vatfree.com vs OVpay

Thanks to a special EU-regulation, international travelers can claim the Value Added Tax paid over goods they have bought in the EU. We will help you get a VAT refund on your shopping in the European Union, even if you shop online. We make it easy, we ensure you get the highest refund possible and are here to help you claim what’s yours. We think it’s a shame that millions of euro are left unclaimed each year. Money which could be reinvested in yourself, in others or in the world. Why Vatfree.com? The Highest Refund Keep your receipts and save up to 25% on your shopping made in the EU. Rates differ per country. Refund of VAT is only possible when shopping at partner- and participating shops as EU regulation does not legally obligate shops to participate. Find a full list of participating stores in our taxfree shopping guide or in the vatfree.com mobile app. The Most Transparent We offer an inclusive service, every merchant or shop is welcome to join. Offering our tax-free shopping service next to other refund partners will give you more choice as we are the fastest growing mobile option with the highest refund guaranteed to the most diverse traveler groups. The most common feedback we get from travelers is that they feel uncomfortable being subjected to high fees for claiming back Value Added Tax they are entitled to. Especially after having to go through so much effort to arrange the refund. We get that. The regulation states that when exporting goods to a non-EU country, you do not have to pay VAT. For travelers to claim back the initial paid VAT, they have to stand in line at Customs, before flying back home, to get proof of the export. Quite stressful, time-consuming and sometimes leads to missing out if queues are long and you have to catch a plane. Once the stamp is collected, the only way to claim back VAT is to contact the shop. If the shop is unwilling to cooperate, charges high fees (with or without a tax-free partner) or just takes a long time to process it all, disappointing to say at least. Traditional tax-free companies charge fees varying from 35% to 60% of the VAT amount and are only an option if shops are affiliated. We decided to use modern technology to create an open platform for all shops to easily join, without necessary contracts, and to minimize costs so that we can continue to offer the highest possible refund. Our service fee starts at €2,50 per receipt with a maximum of €80. With this, we help travelers ánd stores as we believe a happy customer is a customer for life. Our mission is to help travelers easily shop tax-free at stores and brands that love them back. The Best in Mobile With airports requesting travelers to show up at least three hours before their flight, and safety procedures taking up a lot of time, most travelers have little time left to arrange to get a Customs validation stamp on their receipts. Standing in line at Customs may take up to half an hour or more. Being required to then stand in line at a desk for a cash refund, can increase the time of this entire process to an hour or more. Time is sparse so we built the first-ever tax-free shopping app in 2016, so travelers can finalize refund claims once they find a spare moment, on the plane home or in the comfort of their own house. The Most Diverse We are the first and only tax-free shopping service founded by travelers, specifically for travelers, with the main focus on travelers’ needs. Our service, therefore, ranges from helping a range of travelers from tourists, cruise passengers, military staff, expats and international students. We also are able to help travelers get back VAT over shopping made online, offline, cross-border, over purchases charged with low as well as high VAT rates at shops that are either listed in our shopping guide as well as not listed and new to us.

With OVpay, you can check in and out using your OV-pass, debit card, credit card, mobile phone, or smartwatch. In the OVpay app, you can find everything you need to view and manage your journeys. Are you already travelling with OVpay, or thinking about switching? Download the app and discover how easy it is. Who can use the OVpay app The OVpay app is only for travellers who use OVpay. You cannot use the OVpay app with an OV-chipkaart. What you can do in the app with your OV-pass and payment card • View your journeys. • Correct missed check-ins or check-outs. • View your travel history and travel costs. • Create and download expense claims. • Add cards. • Manage your cards. • Check your card status (checked in or checked out). • View payments. • View subscriptions and travel products. • Apply for age-based discount. • Pay an outstanding amount. • Receive notifications, for example when you miss a check-out. What you can only do with an OV-pass in the app • Apply for an OV-pass. • Temporarily block your OV-pass. • View your balance. • Recharge your balance. • Request a balance refund. • Apply for or change automatic recharge. We will continue to add useful new features to the app. Follow our website, Instagram, or Facebook for the latest news. About OVpay OVpay is a partnership between Dutch public transport operators, banks, and credit card companies. Together, we make travelling by public transport easier for everyone. Privacy With OVpay, you can choose how you check in and out. For some services, we need your personal data. You can read how we handle your data in our privacy statement at ovpay.nl/privacy.