Tipping in the UK: what's normal in 2026.
The UK is a soft-tipping country with one wrinkle: London restaurants nearly always add a 12.5% discretionary service charge before you see the bill. Check first, then decide.
Service is often already on the bill. London sit-down restaurants add a 10–12.5% discretionary service charge — if it's there, you don't add more. If not, tip 10–12.5%. Pubs: no tip. Currency: pound sterling (GBP, £). The cultural baseline: "Check the bill before reaching for the card."
The one-screen rule: round up taxis to the next pound, no tipping at pubs, £1–2 per bag for porters, £1 per night for housekeeping at mid-range hotels.
Cultural context
British tipping is restrained by American standards and the rules are codified more than most visitors expect. London and other large-city restaurants nearly always add a "discretionary service charge" — typically 12.5%, sometimes 10% or 15% at higher-end spots — to the printed bill. The word "discretionary" matters: by law the customer can ask for it to be removed, with no explanation. The bigger change is the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, in force from 1 October 2024, which requires employers to pass 100% of tips and service charges to workers, and forbids deductions beyond statutory taxes. VisitBritain's 2024 visitor guidance confirms the cap: no more than 12.5% is expected at sit-down restaurants, and almost nowhere else is a tip required.
By situation
| Service | Customary tip | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sit-down restaurant | 10–12.5% | If service charge is on the bill, don't add more. |
| Café / counter | Optional | Tip jar by the till. £1 or nothing — both fine. |
| Pub (drinks) | None | Or say "and one for yourself" when ordering rounds. |
| Taxi (black cab) | 10%, round up | "Make it £20" on an £18 fare. Uber: in-app, optional. |
| Hotel housekeeping | £1–2 / night | Mid-range and up. Not customary at budget hotels. |
| Hotel porter | £1–2 / bag | £5 minimum at five-star hotels. |
| Tour guide (half day) | £5–10 | Per person, cash. |
| Hairdresser | 10%, or skip | Round up. Tipping not expected at chain salons. |
Money mechanics
The UK is a contactless-by-default country, and the card terminal at a sit-down restaurant will usually offer a tip step — preset percentages of 10 / 12.5 / 15, or a custom amount. If the bill already includes a discretionary service charge, the terminal's prompt is duplicative; tap "no tip" and ignore it. Cash tips at restaurants are uncommon but accepted; if you want to make sure the server personally receives the tip rather than the tronc pool, cash handed directly is the cleanest path. At pubs and cafés, the till has no tip line — drop coins in the jar or, at a pub, "and one for yourself" adds a drink to your tab that the bartender pockets the cash value of. Note that under the 2024 Tips Act, even tronc-pooled tips must reach staff in full.
The phrase to use
Mistakes visitors make
- Tipping on top of the service charge. The 12.5% is the tip. Adding another 15% on the terminal means you've tipped 27.5%, which the staff will quietly find odd.
- Tipping at the pub. Ordering at the bar is a cash transaction, not table service. Drop coins in the jar if you like; don't tip per drink the American way.
- Tipping cabbies 20%. Black-cab drivers expect a round-up, not a percentage. "Make it £20" on an £18 fare is generous; 20% is over-tipping.
FAQ
Can I refuse the discretionary service charge in the UK?
Yes. By law it must be optional, and you can ask for it to be removed without giving a reason. Staff won't make a fuss. Since the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 came into force in October 2024, any service charge collected must be passed to workers in full — so removing it does reduce their take-home that night.
Do you tip the bartender at a UK pub?
No. You order at the bar, pay then, and that's the transaction. If you want to thank a bartender after several rounds, the British convention is to say "and one for yourself" when ordering — they'll add the price of a half-pint or a soft drink to your tab and pocket the cash. Loose change in a jar is also fine.
Crossing the Channel, the rules flip again. See tipping in France (service compris — already in the price) and tipping in Germany (round up, say the total when paying). The country hub covers the rest of Europe.
For US visitors recalibrating from a 20% baseline, the contrast with tipping in the United States is the main thing to unlearn — at a London restaurant, 12.5% is the ceiling, not the floor.