As Canadians prepare to travel this summer, it’s worth remembering how tipping cultures differ in other countries.
Tipping in Canada can vary depending on the service. It’s confusing enough to navigate tipping at home, but what about tipping abroad?
Insurance company HelloSafe created an interactive map that guides travellers on tipping worldwide.
“Whether it’s to express satisfaction with a tasty meal in a restaurant, a pleasant night in a hotel or exceptional service in a taxi, tipping is common practice in many countries around the world,” reads the company’s website. “But not always!”
Check out this interactive map for more detailed information on how the culture varies across countries:
In some countries, tipping is standard, but the acceptable average percentage varies.
“If you’re planning to travel to the United States this summer, you should know that tipping is a must,” states the site. “In American restaurants, it is customary to leave the waiter around 20% of your final bill to express your appreciation for his service.”
Due to low wages, servers often rely on tips.
Visit HelloSafe Canada for more tools.
Similar to the US, an acceptable tipping percentage in Canada is between 15% and 20%, while in Mexico, it’s 15%. Further east, acceptable tips range between 10% to 15% of the bill in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
You might be accustomed to leaving a tip as a form of appreciation, but you might want to reconsider it if you travel to Asia.
HelloSafe’s site states, “In some countries, tips may be small or non-existent due to certain cultural practices or specific remuneration systems.”
It can be considered rude in some Asian countries.
For example, in China and Korea, tipping can be seen as a show of wealth. In Japan, service is generally included in the final price; therefore, tipping can imply that the service was “unsatisfactory.”
The tipping culture varies across Europe.
In the Netherlands and Italy, the service charge is often included in the tip, but you can always leave a tip to express your appreciation for their service. In Italy, a 5% or 10% tip is considered acceptable. Although tipping is commonplace in Portugal, it’s not as widespread as in North America. As a general rule, 5% to 10% is considered standard.
If you’re at a restaurant in Spain, remember that it’s common practice to round up the bill to the nearest higher number. So if your bill is 23 euros, you can round it to 25 euros — it’s understood that the remaining 2 euros are for the server.
Depending on where you are, you should also be mindful of how you tip. In Poland, HelloSafe advises giving your server the cash directly. Meanwhile, in Croatia, you can hand over the tip or leave it on the table.
Do you have advice on tipping in different countries? Let us know in the comments.