Originally Posted by
Roger
AIUI the VAT refund scheme wouldn't apply to most EEA (including UK) residents.
It applies to people who live outside the European VAT area (for goods being permanently exported outside the VAT area - save for returning while being used, e.g. ipad!).
[It can also apply to people in the UK who are about to leave for 12+ months, and for long term visitors under certain conditions, but there plenty of T&Cs attached to these cases.]
Passports need to be shown,
No they don't. Proof of residence may be asked for. But it need not take the form of a residents card (etc), utility statments can be accepted also I believe. They just need to be satisfied you do live there.
Never been asked for passport, only if I had any proof of address once or twice.
the minimum expenditure per transaction is £30 and as pointed out, service charges apply.
No. This is no minimum under the scheme.
Also, not all retailers charge a fee.
Some retailers do the process totally in house, others make use of companies such as Global Refund.
Either way, any charge is set by the retailer. Some charge nothing at all. Others, charge token ammounts (2.50). Others charge a %, etc.
Some retailers will absorb costs including thouse they incurr from making use of global refund. Much the same as most retailers choose to absorb card costs at the same level, not charge people paying amex more, etc!
If these restrictions do apply to Dixons airport purchases, they reduce Dixons' usefulness to emergency only - a bit like running out of toy batteries at Saturday teatime.
Either this is great news, or it is terrible news. I've not established it yet.
Have sent an email to them asking why their Apple prices are rising. (i.e. no longer 17.5% less)
They must have missed removing the 'f' from the end of that URL!