Tipping in Australia, Fiji and New Zealand: What to Give

Tipping is optional across Australia, Fiji and New Zealand, because service staff in all three countries are paid a wage they can live on rather than a wage topped up by gratuities. That single fact is the whole answer, and it is the opposite of the American rule most visitors arrive with. You will not be chased down the street for forgetting, and nobody will treat a bill paid in full as an insult.

What differs between the three is how a tip is received when you do leave one. Australians increasingly expect it in city restaurants, New Zealanders treat it as a reward for something above the ordinary, and Fijians often pool it for the whole staff instead of pocketing it.

If Oceania is not the region you are after, our guide to tipping etiquette around the world covers the rest.

Why tipping works differently in Oceania

Tipping is not built into wages in Australia, Fiji or New Zealand, which is why it stays optional. Australia and New Zealand both run statutory minimum wages that apply to hospitality staff, and Australian awards add penalty rates on evenings, weekends and public holidays, which is also why a Sunday coffee sometimes carries a surcharge on the bill. That surcharge is not a tip and it does not go to the server.

Three habits follow from that.

1. Read the bill before you add anything. A service charge or a public-holiday surcharge is already on some bills, and adding a tip on top means paying twice.
2. Tip for service, not for food. If a dish disappoints, that is the kitchen. Taking it out of the server’s tip punishes the wrong person.
3. Carry a few coins or small notes. Card terminals in all three countries now prompt for a tip, which is a recent import, but cash remains the simplest way to give one directly to the person who earned it.

Tipping in Australia

You do not need to tip in Australia, and locals frequently do not. Australia’s minimum wage is among the highest in the world and hospitality staff are covered by it, so a gratuity is a bonus rather than part of anyone’s income.

Restaurants and bars. Tipping in Australian restaurants has become more common in the cities, partly because of the volume of American visitors. Ten per cent is the top of the normal range for good service, and rounding up is perfectly acceptable. Some venues add gratuity or a weekend surcharge to the bill, so check first. In bars you will rarely see anyone tip at all; a couple of dollars after a large round or a long night of attentive service is a generous gesture rather than an expected one.

Tour guides. Guides do not expect tips. A few dollars at the end of a day tour is welcome if the guide made the difference.

Taxis and rideshare. Drivers do not expect a tip. Most locals round the fare up to the nearest A$5 for convenience. Rideshare apps prompt for a tip in-app, which you can ignore.

Hotel staff. In mid-range and upmarket hotels, A$2 a bag for a porter and A$2 a day for housekeeping, left at the end of the stay, is the usual figure. Concierges are not routinely tipped. In a hostel, motel or budget hotel there is generally nobody to tip.

Cafés. Australian café culture runs on a tip jar rather than a percentage. Coins from your change are the whole custom.

Our Australia vacation guide has the rest of the practical planning, from entry rules to what a trip actually costs.

Tipping in Fiji

Tipping is uncommon in Fiji and is not part of the service culture, so staff may look surprised rather than pleased. Fijian hospitality is built on giving without expectation of return, which is why a handed-over note can land awkwardly.

Restaurants and bars. Restaurants and bars in Fiji are among the few in the world where tipping is genuinely not the norm. If you want to mark exceptional service, FJ$1 to FJ$2 is plenty. Note that many venues already add a government levy to the bill, which is tax and not gratuity.

Tour guides. Guides do not expect tips. Saying vinaka (thank you) at the end of a tour is the customary way to show appreciation, and it will be better received than cash.

Taxi drivers. No tip is expected. Agree the fare or insist on the meter before you set off.

Hotel staff. Porters and housekeeping staff do not expect anything.

The staff fund. Many resorts keep a communal staff box, often labelled as a Christmas or staff fund, near reception. Anything put in it is divided equally among the whole team, including the gardeners, cooks and maintenance staff who never meet a guest. If you want to leave something in Fiji, this is the culturally appropriate way to do it, and it fits the Fijian emphasis on sharing far better than slipping a note to one person.

Tipping in New Zealand

Tipping in New Zealand is discretionary and reserved for service that stood out. New Zealanders tip less than Australians and the amount is entirely up to the giver, with no percentage anybody is working to.

Restaurants and bars. In an upmarket restaurant, 10 per cent acknowledges outstanding service. In an everyday café or mid-range restaurant, most people leave loose change or nothing at all. Use the tip jar if there is one. Bartenders are not usually tipped.

Tour guides. Guiding in New Zealand caters heavily to visitors, so guides encounter tipping more often than other staff. Around 5 per cent of the tour price is the figure most often quoted for a guide who made the day.

Taxi drivers. Rounding the fare up to the nearest NZ$5 is common courtesy rather than an obligation.

Hotel staff. Nothing is expected. If you want to, NZ$1 to NZ$2 for a porter and NZ$3 to NZ$5 for a concierge who solved a real problem is a fair range.

Tipping in Oceania at a glance

The table below compares the three countries on the situations that come up most.

Frequently asked questions

Is it rude not to tip in Australia?

No. Not tipping in Australia is normal and carries no stigma, because the wage does not depend on it. Paying the bill in full is a complete transaction.

Do Australian restaurants add a service charge?

Some do, particularly for large groups, and many add a surcharge of 10 to 15 per cent on Sundays and public holidays to cover penalty rates. Both appear on the bill, so read it before adding anything.

Should I tip in Fijian dollars or my own currency?

Fijian dollars, if you tip at all. Foreign notes and coins are awkward to change and small foreign coins are worthless locally.

Do I tip on a card in New Zealand?

You can, since most terminals now prompt for it, but cash reaches the individual more reliably. Either is acceptable, and declining the prompt is normal.

How much do I tip a tour guide in Oceania?

Nothing is required in any of the three countries. If you want to, a few dollars in Australia, about 5 per cent of the tour price in New Zealand, and a genuine vinaka in Fiji all fit local custom.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

Four habits that keep you from tipping wrongly across Oceania are listed below.

1. Check the bill for a surcharge before you tip. Australian venues commonly add 10 to 15 per cent on Sundays and public holidays to cover staff penalty rates. It is a surcharge, not a gratuity, and it does not reach the server.
2. Decline the card terminal’s tip prompt without guilt. The prompt is a recent import into all three countries and does not reflect local custom. Nobody watching expects you to accept it.
3. In Fiji, use the staff fund rather than the individual. Resorts split the communal box equally across the whole team, including the people who never meet guests, which matches Fijian custom better than a note passed to one server.
4. Tip hotel housekeeping at the end of the stay, not daily. In Australia that is the local pattern, and it also avoids the tip being collected by a different person each morning.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, whose Queensland road trip from Brisbane to Port Douglas forms the basis of our Australian coverage. The team covers Australia, Fiji and New Zealand for independent travellers, including the tours, hotels and rental cars worth booking, and updates this page when wage rules and service charges change.