Do you tip in Taiwan?
Short answer
No. Sit-down restaurants may add a service charge, and where they do, that settles it.
Not a tipping culture
Prices are final at street stalls, night markets, convenience stores, taxis and ordinary restaurants. Nothing is added and nothing is expected on top.
Leaving change on the table is more likely to be treated as forgotten money than as a gesture. Someone will usually try to return it.
The service charge
Mid-range and upscale sit-down restaurants, and hotel dining rooms, commonly add a service charge to the bill. It is printed rather than implied, so you will see it before you pay.
That charge is the tip. Adding something further is the part that reads as odd, not the part that reads as generous.
Where a small tip is normal
Hotel porters who carry bags, and private guides or drivers booked for a day, are the usual exceptions and will accept a tip without awkwardness.
Even there it is a gesture rather than an obligation, and nobody is counting.
Good to know
- Check the bill for a printed service charge before deciding anything
- Convenience stores and chains have tip jars for staff funds, not for you to feel obliged by
No. Tipping is not expected, and money left behind is usually treated as forgotten, not as a gift.
No. Tipping is not customary, and handing over extra money will often be refused outright.
Optional, and never expected at street level. Leaving the coins from your change is the usual gesture.
Not required, and not a local habit. It has become common only where tourism is the main business.
No. Tipping is not a Korean custom and staff do not expect it. Where a charge exists, it is printed on the bill as a service charge.