To tip or not to tip: How tipping culture varies around the world

There is a moment familiar to many international travelers: you receive the bill and freeze. Should you tip — or not? In the United States, leaving too little can earn you a disapproving look. In Japan, on the other side of the world, handing over a tip can leave the recipient visibly flustered.

Though tipping is meant as a gesture of gratitude, the way it is understood varies wildly from country to country. In the US, adding 20 to 25 percent on top of a meal is now standard practice. In Japan, a warm phrase of thanks — "oishikatta" or "gochisosama" — carries far more weight than cash. In Egypt, it is common to hand a small amount to hotel staff, restroom attendants and doormen alike.

According to the BBC, tipping customs around the world reflect each society's wage structures, attitudes toward service, and religious and cultural traditions.

The US is the country most synonymous with tipping. It is now common to leave around 20 to 25 percent of the bill, and the pressure to tip is spreading to more and more venues.

Tipping was once largely confined to waitstaff, taxi drivers and others who provided direct personal service. But as digital payments have become ubiquitous, tip prompts have begun appearing on checkout screens at coffee shops and retail stores.

The trend has spawned a new vocabulary: "tipflation," "tipping fatigue" and "guilt tipping." Consumers say they feel pressured when a payment terminal flashes options of 20 or 25 percent even after receiving little or no service.

Peter Anderson, chief executive of the travel concierge firm Knightsbridge Circle, recounted picking up a bottle of water himself at a New York shop and carrying it to the register — only to be prompted for a 20 percent tip at checkout.

Japan sits at nearly the opposite end of the spectrum.

In Japan, tipping at restaurants or hotels is not the norm. Leave cash on the table when you go, and a staff member may chase you down the street to return it.

The prevailing attitude is that good service is simply part of doing one's job well — not an act deserving extra payment. When a meal has been enjoyable, expressing thanks with words such as "oishikatta" ("it was delicious") or "gochisosama" ("thank you for the meal") is considered far more appropriate than offering money.

There are exceptions. At a ryokan, guests sometimes present a gratuity to the attendant who prepares their meals and bedding. Even then, etiquette calls for placing crisp, clean bills in an envelope rather than handing over cash directly.

China has traditionally kept its distance from tipping culture as well. In the past, offering a tip could be read as a sign of superiority over the recipient and was sometimes considered rude.

That is slowly changing as foreign tourists and overseas influences have filtered in. In major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, and at upscale hotels, small tips to porters, tour guides and bartenders in recognition of good service are becoming increasingly accepted.

Egypt is a different story entirely.

Egypt, along with parts of North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, has a custom known as "baksheesh" — a word meaning a tip or charitable offering. Handing over a small amount of money after receiving a service is an everyday practice.

Baksheesh is given not only to restaurant servers, taxi drivers, tour guides and hotel staff, but also to doormen and restroom attendants. A dollar or two is typically enough to convey appreciation.

Denmark follows a different model again. Like Japan, it has little of the tip-dependent culture seen in the US, largely because service-sector wages are relatively high and service charges are often built into restaurant and hotel bills.

That said, rounding up the total as a small gesture of thanks is not uncommon when the service has been particularly good. The practice is seen across Scandinavia more broadly.