Day trips to buy cigarettes in the EU?

Sleepy · 26-09-2013 12:08pm #1

Was just looking into cigarette prices around Europe and the most comprehensive data I can seem to find is the list here but it appears a little out-dated

http://www.the-tma.org.uk/tma-publications-research/facts-figures/eu-cigarette-prices/

Converting those prices to Euro and adding 25% to allow for inflation, it seems that the price differential on 800 cigarettes in Estonia, Hungary or Lithuania would be around the €250 mark.

With return Ryanair flights available for about (or even under) €100 if you book enough in advance, it seems to me that there's sufficient financial incentive to make a return trip to purchase enough cigarettes to see you through a month or so.

With those particular countries, there doesn't seem to be enough of a window between Ryanair flights to do it in a day (and avoid overnight costs) but assuming one travels light and hostels it etc. I can certainly see a weekend away paying for itself...

Anyone have any experience of doin this? Do any other countries where the flights would be more frequent offer enough of a price differential to make a round-trip worth while?

lord lucan · 26-09-2013 10:14pm

I've been doing runs to the continent for the last couple of years. Initially i went to Madrid and Barcelona,over and back on the same day but the days could be quite long as generally you'd get the first flight out and last flight home.

Most of the Eastern European countries that are cheaper for cigarettes are almost impossible to do on a day trip. There's often only one flight out and back so unless you can exit,clear security and leg it back through the duty free in 25-45 minutes you're snookered.

For the last year i've been going to Belgium for cigarettes. 06.40 flight from Dublin with Aer Lingus and usually return on the 16.00 flight from Brussels. A 15 minute trip on the train from the airport has you in either Brussels city centre or Leuven where you can savour some classy Belgian beers.

Brussels airport sells the cigarettes duty paid for roughly €50 depending on the brand. I'd usually buy 2000,would do me for roughly 3 months and saves me around €400 when you take the air fare out of it. Brussels airport also has a smoking room right next to the bar near the gates so you can grab a beer and have a few cigarettes before heading home.

AM21 · 26-09-2013 10:34pm

Would you ever worry about getting caught or do they not check much?

lord lucan · 26-09-2013 10:37pm

AM21 wrote: »

Would you ever worry about getting caught or do they not check much?

The sticky at the top of the forum explains the legalities of it all but suffice to say i've never been stopped or had any issues with Customs.

rugbyman · 26-09-2013 10:38pm

Sleepy, the limit for own use is whatever you like,within reason. a real nicotine covered smoker should have no great problem with 15/20 cartons.(EEC)
ask the customs yourself.

re belgium i often travel via charleroi,,and buy two cartons. last time they had none on sale in the airport,except for people leaving the EC

Regards,

Sleepy · 27-09-2013 3:27pm

Was talking about it with Mrs Sleepy last night and came up with the plan to take a weekend trip somewhere for our anniversary in February which we could pay for out of the savings on the cigarettes!

I'm currently thinking about Prague as a city that has some romance to it (away from the strip clubs! lol) and has good prices for smokes but open to any other suggestions.

As a fan of Belgian beers, Leuven certainly sounds intriguing lord lucan!

Gran Hermano · 27-09-2013 3:44pm

I'll pick up 6 or 8 cartons at a time anytime I'm travelling around the EU with work.
Stick to purchasing one brand and you shouldn't have any hassle as long as for
personal consumption.

Portugal is currently one of the cheapest options compared to France/Italy/Spain.

Sleepy · 27-09-2013 3:48pm

I travel a lot for work but unfortunately it's all to the UK

Sleepy · 27-09-2013 4:05pm

Portugal is certainly interesting Gran Hermano. I can find flights for Faro that get you over and back in a (very long) day in October for €100. Assuming €45 a carton for Marlboro or Camel that'd save you €220. Not a bad saving for a day you'd spend most of reading your kindle!

Gran Hermano · 27-09-2013 4:13pm

It's worth checking whether cigarettes are available for purchase in particular airports/terminals for intra-EU flights. It is not always the case, especially in Italy I've found.

