Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Might be able to help you should you lose your Visa card, but in general you must deal with
the issuing bank in the case of an emergency.
Tipping
Hong Kong isn't particularly conscious of tipping and there is no obligation to tip, say, taxi
drivers; just round the fare up, or you can throw in a dollar or two more.
Porters
It's almost mandatory to tip hotel porters HK$10 to HK$20, and for porters at the
airport, HK$2 to HK$5 a suitcase is normally expected. The porters putting your bags on a
push cart at Hong Kong or Kowloon Airport Express station do not expect a gratuity,
though; it's all part of the service.
Hotels and restaurants
Most hotels and many restaurants add a 10% service charge to the
bill. Feel free to leave a few dollars extra if the service has been good. If there is no service
charge, whether or not you tip depends on the type of restaurant. Tipping is not expected in
local, casual restaurants like noodle shops, but 10% is the norm in upscale or Western-style
restaurants.
Travellers Cheques & Cards
Travellers cheques and their modern equivalent, ATM-style cards that can be credited with
cash in advance, offer protection from theft but are becoming less common due to the pre-
ponderance of ATMs.
Most banks will cash travellers cheques, and they all charge a fee, often irrespective of
whether you are an account holder or not.
If any cheques are lost or stolen, contact the issuing office or the nearest branch of the issu-
ing agency immediately.
American Express
( 3002 1276) can usually arrange replace-
ment cheques within 24 hours.
Newspapers & Magazines
The main English-language newspaper in the city is the daily broadsheet
South China Morn-
ing Post
(
www.scmp.com
), which has always toed the government line, both before and
after the handover. It has the largest circulation and is read by more Hong Kong Chinese
than expatriates.
