For many people, your holiday begins as soon as you arrive at the airport and hit duty free. It’s a time to treat yourself to some bargains and get your holiday off to a great start. Why not buy a new pair of sunglasses, some beautiful perfume or a tasty Toblerone to munch on the plane? Is duty free really cheaper though?! We decided to investigate this common belief once and for all…
First and foremost, let’s take a look at what duty free actually means. Essentially, it means that stores can sell items without customs tax (or ‘duty’) at airports, on airplanes, on cruise ships and at international borders because the items aren’t technically being imported into the country of sale. Usually items including perfume, tobacco and alcohol are the main culprits on offer; rarely will you find electronics for sale in a duty free store (or at least, not a wide selection!).
Whilst this sounds all well and good though, this doesn’t necessarily mean duty free goods will end up being kinder on your wallet than purchasing elsewhere, or indeed, worth the effort. Here are some factors to consider:
- Just because the stores selling the goods don’t have to pay customs tax, it doesn’t mean they will always pass their savings onto the customer.
- Airports in particular tend to charge far higher rates for shop space than on the high street. This can mean that although the tax has been knocked off the price, the original selling price has to be much higher in the first place in order for the shop to make money. This can mean that in some instances, your duty free will actually cost you more than had you have bought them online or in your local town centre.
- There can be some limits on how much you can buy in duty free so it is worthwhile checking this before making a lot of purchases. Whether you purchase a cheap bottle of alcohol or think you’ve found a great deal on a new bottle of spritz, if you exceed your allowance you’ll be out of pocket because you won’t be able to take your new purchases on board with you. Bear in mind also, particularly with liquid purchases, that if you have a connecting flight you may face difficulties.
- Sometimes there can be more than one duty free store to visit and another one at either end of your journey. It’s near on impossible to know which end will be cheaper for the items you want, so there is always a gamble in play.
With this in mind, here are some tips for helping you decide which items will most likely to be cheaper at duty free than elsewhere as well as some handy advice for your duty free shopping experience:
- If there is something specific in mind that you want to buy, such as a particular perfume, have a look around at home and online before committing to the purchase in duty free. You might find that with a discount voucher or online voucher code, you can actually get it cheaper ever with tax included in the price.
- If you are a smoker, you will know how heavily cigarettes and tobacco products are taxed in most countries. As such, this is one purchase you are guaranteed to save money on. In light of this, limits are strict and if you are caught exceeding your allowance you can face exceptionally heavy fines. The limits vary from country to country so be sure to check this for the countries you are travelling in and out of before you purchase anything.
- If you do decide to buy anything, be sure to keep hold of your receipts and have them to hand just in case you are asked to produce them when moving through the airport. This will be sure to prevent any unwanted hassle and ensure you can continue your journey quickly and easily.
- If you are a frequent traveller, it helps to be aware that some countries put a limit on how many duty free purchases you can make in any 30 day period.
- If you have your eyes on a slightly more unusual purchase, it is worth while checking out the import laws for your home country as you might end up having to pay surcharges to bring the items home, which could then mitigate any savings you had made.
So, is duty free really cheaper? In my opinion, the answer is no. Sure, there are times when you can make some significant savings on particular items but for a random purchase, you might be better off buying it elsewhere. To save money on your holiday, get a car hire quote now.
What are your thoughts on duty free shopping? Do you love it, loathe it or enjoy window shopping simply as a way to pass the time at the airport? Share your thoughts and experiences with us below; just leave a comment.
i saw dolce gabbana sport in frankfurt for about $70. when i was leaving for home i bought it for the same 70 bucks at a duty free at frankfurt airport. maybe booze or cigarettes are cheaper but i dont smoke and im not an alcoholic
Some stuff at duty free is a down right rip-off. Was tempted by a pair of Armani sunnies while transferring at Abu Dhabi. They were £191 with an RRP of £140 and I’ve found them at several places online in the UK for less than £100.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, as always we are keen to hear your thoughts and opinions. It sounds like Duty Free can often be a minefield of hidden charges so I’m sure all your tips and tricks on avoiding extra expenses will be of great interest to our other readers!
I agree with all your comments. I have found that by and large it’s cheaper to buy the odd bottle of spirit ( if that’s all you want to take back) from the local supermarket. Same goes for sweets or chocolate that you want to take back. In the big malls again perfume offers as far more attractive. So be warned and shop around
Generally I give “Duty free” a miss. I find it irritating that you have to zig zag your way through sickly smelling perfume areas to get to where you want to go. The only things worth buying are booze and fags because they are the most heavily taxed. I don’t smoke and don’t want to encourage anyone else to smoke so I never buy cigaretttes. I’ll buy spirits if the price is cheap enough to offset the inconvenience of lugging them around with you. I got a litre of Grants whisky for £6 at Johannesburg recently.
A good guide to whether items will be cheaper at your destination is to get some idea of what they cost in the shops there. Generally, duty-free prices are tied to local high-street prices. No-one leaving that country will pay more at the airport than the purchase price at home.
Fags and booze in Spain and other Mediterranean countries are usually a lot less than here; you can buy as many as you like in EU countries, provided you have paid the local taxes (and kept the receipt) than the duty-free allowance.
You’re right, its cheaper in a big high street chemist than to buy duty free or indeed in Spain where its not cheaper at all. Plus I stick to buying any electrical goods at home as its difficult to change something if it goes wrong if you bought abroad.
There is no such thing as duty free within the EU a point your article misses. Extract from HMRC web site below
Customs Duty is a tax charged on importation of goods produced outside the European Union (EU). You won’t have to pay Customs Duty if you’re travelling from the EU, or buying, ordering or sending goods to the UK from the EU for your own use.