Tipping in Thailand: 2026 Guide for Travelers

Restaurants and Street Food

At street stalls, night markets, and food courts, you don’t tip. At casual sit-down restaurants, the common habit is to leave the coins from your change, or 20–100 baht depending on the size of the bill. Your change often comes back on a small tray; leaving some of it there is the tip.

At hotel restaurants and upscale places, menu prices often end in “++”. That means a 10% service charge and 7% VAT will be added at the end, so a 1,000-baht dinner becomes roughly 1,177 baht. With the service charge already on the bill, an extra tip isn’t necessary, though some diners leave a little cash for a server who looked after them well.

Check the bill before tipping. If you see “service charge 10%,” you’ve already tipped. If you don’t, a small cash tip is the norm.

Massages and Spas

Massage is the place where tipping is most expected. For a standard one-hour Thai or foot massage at a street-front shop, 50–100 baht is typical, and 100 baht or more is generous for a two-hour session. At upscale spas, where an hour can cost several thousand baht, tip 10% or a few hundred baht unless a service charge is already included.

Hand the tip directly to your therapist in cash, not at the front desk, so it reaches the right person. Our massage tipping guide explains how this compares with spa norms in the US.

Taxis, Tuk-Tuks, and Grab

Metered taxi drivers don’t expect a tip, but rounding up to the nearest 10 or 20 baht is common — a 73-baht fare becomes 80. Tuk-tuk fares are negotiated before you get in, so no tip is needed on top. In the Grab app you can add a tip after the ride; it’s optional.

Hotels and Tours

• Porters: 20–50 baht per bag.
• Housekeeping: 20–50 baht per night left on the pillow is appreciated at resorts.
• Day tour guide: 200–500 baht per group, more for a private guide.
• Boat crew on island-hopping trips: 100–200 baht per group, often given to the captain to share.
• Private driver for a day trip: 100–300 baht on top of the agreed rate.

Resorts that add a service charge to the room rate don’t expect individual tips, but staff at beach resorts do often receive them. For comparison, see our hotel tipping guide.

Cash and Small Notes

Tip in Thai baht, in cash. Collect 20- and 50-baht notes and 10-baht coins during your trip, since 1,000-baht notes from ATMs are hard to break at small shops. Roughly 35 baht equals $1, so a 100-baht massage tip is about $3. Check the current rate with our currency converter before you leave.