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Education Discount in UK (London) Store as a foreigner

B

bornchilla

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 6, 2008
55
9
Hi folks,

I am a student in the Netherlands and I am planning on buying a MBP right after Christmas. As a student I can get the 2.4 GHz MBP for 1.619,59 €

However with the British Pound being very low at the moment I could get the same MBP for about 1.457 € in the UK. A bargain of about almost 162 Euros!! However my question is whether I will be able to walk into a London Apple store and simply get the MBP on student discount for 1.457 € with ma Dutch Student Card? Do I need any other proof or is that discount only available online? Do I have to be a student in the UK to get the discount in a UK store?

Thanks for advising me!

EDIT: Any other advise to receive bargains on the MPB in Europe is welcomed :)
 
I'm not sure about a student discount - but you're best bet is a dixons tax-free shop in the airport! It'll be incredibly cheap with no VAT. Where are you flying from when you return?

http://www.dixonstaxfree.co.uk/ will give you a list of stores.
 
THANKS JG!!
most likely I will fly out of Stansted. According to their website they have a Dixons store over there. The MBP is incredibly cheap in there (£1,190.64!!) BUT not available yet. Any idea when that thing will become available...? (Otherwise I will give them a call on Monday)
 
I want to warm this thread up - does anybody know if that is possible to claim a student discount as a foreign student when buying in a UK Apple store or Apple retailer?

It was possible for me in Norway two years ago where I bought a Macbook, got the student discount and on top of all the VAT back when leaving the country...
 
cyberwolf777 said:
I want to warm this thread up - does anybody know if that is possible to claim a student discount as a foreign student when buying in a UK Apple store or Apple retailer?

It was possible for me in Norway two years ago where I bought a Macbook, got the student discount and on top of all the VAT back when leaving the country...
Click to expand...

Every brick and mortar AppleStore in the UK has a list of qualifying Universities and Colleges, if your school ain't on that list then you'll get a reduced student discount. And to qualify for a Student discount via the online AppleStore, you must order your machine in a qualifying College or University. Buying them Tax free however entitles you a automatic 15% discount anyway, once you leave the boarder.

Technically, if your a UK overseas student, whom studies in a qualifying college or university, you'll get a full student discount. And if you later choose to export the system (usually within 3 months) you can get a Tax-back if 15%. So... If you qualify for a full student discount of a MacPro (15%) then export the system, you'll get another 15% back (total 30% off!).
 
cyberwolf777 said:
I want to warm this thread up - does anybody know if that is possible to claim a student discount as a foreign student when buying in a UK Apple store or Apple retailer?

It was possible for me in Norway two years ago where I bought a Macbook, got the student discount and on top of all the VAT back when leaving the country...
Click to expand...

It actually depends, sometimes i've gone in to buy things and they didn't ask for my ID in the Apple store in London, however other times they've wanted my Uni ID Card, or NUS (student) card so i guess it depends how lucky you are :)
 
I'm not sure about UK, but I was able to get a education discount at an O2 store in Dublin, using my American ID.
 
How exactly does this tax back thing work?

I wanted to buy a MBP at Dixonstaxfree to get the tax discount but unfortunately they do not offer any student discounts... Now you guys say that it is possible to walk into Apple at Regent Street, show my Dutch student ID, get the student discount, walk out... and additionally I can claim the tax back the day after I left the country? How does that work?

And do I have to pay tax then in Holland or any other European Country when I re-enter?

Thanks!
 
bornchilla said:
Do I have to be a student in the UK to get the discount in a UK store?
Click to expand...
You need to be registered at a UK based institution for a UK Apple discount.

AndyCro said:
Play the system whilst the rest of us in the UK cant afford one eh...
Click to expand...
Oh come now. Don't be bitter.
Remember a few months back when the whole of the UK was off to New York for bargain shopping?
;)
netdog said:
I could be mistaken, but I don't think you get VAT back when travelling within the EU.
Click to expand...

Correct. No VAT refunds within the EU for EU residents…
 
bornchilla said:
How exactly does this tax back thing work?

I wanted to buy a MBP at Dixonstaxfree to get the tax discount but unfortunately they do not offer any student discounts... Now you guys say that it is possible to walk into Apple at Regent Street, show my Dutch student ID, get the student discount, walk out... and additionally I can claim the tax back the day after I left the country? How does that work?