Italian prices can be found on the Italian government website as they are regulated:
example: http://www.aams.gov.it/sites/aams2008/files/TABACCHI/PREZZI/PREZZI-AL-PUBBLICO/2013/02-05-13/listino-02-05-13xsito-sigarette.pdf

In Spain, you can save approx €5 per carton buying in local tobacco shop compared to buying in airport.

Prices and advice for Portugal:
http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Travel-g189111-c176797/Algarve:Portugal:Cigarette.And.Tobacco.Prices.html

Sleepy · 27-09-2013 4:19pm

The flights I was looking at were about 4/5 hours apart so plenty of time to get out and get some in the nearest tabac to the airport. As I said, it'd be a very long day and you'd realistically end up spending about €20 on coffees/snacks etc. but perfectly do-able.

Muahahaha · 22-03-2015 3:46am

Any updates on this topic,Im thinking of a trip soon. I don't mind spending an overnight, where would be the cheapest place(s) within the EU to do this right now? I'm guessing Lithuania or Poland? Current prices per pack of 20 much appreciated

Sleepy · 23-03-2015 10:21am

Checked the link I put up in my original post and it appears to have been updated with a handy infographic:

It seems like Lithuania is the best out of the EU countries at about £2.21 or roughly €3 a packet. A quick look at flight schedules for next month on Ryanair shows that if you could fly out on a Tuesday and come back on the Thursday you'd get flights for about €90 but you'd need to budget for 2 nights stay there. Pushing to a "weekend" away, you'd have to fly Thursday to Saturday and prices seem to be about €130.

A bit of searching might get you better flight dates but honestly, it looks like most of Eastern Europe would be worthwhile doing if you have the ability to be flexible about your flight days as, obviously enough, weekend flights tend to be more expensive.

adam88 · 03-10-2018 9:38pm

Any update on cheaoest prices for a day trip

DanielStauffer · 09-08-2019 4:24pm

Adinkerke in Belgium is supposed to have cheapest tobacco related products.

California Dreamer · 05-10-2020 7:55am

Starting to run low on my stash that i brought back from the US in March. From what I can find, Spain or Portugal seem to the cheapest at €5 a box for Marlboro.

theguzman · 23-11-2020 10:51pm

I am here in Southern Spain at the moment, I am thinking to bring back 800 Duty Paid Spanish cigarettes as I am entitled to do, I am wondering however could I also bring back 200 Gibraltar non-EU Duty free Cigarettes for a total of 1,000 in total?

nanook · 24-11-2020 7:53am

Guzman, no issue with the Gib tobacco.
Done it many times in the past.

BeerNut · 24-11-2020 11:33am

theguzman wrote: »

I am here in Southern Spain at the moment, I am thinking to bring back 800 Duty Paid Spanish cigarettes as I am entitled to do, I am wondering however could I also bring back 200 Gibraltar non-EU Duty free Cigarettes for a total of 1,000 in total?

If you get stopped by customs in Ireland they will not be interested in what was paid for where; they will just count the cigarettes. Per the stated policy, if it's more than 800 they could be regarded as not for personal use and therefore confiscated.

By your rationale, you could stockpile duty free tabs with multiple trips between Gibraltar and Spain and then bring all of them, plus your 800 no-questions-asked allowance, into Ireland. You can't. 800 is 800.

theguzman · 24-11-2020 8:04pm

BeerNut wrote: »

If you get stopped by customs in Ireland they will not be interested in what was paid for where; they will just count the cigarettes. Per the stated policy, if it's more than 800 they could be regarded as not for personal use and therefore confiscated.

By your rationale, you could stockpile duty free tabs with multiple trips between Gibraltar and Spain and then bring all of them, plus your 800 no-questions-asked allowance, into Ireland. You can't. 800 is 800.

My own interpretation was that you are only allowed 200 from outside the EU and 800 from the EU for an absolute max of 1,000. I rang Customs today and they said this was ok, however I really don't want any trouble or seizure.

E.g. Man in Turkey (Non-EU) buys 200 he can carry it across the border to Greece and pickup 800 in Greece and bring the combined 800 Duty paid and 200 non EU Duty Free back 1,000 with only 200 non-EU ever permitted.

What is the situation here?

