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Duty Free Shopping at London Airport: List of Stores, Timings & How to Pre-Order

London is the vibrant and historic capital city of the United Kingdom. With a rich history dating back to Roman times, it is a global hub for culture, finance, and politics. There is a list of international airports in London alone that provide the city with extensive reach connecting passengers to different countries abroad.

In this article, we will see the different international airports in London and how you can shop duty-free there.

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List of International Airports in London

London is served by 6 international airports, which include:

Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Gatwick Airport (LGW)
London Stansted Airport (STN)
London Luton Airport (LTN)
London City Airport (LCY)
Southend Airport (SEN)

You can find duty-free stores in all these international airports.

London Airport Duty-Free Website

Given below is a list of duty-free websites for the different international airports in London:

You can experience world-class services and facilities. If you want to shop for duty-free products, you can do so by visiting their website or shopping duty-free offline.

What Can You Do on the London Duty-Free Website?

On the London duty-free website, you can:

View a Variety of Luxury Products: You can easily find your product by filtering out on basis the product category, brand and price to shop online easily.
Shop Exclusive Products: When you shop online, you also get access to site-exclusive products from world-class brands. You also have unmissable offers for your favourite products that you can’t miss.

Which Terminals have Duty-Free Shops at London's Airport?

Duty-free stores are commonly found in:

Heathrow Airport: Terminal 2, Terminal 3, Terminal 4, and Terminal 5.
Gatwick Airport: North and South Terminals.
Stansted Airport: Departure Lounge of the Main Terminal.
Luton Airport: Main, single terminal near the arrivals section and after security
Southend Airport: Departure lounge of the main terminal.

What are the Different Duty-Free Stores Available at the London International Airports?

In many International Airports in London, the World Duty-Free Store is available where you can shop from a market of products from brands such as Aesop, Creed, Gucci, Tom Ford and more!

Additionally, some of the duty-free stores available in these airports are also mentioned in the table below:

Airport	Name	Timings	Location
Luton Airport	Aelia Duty-Free	04:00 - 22:00	After Security
	Aelia Duty-Free	06:00 - 22:00	Arrivals
	Collection Duty-Free	04:00 - 21:00	After Security
Heathrow Airport	World Duty-Free	T2: 05:00 - 22:00 T3: 04:30 - 22:00 T4: 05:00 - 22:00 T5: 05:00 - 22:00	T2, T3, T4, T5
Gatwick Airport	World Duty-Free	Main Store: 02:00 - 21:30 Jo Malone London Store: 04:00 – 21:00	Gatwick North and South
Stansted Airport	World Duty-Free	Main Shop: 03:00 - last departing flight Express Store: 04:00 - last departing flight Sunglasses Boutique: 04:00 – 21:00 Glorious Britain: 04:00 – 21:00 Arrivals store: 07:30 – 02:00	Main Terminal, Departure lounge
Southend Airport	World Duty-Free	Two hours before every flight departure.	Main Terminal, Departure lounge

List of Duty-Free Items You Can Buy at London Airport

Below is a comprehensive list of items you can buy duty-free at the different airports:

Alcoholic products like spirits, wine, champagne, liquor, etc.
Tobacco products
Perfumes and Fragrances
Confectionaries, food and drink items
Beauty products like makeup and skincare products
Jewellery and clothing accessories like watches, bags, sunglasses, etc.
Home and gift products
Electronics
Clothing and shoes
Travel essentials
Souvenirs
Toys

You have many options to choose from when shopping duty-free at London's many international airports. With high-end brands like Burberry, Jean Paul Gaultier, Tom Ford, Giorgio Armani, Ray Ban, Prada, Gray Goose, Johnnie Walker, etc., passengers have a chance to buy products at a lower price.

Duty-Free Shops Timings at London Airport

Duty-free shop timings at international airports in London can vary, but they are typically open to coincide with flight schedules. However, it's advisable to check on the respective airport’s website in case you are keen on shopping offline before departure.

How to Pre-order Duty-Free Items at London Airport?

You have the option to pre-order world-class items and products online rather than physically shopping for duty-free items. You can easily do this by visiting the airport's duty-free website and placing your order.

