Most Dubai restaurants and hotels add a service charge to the bill, on top of a separate tourism fee. The catch is that this charge often goes to the business, not directly to the person who served you — so many residents still tip in cash even when a service charge already appears.
A cash tip of 10-15% of the bill is standard at restaurants, on top of whatever service charge is already listed. Valets, porters and bellhops typically get AED 5-20 depending on effort and luggage. Hotel housekeeping is usually tipped around AED 10 per night, left in the room. Taxi drivers don't expect a tip — rounding up to the nearest note is enough.
If you want your tip to actually reach the person who helped you, hand cash directly rather than adding to the card total, since a printed “service charge” line is not guaranteed to be shared with staff. Tour guides are the exception — tipping isn't expected, though it's welcomed for a great tour.
More on how automatic service charges work in general →
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