How to make the most savings on UK duty-free shopping

What is duty free?

Duty free essentially means ‘no tax’. The products sold at duty-free stores are exempt from local import duties, customs taxes and Value Added Tax (VAT).

This is because duty-free stores are typically available at international airports, ports or on international flights, where you’re ‘between borders’.

With taxes being waived, it can mean that certain items are discounted compared to typical high street prices, which take these taxes into account.

What should you buy to save the most?

The key thing to remember is that not everything you can buy in duty-free stores will represent a saving compared to typical prices.

Some items may include high markups, factoring in things like transportation or expensive rent at the airport, so they work out more expensive than if you shopped online, for example.

However, there are a few things you can target which will likely be worthwhile in terms of savings.

Tobacco

One item that springs to mind for many people when it comes to duty free is tobacco. Boxes of cigarettes and cigars are a common sight in duty-free stores. This is because tobacco has very high excise duty in the UK, so high street prices reflect that.

By purchasing tobacco products duty free, you’re skipping that significant markup and more than likely getting a much better deal.

How savings might look: A 200-pack Marlboro Gold can cost around £67 in duty free stores, working out at £6.70 for 20. In Morrisons, a Marlboro Gold multipack of 100 costs £93.50, working out at £18.70 for 20. This would be a saving of over 62%.

Designer fragrances and cosmetics

Fragrances and perfumes are heavily promoted in duty free stores too. A quick tester on the way to your gate can almost be a rite of passage.

These can also offer savings, as long as you shop around. Perfume is subject only to VAT, not excise duty, so you can only save up to 20% in some cases - not quite as much as alcohol and tobacco.

It’s best to look out for travel exclusives and double check with online prices before making a purchase.

How this might look: A 200ml bottle of Boss Bottled Night Eau de Toilette costs £49.95 at World Duty Free. At Boots, the same bottle costs £55. This would be a saving of just over 9%.

Sunglasses and watches

Sunglasses and watches are other items typically found in duty-free stores. You can make savings on these too providing you do your research.

These products are also only subject to VAT on the high street, so your potential savings at duty free will be up to 20%. It can often be the case that more expensive items, where the exemption of VAT has a more significant impact, are the ones worth buying.

Again, keep your eyes peeled for travel exclusives and compare with prices elsewhere to be sure you’re getting a good deal.

How this might look: Taylor Morris Devonshire Sunglasses cost £175 at World Duty Free. From the official Taylor Morris online store, the same sunglasses cost £210. This would be a saving of almost 17%.

Alcohol

Alcohol is another iconic duty-free item - we’ve all debated picking up a bottle of rum or vodka to enjoy on the balcony when we arrive on holiday.

Again, this is because alcohol is also heavily taxed in the UK, with high street prices taking into account both excise duty and VAT. Without these taxes in duty-free stores, discounts can be significant.

How this might look: Two one-litre bottles of Grey Goose vodka cost £57.10 at World Duty Free, working out at £28.55 per bottle. On Amazon UK, one bottle costs £59.99. This would be a saving of more than 52%.

Get an extra 10% off with Reserve & Collect

As well as being savvy about the items you purchase from duty-free stores, there’s another way you can save.

When you use World Duty Free’s Reserve & Collect service, you get an extra 10% off your items, making duty-free shopping all the more tempting.

Simply go to the World Duty Free website, enter your travel details and make your order from anywhere between 30 days and 24 hours before you fly.

This discount is applied automatically at checkout, and you pay nothing until you pick up your items from the airport.

All the prices quoted above are without this additional discount, meaning you can actually save even more on your purchases.

Remember the allowances

One final thing to consider when making a duty-free purchase is the personal allowances. This is how much duty-free goods you can bring back after your holiday.

For example, you can bring up to four litres of spirits over 22% ABV while there is a limit of 200 cigarettes.

You should also check the rules for your destination as these can vary from country to country.

Please note: All prices were correct at the time of writing (5 June 2026) and are subject to change and availability.