And do I have to pay tax then in Holland or any other European Country when I re-enter?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

You dont actually get "tax back" in the UK, you just dont pay the tax at the till, so everything in the store is priced 15% cheaper already (we have 15% tax), but only in certain places such as airports and ship ports. And also only in the area where you are leaving the country, not when you are coming in.

you dont have to pay this back if you are going to another country in Europe, thats why we are all in the European Union.
 
Sorry to hijack but the question doesnt seem threadworthy of itself...

Would I get more discount from buying on the internet, using my University Network which is eligible for discount

OR

Going to a Apple store and buying it there and then?
 
bennyboyt said:
Sorry to hijack but the question doesnt seem threadworthy of itself...

Would I get more discount from buying on the internet, using my University Network which is eligible for discount

OR

Going to a Apple store and buying it there and then?
Click to expand...

you get a 14% discount as a University student, and its the same in store and online
 
AndyCro said:
Play the system whilst the rest of us in the UK cant afford one eh...
Click to expand...

well the only way to really make profit these days is to exploit the beauty of a globalized world and market discrepancies between different countries :p

i just did a comparison:

17" MBP, 2.93Ghz upgrade, 7200rpm drive upgrade.

Swedish price (where I live; I'm a Swedish resident but non-EU citizen) with ed-discount:

$3370

UK (calculating with 14% student discount and 15% VAT refund):

$2537

That's a difference of over $800. Factors why it'd be cheaper in the UK is the current exchange rate, higher student discount and possibility of a VAT refund.

But even without discounts or refunds it would be $3326 in the UK and $3663 in Sweden. Over $300 saved thanks to good exchange rate and lower tax in the UK (the VAT in Sweden is 25% :eek: - welcome to socialism)
 
education discount + vat

I'm traveling to the UK next week and hoping to do something similar, however there doesn't really seem to be a way to pull of the full HE (higher education) discount (14%) plus the VAT refund.

Here are the options that I see:

1) Purchase a mac online from a UK University Network, get the full HE discount + a 3 year warranty and have it delivered to wherever I'm staying (maybe a little tricky). No VAT refund for online purchases.

2) VAT refund on in-store purchase, can buy directly at airport to simplify things.

3) Find someone with a valid HE student ID card to help me buy the computer in the retail store. However, since they will have to buy it in their name, I won't be able to get a VAT purchase receipt filled out in my name....right? Plus no 3 year warranty for in-store purchase.

4) Try to get the Apple retail store to give me the education discount with my foreign student ID card or no card. Probably no way I can get the HE discount, but can maybe get the lower 10% discount (or is it 5%) plus a VAT receipt. So possibly hit 19 or 24% discount.

Option 4 seems like the most realistic right now, but I don't know what my chances are.

If there were a way around the name issue for the VAT form, option 3 would be the best (full 30% discount), of course you might have to give someone some cash to help you buy the computer.

Any ideas or experiences out there?
 
I actually spoke to Regent street store on phone and they said they can't do both the HE discount OR the 'normal' education discount with VAT refund.


Apparently the part of education discount is that it is going to be used in UK. which contradicts VAT refund thingy.
 
Hello,

I'm a Belgian student and I was wondering if it would be difficult to find someone who wants to help me with his UK student ID and getting the student discount...?
Is it a problem if the recipe is not on my name?
And is it sure I wont have to pay tax once I've arrived in Brussels?

@bornchilla; did it go well to get you MB P as a NL student? How many did you paid?

Thanks for the info:)
 
bcburrows said:
Sorry don't understand your English for that last bit?
Please can you explain
Click to expand...

Basically VAT refund is given back for 'taking it outside the country'
(outside UK in this case)

However, education discount's terms and condition states that you have to use the computer in UK.

So they contradict each other. Therefore you can't do both HE discount and VAT refund.
 
fokket said:
Basically VAT refund is given back for 'taking it outside the country'
(outside UK in this case)

However, education discount's terms and condition states that you have to use the computer in UK..
Click to expand...


I can't believe that Apple would require that you use your computer in the UK. there are tens of thousands of non-UK students studying full time in the UK who will finish their courses and return home afterwards. Would they be violating the terms of the education discount? