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How to instantly save 25% when shopping in Europe
If you're a relative newbie to traveling around in Europe, here's how to cut 10-25% off your shopping bill the next time you're there. (And for the Canadian-philes here, you'll save 7%).The trick is getting a refund of the Value Added Tax (VAT). This is literally free cash that's yours for the taking--though technically you paid the tax when you purchased your goodie. Europeans have to put up with the VAT, but as a tourist (assuming you're not from the country you were shopping in), you're entitled to a refund of the VAT.
To get your refund, you have to pick up a slip from the cashier when you pay for the item. Then you take it to the airport (or an office around town) where a VAT clerk will fork over the cash. There's actually a huge company that handles most of the refunds, fittingly called Global Refund. One important point to keep in mind is you have to cash out your VAT slips in the same country--and not when you leave the EU. That means sometimes you'll have to look extra-hard to find one of those Global Refund offices.
Here's a break-down of how much you can save.
| Country | Value Added Tax | Minimum Purchase Requirement |
| Belgium | 21% | 125€ or US$162 |
| Canada | 7% | $200 CAN or US$160 * |
| Czech Republic | 22% | 2500 Czech Kroners or US$107 |
| Denmark | 25% | 301 Danish Kroners or US$52 |
| France | 19.6% | 175€ or US$227 |
| Germany | 16% | 30€ or US $38 |
| Italy | 20% | 155€ or US$201 |
| Netherlands | 6% or 19% | 137€ or $178 |
| Norway | 24% | 310 Norwegian Kroners or US$48 |
| Portugal | 19% | 60€ or US $77 |
| Spain | 16% | 90€ or US$116 |
| Sweden | 25% | 200 Swedish Kroners or US$28 |
| United Kingdom | 17.5% | 20£ or US$37 |
Filed under: Europe, Budget Travel
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
npeterman Jan 28th 2008 3:55AM
I don't know about other countries in the list, but in the UK merchants are not obliged to give you the required VAT form and many do not do so. Othere will only deal through Global Refunds, who take a hefty percentage, or the store takes a percentage of its own. Not as simple as the posting makes out!