Do I need to show my boarding pass at airport shops? (video & guide)

Martin Lewis

Updated 15 July 2019 | Created 12 May 2017

It’s one of those niggling frustrations. You want to buy something at the airport and you’re badgered for your boarding pass in order to purchase. Many people ask me if they need to bother, so here’s my quick video answer…

Update 15 July 2019: This blog was written two years ago, but the facts remain the same.

Embedded YouTube Video

Some frequently asked questions…

After I originally posted this video on social media, there were a few questions that came up, so for belt and braces here are the answers…

Q. Why do duty-free shops need to see boarding passes? In the words of HMRC, “Duty-free shops can sell goods where the excise, customs duty or VAT has been suspended, usually alcohol and tobacco. Sales in duty-free shops are tightly controlled and HMRC requires these outlets to know where the passenger is travelling to before completing a sale.”

The reason behind this is with duty free you’re potentially being exempted from duty as well as tax. If you travel outside the EU, while other shops only get an exemption on VAT, duty-free stores can also sell goods such as tobacco and alcohol free from UK excise duty. Of course that doesn’t automatically mean they are cheaper than you can buy elsewhere.

Q. What counts as a duty-free shop? As they’re the only ones that can advertise goods as ‘duty free’, they’re the ones that do that. In practice most duty-free shops are called ‘duty free’ and sell alcohol or tobacco.

However, a few smaller offshoots of the main duty-free stores may only sell, for example, cosmetics or sunglasses, but they must still see your boarding pass. Duty-free shops will have to have a sign saying they are approved by HMRC to be duty free. Here’s an example:

Q. Are tax-free shops the same as duty free? No, they aren’t, and in the words of HMRC, “Other retailers are known as tax-free shops… There is nothing in VAT law that requires a traveller to produce a boarding pass to purchase goods.” Though of course without proof they cannot claim the VAT exemption if you’re travelling outside the EU – which is why they ask.

Q. If it’s somewhere I don’t legally need to show my boarding pass, can they refuse to serve me if I won’t show it? Yes, any shop can refuse your custom (unless it’s doing it for discriminatory purposes, eg, over race) so there is a chance this will happen – or at least its procedures won’t allow it.

Q. If a shop doesn’t need to see my card, but wants to, is there any harm in showing it them? Not directly, no. The reason I suggest not showing it is part of a campaign to get airport stores to pass on the VAT gain they get from non-EU customers – as the Government indicates they should.

Already this has paid dividends with the change in policy from Boots and WHSmith as mentioned in the video – I would hope to see them go further and other stores join.

And finally, just for the record – here’s a transcript of the video…

Right hello. I’m at Gatwick Airport and I’m airside so I’m filming this on my phone and keeping rather quiet if you know what I mean because I want to answer one of those questions that people always ask me about travelling. “When they ask for my boarding pass when I’m buying stuff in the airport, do I have to show them?” Well, the answer… no.

On almost all the shops, with one big exception, duty free. In duty free, by regulation, they have to see your boarding pass or they can’t sell you stuff, so don’t give the staff in there a hard time, show them your boarding pass.

But for the rest of the shops in here and all around here, well, the answer… no. And the reason they’re asking you is if you show your boarding pass and you’re going outside of the European Union well, then they can claim the VAT back. Now I believe they should be sharing that with you and they’re not.

So if they ask you, just say no. Why should they gain if we don’t?

However, there have been some moves on this, down the bottom there you’ve got WHSmith and Boots. Shop in either of those, in Boots buying something over a fiver and in Smith’s over £6, they will give you the VAT back if you show your boarding pass and you’re travelling outside the EU, but only on items over a fiver or £6, not the total basket.

So it’s up to you to decide whether you want to give them your boarding pass or not. They can’t stop you buying stuff, there’s no law requiring them to see it, with the exception again of in duty free, over there.

See ya.

Previous Martin Lewis: How to URGENTLY reclaim PPI for a deceased relative

Next Martin Lewis: 11m will see energy bills cut on 1 Oct – but check if you’re being RIPPED OFF

How this site works

We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of the site. We're a journalistic website and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques, but can't guarantee to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service.
We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned (how likely they are to go bust), but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips).
Do note, while we always aim to give you accurate product info at the point of publication, unfortunately price and terms of products and deals can always be changed by the provider afterwards, so double check first.
We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content.
Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion.

MoneySavingExpert.com is part of the MONY Group (formerly called the MoneySupermarket Group), but is entirely editorially independent. Its stance of putting consumers first is protected and enshrined in the legally binding MSE Editorial Code.

Please read the Full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, How this site is financed and MSE's Editorial Code.

More tools from MoneySavingExpert