Tipping in Sweden: 2026 Guide for Travelers

Restaurants: Dinner vs. Lunch

Dagens lunch — the weekday set lunch many restaurants offer, often with salad, bread, and coffee included — usually involves ordering at the counter or a quick table service, and nobody tips. Dinner is different: when the server brings the card terminal, it may ask whether you want to add dricks. Rounding up (a 1,140 SEK bill to 1,200 SEK) or adding 5–10% for good service is generous; skipping it is perfectly fine.

Swedish restaurant bills don’t normally carry a service charge, because service is already in the prices. Large groups and set-menu dinners are the occasional exception, so glance at the bill before adding anything. If you’re splitting with friends, servers are used to taking several cards at the table.

To ask for the check, say “Kan jag få notan, tack?” You’ll usually pay at the table rather than at the register.

Some Swedish card terminals ask you to enter the new total, tip included, rather than a separate tip amount. Read the screen before typing — and if you don’t want to tip, simply confirm the bill amount.

Cafés, Fika, and Bars

Fika — the coffee-and-pastry break Swedes take seriously — happens at counter-service cafés where no tip is expected, even if there’s a tip prompt on the screen. At bars, you pay per drink at the counter without tipping. In a cocktail bar with table service, rounding up the tab is a nice gesture.

The same applies to food halls such as Östermalms Saluhall in Stockholm, where you order from individual counters: tipping is not expected.

Taxis: Check the Price Label First

Swedish taxi companies set their own fares, and each car displays a yellow price label with a comparison price (jämförpris) for a standard trip. Check it before getting in, or use Uber, Bolt, or a major taxi company’s app for an upfront price. Drivers don’t expect a tip; rounding up is optional.

Hotels, Guides, and Other Services

• Hotels: porters and housekeeping don’t expect tips.
• Hairdressers and spas: no tip expected; the price on the list is the price.
• Tour guides: optional. For a Lapland husky-sledding or Northern Lights tour where the guide went above and beyond, 100–200 SEK per person is a generous thank-you. See our tour guide tipping guide.
• Food delivery: tipping in the app is optional.

Norway works much the same way — see tipping in Norway if you’re crossing the border.

Going Cashless

Many Swedish shops, cafés, and restaurants don’t accept cash at all — you may see a sign reading “Vi tar inte kontanter” (we don’t take cash). Bring a card with no foreign transaction fee and enable phone payments. When a terminal offers to charge you in dollars, choose SEK. Our cash vs. card tipping guide explains why card tips are the default in places like Sweden.