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Tipping in Thailand is optional, small, and mostly a habit of the tourist economy. Thais rarely tip at a noodle stall or in a metered taxi. In hotels, spas and sit-down restaurants in Bangkok, Phuket or Chiang Mai, though, a 20-baht note has become normal, and for massage therapists and tour guides it is a real part of what they take home. Nobody will chase you down the street if you skip it. Nobody will hand it back either.
The short answer
- Street food and local eateries: no tip. Leave the coins in the tray if you like.
- Restaurants: if the bill shows a 10% service charge, you’re done. If not, round up or leave 20–100 baht.
- Taxis: round the meter up to the next 10 or 20 baht.
- Thai massage: 50–100 baht for an hour, handed to the therapist.
- Hotels: 20–50 baht for the porter, about the same per night for housekeeping.
- Guides: 100–200 baht per person for a group day tour, 300–500 baht for a private guide.
Do you tip in Thailand?
Thailand never had a tipping culture of its own. What exists today grew up around international hotels and mass tourism, which is why it feels patchy: a tip is expected at a Phuket beach spa and would puzzle the woman selling som tam two streets back.
The places where it matters are the ones where pay is low and the tip goes straight to one person. Many massage therapists are paid per treatment rather than a salary, so 100 baht on a 300-baht foot massage is a meaningful share of their earnings. Tour guides and drivers are in a similar position. A waiter in a restaurant that already adds a service charge is not.
So the honest answer to “do you tip in Thailand?” goes like this: not where Thais eat, yes in places built for visitors, and never very much. Tipping culture in Thailand is about small notes, not percentages. Nobody is doing the American 20% maths.
How much to tip in Thailand, situation by situation
| Situation | Tip? | How much |
|---|---|---|
| Street food, market stall, food court | No | Nothing. Coins left in the change tray are fine, never expected. |
| Local restaurant, no service charge | Optional | Round up, or 20–50 baht. |
| Restaurant with 10% service charge on the bill | No | Nothing more. A few coins if the waiter was great. |
| Upscale restaurant, no service charge | Yes | Around 10%. |
| Bar | Optional | Leave the small change in the bill folder. |
| Metered taxi | Optional | Round up: 87 on the meter, hand over 100 and wave off the change. |
| Tuk-tuk, motorbike taxi (agreed fare) | No | The price you agreed is the price. |
| Grab or Bolt ride | Optional | 20–40 baht in the app if the driver helped with bags. |
| Thai massage, foot massage | Yes | 50–100 baht per hour, to the therapist directly. |
| Hotel spa | Check the bill | Service charge is usually included. 100 baht if it isn’t. |
| Hotel porter | Yes | 20–50 baht, depending on the bags. |
| Housekeeping | Optional | 20–50 baht per night, left daily with a note saying it’s for them. |
| Group day tour guide | Yes | 100–200 baht per person. |
| Private guide or driver for the day | Yes | 300–500 baht for a guide, 200–300 baht for a driver. |
| Longtail boat or island-hopping crew | Optional | 50–100 baht per group, given to the captain. |
| Temple | No | Donation boxes are for merit-making, not tips. Give if you want to. |
The 10% service charge, and what “++” means
Hotel restaurants and a lot of mid-range and upscale places print their prices with two plus signs: 450++. The first plus is a 10% service charge. The second is 7% VAT, calculated on top of the service charge. A 1,000-baht dinner therefore comes to 1,177 baht, and none of that surprise is a tip.
Whether the service charge reaches the staff depends on the employer, and you can’t tell from the bill. If you want to be sure your waiter gets something, leave 20–50 baht in cash on top. If you don’t, nobody will think twice. Street stalls and small family restaurants are usually not VAT-registered, so the price on the board is what you pay.
The VAT rate has sat at a reduced 7% for years, renewed one year at a time. In July 2026 the Cabinet approved another extension, to 30 September 2027.
Read the bottom of the bill first
Look for the line “Service Charge 10%” before you reach for your wallet. If it’s there, you’ve already paid the tip. If it isn’t, a few coins or a 20-baht note is plenty in most places.
Tipping in Bangkok vs the islands and the north
Tipping in Bangkok follows the rules above: “++” pricing in hotels and malls, rounding up everywhere else. On Phuket, Koh Samui and in Pattaya, where almost every service is aimed at visitors, staff are more used to tips and dive or boat crews may put out a tip jar at the end of the day. In Chiang Mai and smaller towns, tipping is rarer and a tip is more of a pleasant surprise than an expectation.
Weather changes the picture too. In the low season, when resorts are half empty, a guide’s income depends even more on the few groups they get. The best time to visit Thailand guide has the month-by-month split.
How to hand over a tip politely
Every Thai banknote carries the King’s portrait, so how you handle money matters more than the amount. Don’t throw notes onto a counter, crumple them into someone’s hand or leave them under a glass. If a coin rolls away, don’t stop it with your foot.
Hand the money over with your right hand, ideally with your left hand touching your right forearm, and say khop khun khrap (men) or khop khun kha (women). At a massage shop, give the tip to the therapist rather than at the front desk, where it can end up in the till.
Keep a stack of 20s and 50s. Thai ATMs mostly dispense 1,000-baht notes, and trying to break one at a street stall for a 60-baht meal is its own small etiquette problem.
Don't tip in coins alone for a service
Leaving a pile of 1- and 2-baht coins after a massage or a guided day reads as an afterthought. For those services, use a note.
Tipping elsewhere in Asia
The neighbours don’t agree with each other. Tipping in Vietnam works much like Thailand, with a tip box on every Ha Long Bay cruise. In South Korea menu prices include service by law, and in Japan a tip is more likely to be returned than accepted.
Still planning the trip? See how to fill in the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card, and the new 30-day visa-free rule.
Need small notes for all this? Our Thailand currency guide explains the 220-baht ATM fee, where cards work and where to exchange money.
All our Thailand guides, from the TDAC to the baht, are sorted by topic in one place: the Thailand travel guide.
Sources
- Revenue Department of Thailand — VAT registration and rates.
- Nation Thailand, 27 July 2026 — Cabinet extends the 7% VAT rate to 30 September 2027.
- Published price lists of hotel restaurants and spas in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai — “++” pricing and service charges.
Data checked: 2026-09-28