BeerNut · 24-11-2020 8:42pm

theguzman wrote: »

My own interpretation was that you are only allowed 200 from outside the EU and 800 from the EU for an absolute max of 1,000. I rang Customs today and they said this was ok, however I really don't want any trouble or seizure.

I can't imagine they would make a fuss over 1000, but the guideline is 800 and you never know.

theguzman wrote: »

E.g. Man in Turkey (Non-EU) buys 200 he can carry it across the border to Greece and pickup 800 in Greece and bring the combined 800 Duty paid and 200 non EU Duty Free back 1,000 with only 200 non-EU ever permitted.

What is the situation here?

Same deal. Once you go through customs at the end of the journey, the duty arrangements reset. So on a journey from Turkey to Greece you get a duty free allowance of 200, but that duty-free status ends once you're in Greece. If you then take the 200 out of the Schengen area, the fact they were once duty free cigs from Turkey is immaterial: they're subject to the same rules and quotas as cigarettes bought in the EU.

Similarly, you wouldn't be able to buy 200 in Turkey, fly to Egypt and pick up another 200, fly to Morocco and pick up another 200 and then expect to get through customs in Ireland because you bought all 600 under the duty free limit. The allowance resets each time you go through customs; it can't be carried across multiple borders on multiple journeys.

theguzman · 24-11-2020 9:01pm

BeerNut wrote: »

I can't imagine they would make a fuss over 1000, but the guideline is 800 and you never know.

Same deal. Once you go through customs at the end of the journey, the duty arrangements reset. So on a journey from Turkey to Greece you get a duty free allowance of 200, but that duty-free status ends once you're in Greece. If you then take the 200 out of the Schengen area, the fact they were once duty free cigs from Turkey is immaterial: they're subject to the same rules and quotas as cigarettes bought in the EU.

Similarly, you wouldn't be able to buy 200 in Turkey, fly to Egypt and pick up another 200, fly to Morocco and pick up another 200 and then expect to get through customs in Ireland because you bought all 600 under the duty free limit. The allowance resets each time you go through customs; it can't be carried across multiple borders on multiple journeys.

Perfect, thanks for that info, I'll stick to the 800 to be safe so, better get through with 800 than none at all.

big b · 27-06-2023 4:13am

Sorry to raise a zombie thread!

Travelling from Singapore to Dublin via Frankfurt. Assume I'll only have to clear Customs in Dublin.

Am I allowed to buy 200 duty free in Singers, then buy more in Frankfurt, even from a non duty free shop at the airport?

Or, if I don't buy any in Singers, how many can I buy in Frankfurt for onward travel to Dublin?

Thanks in advance

BeerNut · 27-06-2023 3:11pm

Whether or not you clear customs in Dublin or Frankfurt depends on the airport layout. It could be either.

You're entitled to bring 200 cigarettes from outside Europe and then pick up a further 800 in Frankfurt, duty paid, with no questions asked. If you're doing this I recommend ensuring that everything is documented with receipts and in separate sealed bags so that there's no cause for suspicion. Proving that you're not a smuggler is very much on you in these situations.

big b · 28-06-2023 4:04am

Thanks Beernut

My main reason for picking up 200 in Singers is in case my flight to Frankfurt is late and I get rushed through to the Dublin flight, missing the chance to get my 800.

Flight from Singers arrives in T1, and my flight to Dublin leaves from there too. So hopefully there's time to shop, and also that there's a duty paid shop there too. Or would the duty free shops just add on the duty? Googling suggest there's little difference in price between buying duty free and the full retail prices in town. Both far preferable to prices in Ireland.

I'll be sure to keep all receipts and keep the cigs in separate sealed bags as you suggest.

Appreciate your advice.

BeerNut · 28-06-2023 10:19am

They won't sell you duty-free cigarettes in Frankers if you're boarding a flight for Dublers. I think some airports won't sell tobacco at all to intra-European passengers.

big b · 02-07-2023 6:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120776530#Comment_120776530

Jeez, I’m fine with the first part of that but the 2nd part is bad news indeed

seems ridiculous if you’re paying the duty, but being ridiculous doesn’t mean it won’t happen of course

appreciate the heads up

Day trips to buy cigarettes in the EU?

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