Claiming VAT refunds at Stansted Airport, UK
I'm back from UK with nary an update on it, so here's the first of what should be many. Boring topic but might be highly relevant for anyone going there. A quick summary of the trip:
1. London has REALLY cleaned up. It ROCKS.
2. Paris... REALLY needs to clean up. It SOCKS. (lol fail)
3. AirAsia is hot and uncomfortable. You get what you pay for. It... FLOCKS? PLOCKS? FOCKS you up? Bleh.
So here's what you need to know about claiming VAT (Value Added Tax lah, similar to General Sales Tax):
- You can claim for most things, except books.
- You can claim from a single receipt totaling over £50.
- Ask for it when you make your payment.
- The shop will charge you for it (it ranges, but should be in the region of 5-10%).
- Fill in the form they give you.
- I think that it doesn't matter how you want your money (doesn't have to be the same as how you paid for the items).
And here's what you need to know about VAT @ Stansted Airport:
- There's no physical VAT counter, just a mailbox.
- This mailbox is AFTER you check-in, and AFTER the security check.
- Make sure you have envelopes, one for each shop you're claiming VAT back from.
- Address them to the shop (or wherever they direct you to).
- No stamps needed.
- Pop each VAT claim form into their respective envelopes.
- Do NOT seal the envelopes.
- Pop them into the VAT mailbox.
Yes, there is NO check on the item. Dodgy behaviour possible, though not encouraged. W H Smith's does sell envelopes. In bunches of 50. Come to me if you want some W H Smith's envelopes.
On a side note, Stansted's not too far from London - it's not worth it buying a train ticket online from elsewhere (£2.50 credit card charge or something ridiculous). Just buy a train / bus ticket when you're there, it'll cost the same and the services are regular.
I haven't gotten my refunds yet, but it should come in by the end of the month. I'll update this if any crap happens.
posted by Jo at 2:06 pm
19 Comments:
Hi I came across this post by randomly googling Stansted and VAT refunds :) Can I please find out if you've got your refunds back, as I've never flown through Stansted before.
Hi, if I am buying from Paris, take eurostar to uk, then travel fr uk to non-EU country. Can I claim the items I bought from Paris at stansted airport? appreciate for your explaination.
Alright apologies for the delay. Here's what's happened:
1. For the expected refund of either £73.25 or £58.36, they refunded RM283.02 after a month.
2. For the expected refund of £48, they refunded RM222.52 after 2 months.
3. For the expected refund of £3.20, they refunded RM14.83 after 2 months.
4. We're still waiting for the other amount from #1.
No announcement or anything, the money just appeared in our Credit Card statements. You can choose to receive it in other ways, but I think CC is the most convenient both ways.
There's a charge levied by the UK Govt on the refund somewhere, so that kinda sucks - but we were rewarded by an improved exchange rate over that 1 month or 2.
@sze wah: I doubt you'll be able to make EU-related claims in the UK. Check if you can make the claims in Paris (ideally at Gare du Nord itself) before you leave for London. Their inter-border laws can be confusing so you'll need to research that yourself, I'm afraid.
Hope that helps.
Can you explain why don't seal the envelop? Please
@Joe: Mostly, because they say so. :)
The main reason, I think, is because their process is something like this:
1. Check your VAT Refund form
2. If ok, stamp it
3. Put it back into the envelope you provided them
4. Seal it and stamp it
5. Send it back to the shop, who then pass you your money back
I Purchase a phone fr O2 but no VAT form for me. How to claim at Stansted? Can I use the evelope other shop given to me?
@peggy: You MUST ask for a VAT refund form from the store you bought the item from. They fill in the relevant details and you send it to the VAT Office, who eventually sends it back to the store you bought it from.
You MIGHT be able to try a different store of the same chain (eg another O2 store) to see if they can provide you with the form.
Hi.
Please can you help me.
I was in London Stansted Airport at 18 December. I put my evelope in mailbox, but money on my Visa Card dosent came today.
Can you tell me when that will be, I live in Croatia.
I been put 4 envelope, but in one envelope i didnt put a acaount.
@marina: I'm afraid I can't tell you an exact date. For example, it took 1 month for our 1st refund, but we're still waiting for another refund and that was 4 months ago.
If you're in a hurry, you can try calling the store you bought it from. We might be doing that soon so I'll update the results here.
I'm not sure about the "no account" form - maybe Google it?
Good luck!
Ok just in: on 12th Jan 2011, we received the final refund of RM 347.77 . It was converted from £71.25, which should be the £73.25 one with £2 "admin fee" costed in.
Wahey!
Does that mean you got all the refunds you were expecting? I'm really worried that the forms and refund money will just disappear after dropping it in the postbox!
Also, I believe if you're leaving the Europe to go to the UK, you're supposed to claim your VAT from the UK (i.e the last place of departure from the EU).
@Anonymous: Yes, we got all the refunds we were expecting; minus whatever charges they made lah. All in all, great stuff - some just took longer than expected, that's all.
I'm really not sure about that EU thing, as UK has a funny half-on half-off relationship with the EU. You'll have to check on the EU website(s) for that.
Hey Jul, thanks for giving me an opportunity to exercise my longer-term memory. ;)
1. You need your own envelope. Yes, the store will provide something, but you'll put that something in another envelope. Ideally bring your own as the WH Smith at Stansted only sold them in batches of 50.
2. The purchase receipt should be sufficient. I think we stuck both in, just in case.
3. Yes we've gotten all our refunds, minus 'admin costs'. I can't see the dates of the comments but roughly, the refunds came after 1 month, 2 months, 2 months and 4/5 months.
Good luck and have a great trip!
Hey Jul,
1. I believe you'll need to claim it in Paris. I'm not sure, sorry but you'll have to check for yourself.
2. It's one envelope for each shop you're claiming VAT back from.
3. Address the envelope to the store (or wherever the store directs you to).
Essentially, you're preparing the envelopes for the VAT ppl - they process your form, pop it in the envelope and send it back to the store. Does that make sense?
Don't worry. The UK govt tends to be quite good when it comes to these administration kinda things. And no worries, I'm happy to help out as I know there isn't much info out there.
hi joe,
had a small query,
i wanted to know if i could get my vat refunds, as i have dropped the vat receipts from different stores into just one envelope, in a box at the birmingham airport..
or wud my claim be rejected because of putting them all in just one envelope???
Hi gave, I really don't know. You might have to Google it to find out. Good luck!
dear jo,the refund cheque was given by retailer is requirement custom officer's stamp.otherwise no stamp no refund as noticed on the cheque .when i arrived at stansted,i have to find any custom officer to get check my goods and for stamp?or directly i will put my global blue(tax free)refund cheque into envlope and pop into the mail box at airport.moreover i looked for an information in web site of hm&revenue office about subject but not to much clear information about that.
thnx.
If I didn't write the address on the envolop what will happen?
If I dind't get the refund, where can I inquire about the refund?
What do I do afterwards to get the money?
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