Do you tip in Thailand?
Short answer
Optional, and never expected at street level. Leaving the coins from your change is the usual gesture.
Nothing is owed
Street food, markets, convenience stores and metered taxis carry no expectation at all. Paying the amount asked and leaving is complete and unremarkable.
Where people do tip, it is small and casual — the coins from the change, rounded rather than calculated. There is no percentage anyone has in mind.
Hotels and sit-down restaurants
Hotels and mid-range or upscale restaurants commonly add a service charge to the bill, and where they do, that covers it.
Check the bill before deciding. Adding a tip on top of a printed service charge is not rude, but it is not expected either.
Where it genuinely lands
Porters, spa and massage staff, private drivers and guides are the roles where a small tip is a normal part of the exchange rather than a surprise.
Hand it over directly rather than leaving it on a surface, and keep it small. Generosity beyond the local scale creates awkwardness rather than goodwill.
Good to know
- A printed service charge on the bill means nothing further is expected
- Coins are for tipping; notes are for paying — mixing that up reads as a mistake
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.
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.
No. Sit-down restaurants may add a service charge, and where they do, that settles it.