The steps you need to follow when pre-ordering duty-free items online at London's International Airports are:

Visit the World Duty-Free website to shop across most international airports in London.
You can reserve your product 24 hours to 30 days prior to your flight departure.
You will be required to log in or sign up to be a member and confirm that you are above 18 years of age to legally purchase alcoholic or tobacco products.
Select your departure details- the country, airport, terminal and destination date to collect your items.
Shop and add your products to the cart and proceed to check out. This will confirm and reserve the products you want.
You will receive an email confirming your order and collection point.
Once confirmed, you can visit the collection point in store to collect and pay for your order before you travel.

What are the Required Documents for Duty-Free Shopping Online?

After you have pre-ordered your products online, you will need to collect them at the airport. You will need to produce the following documents:

Valid Passport
International Boarding Pass
Receipt of Purchase or a Confirmation Email

What Modes of Payment are Accepted when Shopping Duty-Free?

Since the World Duty-Free website is a common duty-free store present across international airports in London, when shopping, you can pay either through:

Cash
Card payment by Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Other major UK Debit Cards
AliPay and WeChat

You can also shop using currencies like the following at select stores:

Norwegian Krone
Swedish Krona
Canadian Dollar
US Dollar
Swiss Franc

London International Airports mainly accept Euros as cash currency. There are currency exchange centres and ATMs located within the airports for you to convert your home currency to Euro or British Pounds to shop easily.

What are the Duty-Free Allowance Limits at London Airport?

Duty-free allowances at London International Airports, such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London Southend, are subject to the regulations of the United Kingdom.

Arrivals/Departure	Liquor or Wine Products	Tobacco Products	Duty-free Products
Entering the UK	18L of still wine and 42L of beer. 4L of spirits or 9L of fortified or sparkling wine or other liqueurs up to 22% ABV.	200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco or 200 sticks of tobacco for e-cigarettes.	50ml of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette is allowed. There is often a value-based allowance for other goods, usually £390 (or £270 if arriving by private plane).
Leaving UK and Entering EU	4L of still wine and 16L of beer. 1L of spirit or 2L of fortified or sparkling wine or other liqueurs up to 22% ABV.	200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco.	For other goods, the allowance is usually £390 (or £270 if arriving by private plane).

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Tips to Follow when Shopping Duty-Free

Some duty-free shopping tips and etiquettes are:

Know the Allowance Limits: Duty-free allowances vary from country to country so, ensure there is no complication when you land in your destination country. You should also be aware of the baggage allowance of countries you are travelling to. Items like alcohol and tobacco products also have age restrictions.
Shop Before Travel: Shopping before you travel can save you time and offer additional discounts! You can shop duty-free from the official website, reserve your items and collect them on the date of departure.
Do Your Research: If you want to buy a luxury item in a duty-free shop, you will need to do some prior research. While duty-free prices are often lower than regular retail prices, it's a good idea to compare prices to get better deals.
Keep Track of Your Spending: It is important to monitor your spending to ensure you stay within your budget and duty-free allowance. It's easy to get carried away with the savings and deals offered when you shop duty-free internationally.

Conclusion

Planning to shop at London’s famous duty-free stores? The above information might help you to be prepared for the best experience. Also, don’t forget to take travel insurance before your journey starts. This way, if your luggage goes missing or gets delayed, your trip gets cancelled, or a health-related emergency occurs, you will be financially protected.

FAQs About Duty-Free Shopping at London Airport

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What is meant by 'duty-free'?

Duty-free is the term commonly used to describe products free of excise duty. Excise duty applies only to alcohol and tobacco, but since 1 January 2021, all passengers travelling outside the UK can purchase duty-free alcohol and tobacco.

What to do if my travel plans change or I need to amend my order?

Since you have reserved your duty-free order online, you can easily collect it on the day of your actual departure till the store is open. You can simply place a new order if you want to add more items. To remove some items from your order, simply inform the staff member which items you wish to remove.

What are the age restrictions when shopping duty-free online at London International Airport?

Only passengers above the age of 18 are allowed to view and purchase alcoholic and tobacco-related products. You will need to provide proof of age (either your passport or a valid photo ID) from any passenger who appears under the age of 25.