Tipping in China: Do You Tip Guides, Drivers and Hotel Staff?

Travel Tips • 8 min read

Packing for your China holiday, one small question keeps coming up at the dinner table: do we tip? It is one of the most common questions Australian travellers ask before joining a group tour, and the honest answer is nuanced. Tipping in China is not part of local daily life the way it is in Australia or the United States, yet on a Western-style fully guided tour, a gratuity for your guide and driver is genuinely appreciated and has become customary.

This guide walks you through exactly who to tip, when, how much (in both Chinese yuan and Australian dollars), and where a tip is politely declined. It also covers what is already included in your tour fare, so you are never guessing with your wallet open.

Tipping in China: The Short Answer

• Tour guide: not obligatory, but customary on Western group tours. A common amount is 20–50 yuan (about A$4–10) per traveller per day, or a lump-sum envelope of roughly 200–300 yuan (A$40–65) per person at the end of a 10-day tour.
• Driver: appreciated but a smaller amount — roughly half of what you give your guide.
• Hotel staff: porters and housekeeping welcome 10–20 yuan (A$2–4); larger international hotels often add a service charge to your bill instead.
• Taxis, cafés and restaurants: no tipping expected anywhere in local China. Rounding up a fare is a friendly gesture, nothing more.
• Currency: always tip in Chinese yuan (RMB). Australian dollars cannot be spent or easily exchanged outside banks.

Is Tipping Part of Chinese Culture?

Traditionally, no. For most of modern Chinese history, tipping was not practised, and among older generations it can still feel unfamiliar or even slightly embarrassing — the price of the service is understood to be the whole price. Unlike Australia, where hospitality wages and tipping culture have grown up together, service staff in local Chinese restaurants, taxis and shops do not expect anything extra, and no one will chase you down the street for a gratuity.

That said, China is a big and changing country. In five-star international hotels and in cities that host many Western visitors — Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Guilin and Hong Kong-adjacent Shenzhen — staff have come to recognise tips as a normal token of appreciation from foreign guests. And on Western-style escorted tours, guides and drivers understand the custom well: after decades of hosting travellers from Australia, the UK and North America, a closing gratuity is expected, welcome and always earned rather than demanded.

The practical takeaway for visitors is simple: outside your hotel and your tour, put the wallet away. Inside those two settings, a modest, well-presented tip is a kind gesture that will be received warmly.

Do You Tip Tour Guides and Drivers in China?

On a fully escorted group tour, this is the one place where a tip is genuinely customary. Your national guide travels with you for the whole journey — translating, coordinating hotels and tickets, looking after dietary needs and keeping the itinerary running smoothly, often for 12 to 16 hours a day. Your driver handles some of the world's most demanding intercity distances, and on longer journeys you may also meet local city guides who join for a day or two at a time.

If you are happy with the service, the customary amounts for Australian travellers are:

A few practical points worth knowing before you travel:

• When to give it. The guide and driver gratuity is given once, at the end of the tour or at the airport farewell — not day by day. Most groups collect it into a single envelope with a short thank-you card, which the guide shares with the driver.
• It is earned, never levied. A tip here is appreciation for a job well done, not a fee. If service falls short, you are within your rights to adjust or decline.
• Check your tour documents. Policies differ between operators. Some larger operators add a compulsory gratuity to the tour price; others leave it to travellers. With ExploreChina Holidays your confirmation documents list exactly what is included and what is discretionary, so you always know where you stand before you fly. If anything is unclear, ask before departure — never in the moment on the bus.
• Children and shared tips. Amounts are quoted per traveller. Families often give on behalf of children too, but that is entirely your call.

Tipping Hotel Staff in China

In international hotels — the standard on every premium group tour — a small tip for personal service is welcome, following the same customs you would find anywhere in Asia:

• Porters and bell staff: 10–20 yuan (about A$2–4) per bag is a friendly acknowledgment.
• Housekeeping: 10–20 yuan per night, left on the pillow or under the key card in an envelope, is appreciated by the staff who refresh your room.
• Concierge: if someone secures hard-to-get theatre tickets or goes out of their way with a difficult request, 20–50 yuan is a warm thank-you.
• Doormen and taxi touts at the kerb: no tip is needed for simply hailing a cab.

One thing to check before tipping at the front desk: larger international hotels typically add a 10–15% service charge to restaurant, minibar and room-service bills, which covers the team. In that case an extra cash tip is optional — a small one for exceptional personal service, or none at all. In local Chinese restaurants and neighbourhood eateries, no tipping is expected at all: pay the bill, say thank you, and that is completely normal.

Where Tipping Is Not Expected in China

• Taxis: no tips. Drivers give change to the jiao. Rounding up to the nearest yuan is a courteous gesture, nothing more.
• Cafés, food courts and street food: no tips, ever. Prices are the price.
• Shops and markets: no tips — though light bargaining is expected in markets, which is where your "extra" should go.
• Public toilets and attendants: a small coin for attendants who keep facilities clean is optional and occasionally seen, but not expected.
• Airports, stations and government offices: never offer tips to officials, security staff or customs officers. It is not a tipping context and can be genuinely misunderstood. Queue, follow instructions, be polite, and move on.

How to Give a Tip Gracefully

Custom matters more than the amount. A few habits will make any tip land well:

• Use cash, in yuan. Tips cannot be added to card payments and digital wallets are not set up for gratuities in most places. Keep a supply of clean 10 and 20 yuan notes for the purpose.
• Give and receive with both hands. Presenting money, cards and gifts with both hands (or the right hand, fingers supporting the left) is the polite form throughout China.
• Use an envelope where you can. Hotel reception desks will happily give you one. It turns a cash handoff into a small ceremony of thanks.
• Say thank you — xièxie. Your guide will translate the sentiment for the driver.
• If it is declined once, do not push. Some staff, particularly older locals outside the tourism trade, may wave a tip away out of habit or shyness. Thank them again and move on — the gesture was received.

Tipping Money: Cash, Cards and Mobile Apps

Because tips are always cash in yuan, it pays to organise a small "tips float" before you leave Australia:

• Bring or withdraw RMB. ATMs at Chinese airports and banks accept foreign cards on Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay networks, though availability varies by bank and city. Exchange counters at major hotels also handle AUD, at less favourable rates. Many travellers withdraw 500–1,000 yuan (about A$105–210) on arrival and keep 200–300 yuan of it as the tips float for a 10-day tour.
• Link your card to Alipay or WeChat Pay. International visitors can now link Australian Visa or Mastercard cards to China's two dominant payment apps, which covers daily spending almost everywhere — but neither app is designed for tipping staff, so the cash float still matters. Our guide to money and internet in China walks through the full setup step by step.
• Do not plan to tip in AUD. Australian banknotes cannot be spent in China and exchanging small amounts is impractical. Staff also generally cannot accept foreign coins or notes informally. Withdraw or exchange yuan and everyone is happier.

Why Tipping Is Simple on an ExploreChina Tour

For more than 41 years — since 1985 — ExploreChina Holidays has escorted Australian travellers through China, backed by China Travel Service, one of the country's largest and longest-established travel groups. More than 50,000 travellers have toured with us at an average rating of 4.9 stars, and the same questions come up every week: what is included, what is extra, and what is expected.

Our answer is on paper, not in the fine print of a tip jar. Your tour documents list every inclusion and every discretionary item — from internal flights and entrance fees to the guide and driver gratuity custom described above — so you can budget the whole holiday in Australian dollars before you leave. We run no forced shopping stops and no hidden costs, which is one more way a CTS-backed, Sydney-based operator differs from what you may have heard about in decades past. If a question like tipping matters to you before you book, ask us — it is exactly the kind of question our consultants enjoy answering. Our first-time China travel tips cover more of the same practical ground.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you tip tour guides in China?

You are not required to, but on Western-style fully guided group tours a gratuity for your guide at the end of the tour is customary and genuinely appreciated. A common amount is 200–300 yuan (about A$40–65) per traveller for a 10-day tour, or 20–50 yuan per day. Most groups present it in an envelope at the farewell, often with a card, for the guide to share with the driver.

How much do you tip a driver in China?

About half of what you give your guide is the working rule of thumb — roughly 10–20 yuan (A$2–4) per traveller per day, or 100–150 yuan (A$20–30) at the end of a 10-day tour. Drivers typically receive their share through the guide, so a single envelope covers both.

Do you tip taxi drivers in China?

No. Taxi drivers in China do not expect tips and will give change to the exact fare. If you like, round up to the nearest yuan as a small courtesy, but leaving extra is not part of the culture and may cause friendly confusion rather than delight.

Do hotel staff in China expect tips?

Porters and housekeeping staff at international hotels welcome 10–20 yuan (A$2–4), and a concierge who solves a tricky problem is worth 20–50 yuan. Keep in mind that larger international hotels usually add a 10–15% service charge to food and beverage bills, which already covers the team — so an extra tip there is optional, not obligatory.

Is tipping considered rude in China?

Not rude, but it is not expected in everyday local life, and some older Chinese people may politely wave a tip away out of habit. In tourism settings — escorted tours and international hotels — tips from Western travellers are well understood and received warmly. If someone declines once, thank them and let it go; never insist.

Should I tip in cash or with a payment app?

Cash, always, in Chinese yuan. Tips cannot be added to card transactions and China's mobile payment apps are not built for staff gratuities. Keep clean 10 and 20 yuan notes in a dedicated envelope so you are never scrambling for small change at the farewell dinner.

Can I tip with Australian dollars?

No — tip in Chinese yuan only. Australian banknotes cannot be spent in China, and exchanging small amounts of AUD is impractical for staff. Withdraw yuan from an airport or bank ATM on arrival, or set aside a tips float of 200–300 yuan (about A$40–65) per traveller for a 10-day tour before you leave the exchange counter.

Plan Your China Holiday With Confidence

Money etiquette is one of those details that separates a good holiday from a great one — and it is exactly what a fully guided tour is for. Explore our small-group itineraries such as Amazing China and Exquisite China, all priced from Australia in AUD with every inclusion listed, and travel with a team that has answered these questions for more than four decades.