How to save money while buying your new iPhone with tax-free shopping in France？

Thinking about buying an iPhone, iPad, Macbook, or some other Apple-branded hardware and accessories?

You don’t have to break the bank anymore if you claim a tax refund on your shopping!

Travellers visiting France from a non-EU country (including those travelling from Great Britain) can take advantage of tax-free shopping in France and get up to 20% VAT back on an iPhone purchase. Prices in France are on average 3% lower than in the UK already, which, combined with savings from your tax refund, can save you up to 15%.

Thanks to tax refunds, it’s sales season all year long!

Take the new iPhone 14 Pro (256GB) as an example, the price in the UK Apple store is £1209. If buying in France with a tax refund, you can get one at £1104, saving £105.

Here are our top tips on shopping for Apple products in France and how to save with a VAT refund for you.

(If you don’t know much about tax refunds check out some of our other blogs and find a how-to guide of our app on YouTube).

Where should I buy an iPhone in France?

Apple store: the three largest Apple stores in Paris are found on Champs-Elysées, Marché Saint-Germain and near Opéra. These stores tend to be busy, but the in-shop experience is amazing and the professional staff provide a faultless customer service

Electronics stores (e.g. Fnac): These stores have official distribution rights for certain Apple products, and occasional in-store discounts or promotions might make buying from these shops even more economical
Shop online: with Wevat, online orders placed with merchants such as Apple, Fnac and Amazon are also accepted for a tax refund, as long as the item is delivered to the French address you are staying at, and you have entered Wevat’s details in the billing address section. If you plan on making an online purchase, be sure to check out our online shopping guide here.

So how do I get a tax refund on my iPhone?

There are two main ways you can get a tax refund – using a traditional in-store paper method, or a mobile app like Wevat. The main perk of using a digital method like Wevat is the higher refund rates you can enjoy compared with the traditional in-store method, 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 business invoice addressed to Wevat at the till – no more hassle and waiting around at the checkout. Using Wevat also means your passport can stay in your hotel safe, away from pickpockets, giving you the peace of mind to stroll along the beautiful streets of Paris without fear of theft or losing your passport.

When departing, traditional methods require you to undergo complicated airport procedures with customs, and you’ll have to wait up to 8 weeks 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).

Recap of how to use Wevat

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 business 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 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.

Tips for getting an invoice:

Ask for a “facture” (Invoice in French) with Wevat name and address (Click our mascot on the app home page 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.
Do not mention tax refund in the store, otherwise the sales assistant will issue you a paper tax refund form from a traditional tax refund company and you will not be able to use Wevat

About Wevat App:

Wevat - a new 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 travelling, 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 and with no minimum spending requirements on each purchase. With Wevat, you can simply snap a picture of your purchase invoices 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.

Download our app now to start saving money on your shopping in France!

Download Wevat