Is Heathrow Airport Duty Free Worth It?
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Is Heathrow Airport Duty Free Worth It?

To help you with this question, I went on a duty free adventure at Heathrow on my way to the US last week. This is what I found….

Heathrow Airport Duty Free- Should You Buy Jack?

No, I mean, really buy Jack… When it comes to a few popular adult beverage options, this is how it goes…

First I checked out a bottle of Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey.

Heathrow Airport = £24.99 (on offer for a £9.13 savings) This is around $42.Duty Free Heathrow Worth It

At a US airport you can get .75 litres more for $41.00.
Duty Free Heathrow Worth ItAt WineAnthology.com it is $24.99 for 750ml, excluding shipping.

Next, I compared a bottle of Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial, 75cl.

Heathrow Airport = £32.99 (advertised as a £15.91 savings). This is around $55.
Duty Free Heathrow Worth It

US Duty Free = $79

Amazon.co.uk- MOET & CHANDON Rose Imperial Champagne

If you like champagne like me, you’ll probably want a few bottles. So I also compared the Veuve Clicquot Non-Vintage Rose, 75cl.
Duty Free Heathrow Worth It

Heathrow Airport = £32.99 This is around $55.

US Duty free is = $79

Amazon.co.uk- Veuve Clicquot Champagne Rosé

Heathrow Airport Duty Free- Adding Up the Scents

Another popular Duty Free purchase is perfume and cologne. So, here’s a few labels for you to see.

Prada Candy Natural Spray, 50 ml.
Duty Free Heathrow Worth ItHeathrow Airport = £45.40. This is around $76.

The bigger size of 80ml was £60.60 (an advertised sale price of £15.15 less). And this equals around $101.

US Duty Free 80ml = $93

Amazon.co.uk- PRADA CANDY EAU DE PARFUM

A classic scent you may want to get your international hands on is Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum Spray (100ml).
Duty Free Heathrow Worth It

Heathrow Airport = £76.60. (Advertised as a £19.20 savings). This is around $128.

US Duty Free = $124

Amazon.co.uk= £117 ($185)
Thierry Mugler’s Alien Eau de Parfum (60ml)
Duty Free Heathrow Worth ItHeathrow = £43.25. This is around $72.

To smell like a legal ‘Alien’ in the US duty free shop, you’d spend $99.

And if you want to smell like an Alabama tart, you can pick up ‘Fantasy Twist’ a la Britney Spears.
Duty Free Heathrow Worth It

Heathrow Airport = £33.65 for 100ml. This is around $56.

US Duty Free = Not found

Sephora.com = Not found.

Heathrow Airport Duty Free- Smoke if you got ‘em

Heathrow = £90.00 for 3 cartons of Marlboro Gold. This is around $151.
Duty Free Heathrow Worth ItUS Duty Free = $37 for 1 carton of Marlboro . Three cartons would be $111.
Duty Free Heathrow Worth It

At a Sheetz petrol station in Pennsylvania = $61.08. Three cartons would be $183.24!

The ginormous ‘Smoking Kills’ warning on every pack of smokes in the UK… PRICELESS!

Heathrow Airport Duty Free- Money Bags

For kicks, I checked out my fav affordable bag designer, MichaelKors.com at Heathrow Airport.

This tote bag is £200.00. This is around $336.
Duty Free Heathrow Worth It

The Heathrow Airport duty free shop lists it as a £40 savings from Knightsbridge.
Duty Free Heathrow Worth It

You can find a similar bag for $297-$358 at Macys.com.

This handbag is £941.65. This is around $1,584.
Duty Free Heathrow Worth It

Again, this duty free shop indicates it’s over £180 cheaper than Knightsbridge.
Duty Free Heathrow Worth It

Duty Free Items- Last attempts for Souvenirs/Gifts:

There are also the items that are extremely difficult to get in your destination. This means duty free could be your last chance to grab those country’s treasures and prices might not matter too much…

Duty Free Heathrow Worth ItDuty Free Heathrow Worth It

Sunny friends, what do you think? Does this change your outlook on Duty Free? Will you leave earlier for the airport the next time you have an international flight to save a few dinero at Duty Free?

*US Duty Free prices were taken at the Detroit, Michigan Airport (DTW). Exchange rates were calculated on May 26 at the daily rate of $1.68 = £1.00

If you’re visiting London for the the first time (especially the NFL in London Games this Fall), see the blog’s Guide to London for Americans Visiting the First Time.Or you can subscribe to Sunny in London emails. I’m happy to help Americans find their way here faster, so please share this post if you or friends are travelling to London. You can read more about the expat experience on the blog. Be sure to see the review of an international shipping company, which includes a discount for you.

duty-free-heathrow-worth-it

If you’re planning a visit to London, the Sunny News YouTube channel has regular updates of advice for things to do and what you’ll need to know about London. This includes safety tips, pub advice, and a shopping guide.

https://youtu.be/d8G79FbJKN0

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5 Comments

  1. From the point of view of saving money, I think duty free is great when you buy things you needed anyway, like a bag you were hoping to get anyway or a pair of shoes you already needed – but I think it can lure you easily as well if you didn’t actually need or want any of those things, then got carried away by the savings and ended up making a net loss!! I can’t help but have a sneak peek though when I’m at an airport! 😀

    1. Thank you for commenting! I agree. I suddenly feel compelled to buy a new perfume or handbag because I feel I’ll miss a good deal if I don’t. 🙂

  2. That ‘Alabama tart’ comment made me spit my tea everywhere, curse you Sunny! Duty Free is perfect, for me, to pick up perfume because it’s cheaper than the UK high street, because it’s way more expensive here than in the US. Typically make-up and perfume can be the same ‘number’ in dollars and pounds, it’s why beauty bloggers go mad for Sephora and Ulta when they go abroad :p

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