping purposes, because in practice that is how they behave.
Frequently asked questions
Do you tip in China?
No, not in restaurants, taxis, hotels, bars, cafés or salons. Service staff are paid a wage and the bill is the whole transaction. The narrow exceptions are private tour guides and drivers, and optionally porters at international five-star hotels.
What if the restaurant already adds a service charge?
Then you are done. A 服务费 of roughly 10–15% is common at upscale and hotel restaurants, and it is paid to the restaurant rather than handed to staff as a tip. Adding more is not expected.
Should I tip taxi and DiDi drivers?
No. The meter or the app price is the fare. Rounding up to the nearest yuan when paying cash is a convenience, not an expectation, and drivers will often hand back the change. Helping with luggage is normal service.
Can I add a tip when paying with WeChat Pay or Alipay?
No; there is no tip field in either wallet. The scan-to-pay amount is the total. If you want to give something to a guide, driver or porter, it has to be a cash note handed over in person.
How much do you tip a tour guide in China?
There is no official rate. Travellers commonly report a thank-you in the tens of yuan per day for a private guide or driver, with amounts rising in major cities and for multi-day tours. If you booked through an agency, ask what is customary, some advise against tipping entirely.
Do you tip at hotels in China?
Not for housekeeping or the front desk. A small cash note for a porter carrying heavy bags is a common courtesy at international five-star properties, but it is optional and not expected at Chinese chain or mid-range hotels.
What is 茶位费 on my bill?
A tea and seat charge, a small per-person cover charge at many Cantonese and dim sum restaurants, covering tea and the table. It is not a tip and it is not a service charge, so it does not change whether you tip. You do not.
Is tipping rude in China?
Not rude, but often confusing. Staff may refuse the money or return it, because extra payment for standard service is not part of the transaction. If someone declines, accept the refusal gracefully rather than insisting.
Related reading
Tipping practice and service-charge conventions reflect current traveller and expat reporting for mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, reviewed September 2026. Amounts given to guides and drivers vary by city and operator and no official standard exists, treat any figure as a convention, not a rule, and confirm with your tour operator where relevant.