Boarding Passes & Duty Free - I thought we didn't need to show them?

portlock seagull · Oct 16, 2015

Just been told by the shop assistant that they can't serve unless show and apparently the "papers got it all wrong"

Anybody know the truth? Reluctantly my wife had to produce her pass in order to buy perfume just now. Are Gatwick staff deliberately misleading and their employers pocketing extra tax still?

pasty · Oct 16, 2015

You need to show it to buy DUTY FREE goods only, but NOT at other Airport shops.

skipper734 · Oct 16, 2015

Hooray Martin Lewis has just announced on Good Morning Britain That in WDF AIRPORTS you HAVE TO SHOW your boarding card.
Please note passengers that keep arguing about it.

This, from one of the Perfume Ladies.

nwgull · Oct 16, 2015

As above. Tax and duty free shopping is only available to passengers flying outside of the EU, so you need to show your boarding pass to check this.

Chicken Run · Oct 16, 2015

portlock seagull said:
Just been told by the shop assistant that they can't serve unless show and apparently the "papers got it all wrong"

Anybody know the truth? Reluctantly my wife had to produce her pass in order to buy perfume just now. Are Gatwick staff deliberately misleading and their employers pocketing extra tax still?

May I ask why your wife was"reluctant" to carry out this very simple and I'm certain non stressy evolution?

Herr Tubthumper · Oct 16, 2015

Chicken Run said:
May I ask why your wife was"reluctant" to carry out this very simple and I'm certain non stressy evolution?

Maybe Mrs Portlock doesn't like being used by big corporations like this? I'm the same.

nwgull · Oct 16, 2015

How is she being used? It's just a check to see that she's entitled to pay the tax free price. No different to checking the ID of an 18 year old in a boozer.

pastafarian · Oct 16, 2015

Herr Tubthumper said:
Maybe Mrs Portlock doesn't like being used by big corporations like this? I'm the same.

how does showing a boarding pass to prove you are entitled to tax free shopping equate to being used by big corporations?

Thunder Bolt · Oct 16, 2015

pastafarian said:
how does showing a boarding pass to prove you are entitled to tax free shopping equate to being used by big corporations?

I bought myself another Swatch watch when flying to Spain a few weeks ago, but still had to show my boarding pass. It was £5 cheaper than the high street price.

pastafarian · Oct 16, 2015

Thunder Bolt said:
I bought myself another Swatch watch when flying to Spain a few weeks ago, but still had to show my boarding pass. It was £5 cheaper than the high street price.

You were not buying duty free goods.......why did you have to show your boarding pass?

pasty · Oct 16, 2015

pastafarian said:
how does showing a boarding pass to prove you are entitled to tax free shopping equate to being used by big corporations?

Because NON duty free shops were asking for boarding passes when there is no need to show them. They asked for the passes because if you were travelling outside the EU, they could still claim back the VAT, but instead of passing this saving onto customers, they were keeping the profit themselves, hence the big backlash. So in other words, by showing the big corporations (Boots, WHS etc) your boarding pass without having to, you are helping them make more profit.

Meade's Ball · Oct 16, 2015

Herr Tubthumper said:
Maybe Mrs Portlock doesn't like being used by big corporations like this? I'm the same.

To me, you're a purchaser of Ewe & Me, a scent based on the exhalations of a cleanly sheep just seconds after they've just finished their third Mr Kipling Bramley Apple Pie.

beorhthelm · Oct 16, 2015

portlock seagull said:
Just been told by the shop assistant that they can't serve unless show and apparently the "papers got it all wrong"

Anybody know the truth? Reluctantly my wife had to produce her pass in order to buy perfume just now. Are Gatwick staff deliberately misleading and their employers pocketing extra tax still?

i gather its up to a company to try it on or not. outside the duty free they can still ask for the boarding pass so that they can claim back VAT if you are going out of EU.

8ace · Oct 16, 2015

Can someone get me 200 bensons

nwgull · Oct 16, 2015

Thunder Bolt said:
I bought myself another Swatch watch when flying to Spain a few weeks ago, but still had to show my boarding pass. It was £5 cheaper than the high street price.

I'm guessing that it'd still have been £5 cheaper if you'd been flying to Manchester - it was just a special airport price, probably because they sell such high volumes.

The boarding pass was possibly entered into the till to check that you weren't entitled to have the VAT deducted as well, in which case it'd have been 16.7% cheaper.

Edit: so from the above it sounds like some shops keep the VAT for themselves, which is a bit cheeky but probably why they are able to offer discounted prices to all passengers regardless of destination.

pastafarian · Oct 16, 2015

pasty said:
Because NON duty free shops were asking for boarding passes when there is no need to show them. They asked for the passes because if you were travelling outside the EU, they could still claim back the VAT, but instead of passing this saving onto customers, they were keeping the profit themselves, hence the big backlash. So in other words, by showing the big corporations (Boots, WHS etc) your boarding pass without having to, you are helping them make more profit.

i understand this fully

my point was if you are buying duty free perfume you cant really complain about showing you are entitled to it,the rest of the shopping tell them to stick it somewhere unpleasant

beorhthelm · Oct 16, 2015

pasty said:
...So in other words, by showing the big corporations (Boots, WHS etc) your boarding pass without having to, you are helping them make more profit.

oh the horror! or one could just not shop in the airport, or at those chains at all, if it means so much.

pasty · Oct 16, 2015

pastafarian said:
i understand this fully

my point was if you are buying duty free perfume you cant really complain about showing you are entitled to it,the rest of the shopping tell them to stick it somewhere unpleasant

Apologies, mis-interpreted your post I quoted.

Herr Tubthumper · Oct 16, 2015

pastafarian said:
how does showing a boarding pass to prove you are entitled to tax free shopping equate to being used by big corporations?

The question was about her reluctance. I am guessing she was reluctant due to the much publicised issue. She may have been wrong in this case, but this I'm sure was the reason for her reluctance.

Herr Tubthumper · Oct 16, 2015

Meade's Ball said:
To me, you're a purchaser of Ewe & Me, a scent based on the exhalations of a cleanly sheep just seconds after they've just finished their third Mr Kipling Bramley Apple Pie.

I'm more a Armani Code person.

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