Tipping in Thailand
Where? When? How Much? Discussion

First Things First
Although this blog is meant a thorough guide to tipping in Thailand, how much someone tips will depend on the their own personal means, the service and circumstances at the time. This guide is meant as a starting point for some of the more common times someone would or wouldn't tip.

How much?
One concern when tipping in Thailand is knowing how much to tip and not tipping too much or too little. Both tipping too much or too little can be a problem for several reasons. Below we will look at the different times that tipping would be appreciated and how much would be considered fair.

When to Tip?
Although not mandatory, there are many services provided by Thais where tipping by both farangs and Thais is commonplace. Below in this blog, we will look at times when small gratuities for great service are appreciated and times when tipping is not expected.

Tipping with coins
In some circumstances tipping with coins, rather than notes, is not well accepted. The circumstances when it is not well received to tip with coins is not very clear. One way to look at it, that seems to work, when the price of something is small, maybe less 100 baht, sometimes tipping with coins is acceptable. We will look at these situations in more detail below.

In other situations where the task or situation was seemingly deserving of a higher tip, smaller tips, or high tips but in slush coins, are sometimes not well received or even politely refused. Again, we will look at some of the possible scenarios below.

Tuk Tuk in Thailand
@ Mulligans Irish Bar, Khaosan Road

Tipping Taxis and motorbike taxis
First things first, tipping taxi drivers in Thailand is common with both Thais and non-Thais. The most common tips given to taxi drivers is the rounding up of the taxi meter fare. Arriving at the destination, some taxi drivers will automatically round up to the nearest ten baht. When dealing with foreigners, some taxi drivers are a little more careful to give the correct meter fare change and will give the small change under 10 baht, but it's easy to say "mai be lai kap" and refuse.

Of course, you can also tip taxi drivers on top of this. How much you want to tip will probably be based on the distance of your journey, good customer service, traffic, any additional circumstances, your own personal financial circumstances. Often with journeys less than 100 baht taxi fare we do not tip more than the normal rounded up fare. With journeys more than 100 baht we may tip 10 or twenty baht on top of the rounded up fare.

Delivery is More and More Popular
Grab Delivery Driver in Thailand

Tipping Delivery Drivers
Grab, Food Panda and many more, delivery services quickly became day to day necessities at the start of the CoViD lockdowns. As well as receiving a small delivery fee, depending on the distance of the delivery, it is possible to use the delivery app to give the delivery drivers a tip or tip them in person when they arrive.

Originally, when the lockdowns in Bangkok began, delivery drivers were a vital lifeline to Bangkok's residents unable or unwilling to leave their homes to get basic necessities and food. It was at this time that I decided to start tipping delivery drivers 20 or 30 baht on top of the small 10 or 20 baht delivery fees that they received. This was my way to say "thank you" for their vital work at that time.

Although apps such as Grab and Food Panda only say that they are charging the customer 10 or 20 baht for delivery, I would question whether this is the only money delivery drivers receive for deliveries as 10 baht per delivery doesn't seem sustainable. Either way, I think 20 baht tip on top of this fee is not too much of a burden for customers.

Another factor that I take into account when tipping delivery drivers is the weather conditions and time of order. During sudden heavy rain or flash floods, where delivery drivers had to fight Heaven and Earth to deliver my hamburger, I often feel obliged to tip the delivery driver 30 or 40 baht. Although mentioned earlier that most Thais do not like to receive tips in coins and prefer notes, delivery drivers seem to have no problem taking 10 baht and sometimes 1 and 2 baht coins.

Soi Buakhao at Night
Popular Nightlife Area - Soi Buakhao, Pattaya

Tipping Hotel Cleaners
Visiting Thailand on holiday, if travelling around, you're sure to stay at a number of hotels over your stay. Staying at a number of different hotels, your experiences of customer service in each will differ. Personally, our experience of room service in Thailand hasn't been great. In most cases it's either you take room service when they offer it or you don't get it at all. Should you have a different experience and wish to say thank you to the cleaners, a small tip under 50 baht should be well received.

In the case where the cleaners go out of their way to help, changing bed sheets, providing fresh towels and cleaning the room when you wake up late in the evening and long after they've finished, it's reasonable to offer a 100 baht tip.

Check Holder and Change
Niall and Thailand Gets his Change @ a Restaurant

Tipping in Bars and Restaurants
When eating or drinking at most bars and restaurants it's typical to leave a tip when paying for your meal or drinks. With many different drinking and dining options in large cities and tourist hotspots, there are many different tipping options. Some upscale restaurants and bars will naturally add a 10% or higher fee onto your bill as the minimum tip. There is no requirement to tip on top of this. Other than some upscale restaurants or bars adding a percentage fee on the bill, in most restaurants there is no tipping percentage rule.

For those who don't eat at upscale restaurants and bars every day, your average Thai bar or restaurant doesn't add an automatic tip to the bill. Wining and dining at these restaurants shouldn't be too expensive and therefore a small 20 or 40 baht tip should be enough.

It should be noted that staff of these bars and restaurants try to be as helpful as possible when the time come to pay the bill. If paying by cash, the service staff will return with your change mostly in 20 baht notes rather than larger 50baht or 100 baht notes. This makes it easier to leave a 20 or 40 baht tip and also serves as a reminder to leave a tip.

Rainy Morning View on Soi Pothole
@Amon Massage and Bar - Soi Chaiyapoon, Pattaya

Massage shops Masseuses
Another popular holiday activity for tourists to Thailand is to get a Thai Massage. Tipping the Thai masseuse or masseuses is welcome. Usually Thai Traditional Massages aren't very expensive. A typical Thai Massage shouldn't be much more than 300 baht for an hour. As such, we should expect also not to give too much of a tip. However, as the massage lasts such a long time it is not a problem to tip 50 to 100 baht.

For those looking for a less traditional experience, tips are also welcome for Happy Ending Massages or other similar services. Usually Happy Ending Massages start around 500 to 1000 baht, and as this is a special service not available to all, I wouldn't recommend tipping less than 100 baht.

Tipping in Thailand
When Not to Tip?

Bad Service
The obvious one first, tipping is used to give a member of staff money as a way of thanking them for their good customer services. Tipping is not mandatory, with the exception of bars and restaurants where the tip is automatically added to the bill price. Therefore, if you feel that the customer experience you had was a bad one or an unsatisfactory one, there is no need to give a tip.

Baht Busses
A cheap way to get around in Thailand, baht buses vary in price but are normally 10 baht at most, depending on how far you want to travel. Being so cheap, baht buses don't tend to get the tipping crowd. Trying to tip the baht bus is a sure way to create an awkward exchange as they try to call you back to give you your change.

Last Word
Just So You Know

Wrap Up
Tipping in Thailand is commonplace. For those not familiar with tipping culture in their home countries, or a different tipping culture from that of Thailand's, when, where, and how much to tip may not be immediately clear. Tipping shouldn't be stressful and a few easy tips to keep in mind will keep you on track. If in doubt, a simple 10% rule should suffice.

Too lazy to read?

Tipping in Thailand - Video Discussion with Thailand Bound
How much? Where? When? What is the tipping culture in Thailand?

Check out Thailand Bound's YouTube channel @ https://www.youtube.com/c/ThailandBound

Videos discussed in this blog: Don't Make These Agogo Bar Mistakes