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Money & paymentsBy Clever Tourists · Published
The Philippines is one of the more tipping-friendly countries in Asia, partly because of American influence and partly because small gratuities are normal across a wide range of services — restaurants, taxis, hotel staff, even the person bagging your groceries. The amounts are small; the habit is broad.
Free toolWork out the exact tip on any bill →Pick the country, enter the bill and get the tip in local currency — including the places where service is already on the bill.Restaurants with table service: 10% if no service charge is already on the bill.
Fast food and counter service: nothing, or loose change.
Taxis and rideshare: round up, or add a small amount.
Hotel staff: small notes for porters and housekeeping.
Check the bill first — a service charge is often already added.
Many sit-down restaurants in the Philippines add a service charge, commonly around 10%, often stated on the menu as SC or service charge included.
If it is on the bill, you do not need to add anything further. If it is not, 10% is the normal tip.
This is the main thing to check before tipping, because adding 10% on top of an existing 10% is a common visitor mistake.
Beyond restaurants, small gratuities are normal for services that would not be tipped in Europe: porters, housekeeping, tour guides, drivers, and sometimes the staff who carry your bags at a mall or pack your groceries.
The amounts are genuinely small — coins or a small note. The point is the gesture rather than a percentage.
At markets, tipping is not part of the transaction; bargaining happens instead.
Cash is important. Many small transactions are cash, and tipping means having coins and small notes on you.
Cards work in malls, supermarkets and chain restaurants; sari-sari stores and markets are cash.
Bargaining is normal at markets and not in restaurants.
Our Philippines itinerary covers the island routes.
Yes, and it is expected in restaurants with table service if no service charge is added. Around 10% is normal, and small tips for other services are common.
Many sit-down restaurants add around 10%, usually stated on the menu. If it is on the bill, you do not need to tip on top of it.
Rounding up the fare, or adding a small note, is normal and appreciated.
No. Markets work on bargaining rather than tipping, and a tip is not part of the transaction.
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Tip calculator for the Philippines — bill total in, tip out →
