An article published in The Telegraph this week highlights the real reason why retailers ask for your boarding pass when buying goods within an airport.

We assume that shopping in an airport is ‘duty-free’ as that is what it’s most commonly referred to as but in reality, most items are not less 20% tax. In fact, the article reveals that retailers are using your boarding pass information to find out if you’re travelling to a non-EU country to avoid paying tax on your purchases and then pocketing the profit themselves – meaning the customer isn’t getting quite as good a deal as first thought.

The article claims that Boots are one of the worst offenders of this. Their products are offered at the same price as you would pay on the high street so the only player winning this game is Boots themselves. Picking up your last minute holiday essentials in the airport is helping Boots line their pockets with tax-free savings and passing none of this on to their loyal customers.

Other retailers offer small savings compared to the high street price but not a full 20% off. You may even find a better deal when shopping around on the high street and online. Again, if you are travelling outside of the EU then the retailers are earning a reduction on their tax bill when you present your boarding pass.

Nick Trend, Telegraph Travel’s Consumer Editor states in the article: “Handing over your boarding pass at the airport shop, even if you’re buying nothing more than a copy of The Telegraph, has become practically second nature – but I bet very few people realised why retailers can be so insistent.”

It is suggested that there should be a ‘clear breakdown of exactly how much you are saving on duty-free goods, rather than just a final price’ but retailers such as WHSmith claim that dual-pricing is a ‘practical impossibility’.

However, not all retailers are struggling to provide better deals within the airport as Harrods manage to sell all its products VAT-free in its Heathrow stores.

As retailers are within UK legislation, there is no crime happening here but it’s something to bear in mind when tackling ‘Duty-Free’ for some pre-flight bargains! Do your research and make sure what you buy in the airport is actually a worthwhile saving. And remember, when you’re asked to present you’re boarding pass whilst paying, you have no legal obligation to do so, just as the retailers are not legally obliged to offer you a tax-free reduction.