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.
At a US airport you can get .75 litres more for $41.00.
At 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.
US Duty Free = $79
Amazon.co.uk- MOET & CHANDON Rose Imperial Champagne
Heathrow Airport = £32.99 This is around $55.
US Duty free is = $79
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.
Heathrow 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).
Heathrow Airport = £76.60. (Advertised as a £19.20 savings). This is around $128.
US Duty Free = $124
= £117 ($185)
Heathrow = £43.25. This is around $72.
To smell like a legal ‘Alien’ in the US duty free shop, you’d spend $99.
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.
US Duty Free = $37 for 1 carton of Marlboro . Three cartons would be $111.
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.
The Heathrow Airport duty free shop lists it as a £40 savings from Knightsbridge.
You can find a similar bag for $297-$358 at Macys.com.
This handbag is £941.65. This is around $1,584.
Again, this duty free shop indicates it’s over £180 cheaper than Knightsbridge.
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…
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
- Update (January 10, 2016) : There’s a new blog post featuring Chanel, Gucci, MacBook Pro, headphones and more Michael Kors at duty free prices. Prices feature the exchange rate of £1=$1.49
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! 😀
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. 🙂
I love the Britney Spears quote you mentioned – ‘smell like an Alabama tart!’ – Classic!
Thank you for reading and commenting, Danik! Sometimes, you jut can’t hide your feelings ;-). Glad you approve!
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