20 Countries Where You Don't Need to Leave a Tip

by  Tommy Burson | Jun 12, 2014
Couple and their waiter in Rome
Couple and their waiter in Rome / TFILM/iStock

In America, the required minimum wage for a server is $2.13 per hour -- yikes! It's easy to see why they would have to rely on generous gratuities from patrons to make rent or support their family. But while tipping is an integral part of our culture, in other countries around the world, a dollar tip can be unappreciated or even downright offensive. (Don't worry, waitstaff in these countries are compensated more fully; the average wage of waiters in Australia, for example, is $15.04 per hour.)

Of course, this doesn't just extend to restaurant waiters. We're often used to tipping cab drivers, deliverymen, bartenders, and more -- but here's a handy list of countries where you're not generally expected to tip. To clarify, in some of these places it still is custom in some cases to round up the bill to the nearest dollar, leave an extra dollar or two, or be even more generous with exceptional service. But before your next trip, check against the below before automatically tacking on the standard 20% you're used to in the city.

1. Australia
2. Belgium
3. China
4. Denmark
5. Estonia
6. Finland
7. France
8. Iceland
9. Italy
10. Japan
11. Malaysia
12. New Zealand
13. Paraguay
14. Singapore
15. Slovenia
16. South Korea
17. Spain
18. Sweden
19. Switzerland
20. Vietnam

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