Tipping, Guide and Driver Fees on China Group Tours

Ask the agency to write the guide and driver fee on the quotation, with the amount, the currency and the date it is collected. A tour fee can be reasonable, but an unwritten one is the part that surprises families.

Two things get mixed up here. Tipping in daily life is one thing, and a guide fee that an agency collects for a tour is another.

Do you tip in China day to day?

Tipping is not customary on the Chinese mainland, and it can feel awkward to taxi drivers and waiters^[1]. Taxi fares are metered, and passengers usually pay the exact meter fare^[2].

International-standard hotels may accept small tips, with CNY 20 to 50 suggested for housekeeping or bellhops, but these are never mandatory^[3]. If you do tip, a small amount in yuan notes is enough.

So why do tours ask for a guide fee?

Tour agencies set a guide and driver service fee as part of how their staff are paid. It sits outside everyday China customs, so it is a rule of the tour, not of the country.

That is why you should read it as a price line. Treat it like a hotel supplement: if it is real, it should have a figure.

What is usually extra on a tour?

Look through your quotation for these lines, and ask about any that are missing.

Guide and driver fee, per person or per group.
Optional tours or add-on activities during free time.
Entry tickets that are not in the base price.
Meals on free days.
Porterage at hotels, if the group is large.

A cheap-looking package that leaves most of these out is worth a second look. Our guide on red flags in very cheap packages explains why.

How should you ask?

Send one message, and keep the answers in your booking thread:

Is the guide and driver fee included? If not, how much?
Is it per person, and do children pay?
When and how is it collected: advance, cash on the tour, or transfer?
Is it fixed, or does the group decide?

If cash is collected on the tour, remember that renminbi cash is legal tender and merchants should accept it^[4]. Carry small notes for small moments, but not large sums for the guide.

What should you do next?

Add the fee to your budget in ringgit. The budget planner has a line for extras, and you can compare two quotes in the package comparator once both show the fee.

For the full list of what a quote should show, read what a China tour quotation should include. The booking topic page collects the rest of the contract checks, and payment schedules explain when each part falls due.

If your quotation says guide and driver tips are extra but gives no figure, send it to us and we will tell you what to ask the agency to write down.

Check my quotation

Questions Malaysians ask

Do I need to tip in China at all?

In everyday life, no. Tipping is not customary on the mainland and can feel awkward to taxi drivers and waiters. A tour is different, because agencies collect a guide and driver fee separately. That fee is a charge of the tour, not a street-side custom.

Is the guide and driver fee included in the quotation?

Not always. Some agencies include it, others list it as an extra paid at the start or the end. Ask for the line to be written on the quotation with the amount, who it is paid to, and whether it applies to every traveller including children.

How is the fee usually collected?

Either in advance with your final payment, or in cash on the tour. Ask which one applies and what currency. If it is collected on the tour, ask for a receipt or at least a written note of the amount, so you can show what was paid.

Can I decline if the guide was poor?

If the fee is a fixed part of the contract, you cannot simply decline it, but you can complain. Keep notes and photos, speak to the guide first, then raise it with the agency. If the fee is voluntary, the agency should say so in writing.

Sources

Cathay Pacific, checked 2026-10-19
China Xian Tour, checked 2026-10-19
Cathay Pacific, checked 2026-10-19
Xinhua via english.www.gov.cn, checked 2026-10-19

Rules, schedules and prices change. Confirm with the official source before you travel.

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