VAT refund on-site shopping recommendations (in Ireland)
 

It sounds like shopping in places where the VAT is instantly credited is much easier--never having been to Ireland, are there places where you can buy multiple Irish souvineers (Aran sweater, Beleek, Waterford, etc) and they'll credit you the VAT? Like a common store that sells a multitude of goods so you can get the whole thing credited at once and not have to get a cheque for the sweater you bought here, the linen from there, the crystal, etc... If not, how easy is it to ask for the VAT cheque at the store? Has anyone run into places that don't offer them?

Chem

THe Kilkenny shop on Nassau Street in Dublin sell all of the above under the one roof.

How would the store know you were truly going to take it out of the country, other than relying on your word and the fact you had a passport from elsewhere? Your oath to that effect might be trustworthy, but not everyone's.

We really did not have any trouble just filling out the forms at the airport before we left the country-There were plenty of people there to answer questions if need be. Also just remember to ask for the VAT cheque with every purchas. most places just gave it to us but some places were so busy that they may just forget.

What the stores that do this do is they get you to authorize a subsequent charge to the credit card if the paperwork is NOT completed and turned in within the required time period. (One of the adults on one of my Girl Scout trips did this and then forgot to turn in the paperwork. A few months later here comes the charge for the "VAT". She called me for advice and I told her to pay!)

A shop called Irish Handicrafts at Arthur's Quay Shopping mall in Limerick City will give you an on the spot VAT refund if you produce your U.S. Passport and proof that you are a tourist visitor (I don't remember if tey asked me for my airline ticket).

But it's not such a big deal to take your VAT refund requests to TaxBack or whatever at Shannon airport: They will give you dollars or Euros.

The ITB store in Lahinch filled out the VAT rebate forms and all we had to do was take them to the right counter in Shannon airport's Duty Free area & present our boarding passes.

Another way to do it is to have the shop ship the goods home for you. That way they take the VAT off the top and you don't have to carry everything all throughout your trip.

From what I remember (and my friend was visiting this weekend) they take the VAT off in some places and then you hand in or post the papers. If you do not so this they will then charge tyour credit card.

One thing though that is infuriating me is that my friend was charged in Dollars without being asken. i warned her about the Dynamic currency conversion whereby they charge you in your currency and you pay more. Well I get discounts in some of the these shops through work and one place i was unsure if we did get one so I showed my work ID. He declined but then gave 10% off to my friend anyway....well he charged her in dollars she noticed when she returned to the USA and did not give a deal at all. I am furious and going to have a chat with them as i thought they were supposed to ask what currency first. Be careful of this and always check.

Thanks for the info-so maybe getting the VAT refund isn't that big of a hassle after all. I'm flying out of Dublin, so I'm sure it will be easy to find the right place to get to turn everything in, get stamped, or whatever. I usually just take lots of photos but you never know once you get there!

Six years ago, an Irish merchant told me that only by doing the credit card transaction in dollars was he able to do the immediate VAT-off. It was my first experience with that (well before "dynamic currency conversion" entered the lexicon) and I let it go, figuring that between the commission that Tax-Back takes and the exchange rate the credit card company would impose, the merchant's rate probably wasn't much worse.
Now, of course, I'd ask more questions and insist on local-currency transactions.

We just got back from Ireland and we were VERY nieve travelers. My first couple of purchases I did not notice a tax added, so I assumed they knew we were Americans and didn't charge us (I feel kinda foolish writing this). However, the tax is already added into the price of the item. If the VAT form is not offered you must ask for it. It was not a problem filling it out in the airport while we waited for our flight. There was no line at the VAT Refund counter and I was happy to receive money back! Have fun, Deb

I don't know if Ireland is any different than Scotland but this was our experience. My husband bought a beautiful tweed sport jacket on the Isle of Skye. He filled out all the paperwork and followed all the procedures. More than six months later he got a check written on the Bank of Scotland in pounds. No one would cash it. There are no branches for the Bank of Scotland that we know of in New Jersey. All that effort for nothing. It just seems that they figure they will make it as difficult as possible for anyone to try and collect the tax back that they paid.

KarenM: I assume your husband paid cash for the jacket. If so the merchant's ONLY recourse was to send you a sterling check. For future reference - any time you plan on claiming a VAT refund you must charge it to a credit card. That way the refund is automatically credited back to the credit card acct. If one pays cash, that is not possible and you end up w/ an expensive souvenir of an uncashable UK check.

We just got back from Ireland this week. As long as you have the correct form, you can get the refund whether you pay cash, charge or use a debit card. In fact, the form asks whether you want it credited to a charge account or currency of your own country. We turned ours in at the Shannon airport and got American cash back.

I would love to buy clothes without the VAT. I am sure a lot will be happy. But this will just the buyers another sort of payment. It has directly shouldered to the buyers amount to be paid. The Codes should be clearly seen so that you can identify immediately how much would it be.