How to save money on your shopping at La Vallée Village in Paris, France? Membership programme & VAT refund!
If you’re travelling to Paris and looking for a great place to do some shopping, La Vallée Village is somewhere you really don’t want to miss. Being home to over 110 designer and luxury brands, it’s the perfect place to find that special something.
Apart from the discounts you can enjoy, this guide will show you how else you can save money by getting a tax refund on your shopping – including by using a VAT refund app like Wevat. Apart from shopping tax-free, there’s also a membership programme that rewards you with extra discounts & treats.
Let’s get to it!
La Vallée Village Paris, France
What to expect at La Vallée Village
La Vallée Village is located just a short drive or train ride from the city centre of Paris. If you're coming from the airport, you can take public transportation; the RER train line A has a stop at Val d'Europe, which is just a 15-minute walk from the Village. If you visited or will visit Disneyland Paris along the trip and live nearby, there are also many buses to get there.
Once you're at La Vallée Village, you'll find almost all major high-end designer brands like Gucci, Prada, YSL, LOEWE, Celine, Burberry, Givenchy, Balenciaga, and Valentino, and many affordable luxury brands such as Longchamp, Coach, Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, etc.
Apart from luxury boutiques, there’re also lots of French fashion brands worth visiting like Sandro, Maje, ba&sh, and The Kooples to get some French-style shirts and dresses.
If you’re looking for buying business wear for yourself, be sure to visit some of the best French shoe brands such as Heschung and J.M. Weston, as well as watch brands including Longines and Rado.
Other categories include streetwear stores Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, beauty retailers L’Occitane and Clarins, and finally, the Family & Lifestyle brands offer everything for homewares.
No matter what you're looking for, you're sure to find something to suit your taste at La Vallée Village!
Money-saving tip #1: Become a member of La Vallée Village and enjoy membership offers
When shopping at La Vallée Village, you can expect to find great deals on designer brands – up to 60% off retail prices.
However, being the savvy traveller you are, you’re probably you’re looking to get an extra good deal, so it’s a good idea to sign up for their membership programme for free.
Just sign in on the La Vallée Village website or log into your account via the app. Scan your personal code with every purchase in the participating boutiques to collect your Stars. The more you shop, the more Stars you receive and the more rewards you enjoy.
In addition to the membership discounts & treats, La Vallée Village also offers a number of seasonal discounts. Check on the La Vallée Village website for more info before your visit.
Money-saving tip #2: Get a tax refund when shopping in La Vallée Village
Non-EU residents, including those travelling from Great Britain as a result of Brexit, can now claim the VAT back on purchases made in France on a majority of items such as clothing, jewellery, electronics, beauty products, and much more. Check out our other blogs and help section for more information on what you can and can’t claim tax back on.
Non-EU residents, including those travelling from Great Britain as a result of Brexit, can now claim the VAT back on purchases made in France on a majority of items such as clothing, jewellery, electronics, beauty products, and much more. Check out our other blogs and help section for more information on what you can and can’t claim tax back on.
There are two main ways you can get a tax refund - using a traditional in-store paper method, or a digital app like Wevat. The main perk of using a digital method like Wevat is the higher refund rates (up to 13%) you can enjoy compared with the traditional in-store method (8-12%), not to mention the convenience of not having to deal with paper forms ever again.
In the past, you’d have to bring your passport around with you when shopping and show it to the store every time you buy something to get a tax refund form.
With Wevat, all you need to do is to ask for a purchase invoice addressed to Wevat at the till – no more hassle and waiting around at the checkout with leaving your passport in your hotel safely.
When departing, traditional methods require you to undergo complicated airport procedures with customs, and you’ll have to wait to get your money back.
Wevat’s scan-and-go system makes it so much faster and easier. (See these articles to learn more about what you need to do at the airport or train station you’re leaving from).
Simpler tax refunds with Wevat at La Vallée Village
Follow these five steps to get your VAT back in a simple and fast way with Wevat.
Download the app – make sure you have signed up and have onboarded before visiting the store
Request a ‘facture’ (invoice) - show the ”request an invoice” screen in the app to get a purchase invoice with Wevat name and address. Make sure the invoice is not addressed to yourself!
Snap your invoice – upload it straight to the app, ideally immediately after the purchase, before you’ve left the store
Generate refund barcode – follow the prompts on the screen to get your digital refund form
Scan and go – visit the tax refund kiosk at your departure point, scan your refund barcode on the Wevat app, and off you go! Make sure to keep your goods on hand in case customs inspects the goods (in unused and original packaging).
Examples of a valid facture and Wevat address can be found in the app. We also have helpful step-by-step videos on our YouTube channel.
A special perk for all shoppers: To enhance your shopping experience, we’re thrilled to offer faster refunds for any customers shopping at La Vallée Village with Wevat from April. This means you can expect to receive your refund within 7 days after your departure!
Tips for getting an invoice:
Ask for a “facture” (Invoice in French) with Wevat’s company name and address (Click our mascot on the app homepage to find the “request an invoice” screen. Simply show the screen containing Wevat’s address details to the store staff to get the right business invoice
Avoid requesting a paper tax refund form or mentioning tax refunds in the store, otherwise the sales assistant will issue you a paper tax refund form from a traditional tax
Tourists have the right to use their chosen tax refund provider, and stores are legally obligated to provide invoices upon request. However, some shops may refuse to issue an invoice because they receive commission revenue from their in-store tax refund services. If you encounter this situation at La Vallée Village and your purchase is less than €6000, don't worry – you can still get your tax refunds with us by using receipts instead. Here’s how to do it:
1. Write down the following on your invoice or receipt: "Bought on behalf of VATCAT FRANCE," your first and last name, and the purchase date. Then, sign the shop receipt
2. Upload the receipt on the app
3. If your purchase exceeds €1000, send us your proof of payment on live chat
Request an invoice screen
So there you have it - a comprehensive guide to shopping and saving money at La Vallée Village in Paris, France. With its competitive prices of a great selection of designer brands, combined with the membership programme and tax refund bonus by using Wevat, it's definitely worth a visit if you're in the area!
About Wevat
Wevat is a digital tax refund app that makes it easy for travellers to save money on their shopping in France! We are a community of people who love traveling, shopping, and saving money. Since our launch in 2019, we've helped refund travellers from 88 countries more than €18 million on their shopping.
Compared with in-store VAT refund providers, Wevat gives you up to 23% more VAT back with no minimum spending requirements on each purchase. With Wevat, you can simply snap a picture of your purchase invoices and then generate and scan your barcode when you leave France. There are no paper forms, repeated scanning, or dropping off forms required with us. Our super-friendly, multilingual customer support team will be always on hand to support you throughout your trip via our app.
We are fully regulated by both French and UK customs and tax authorities.
Download our app now to start saving money on your shopping in France!
Please download before purchase to validate shopping.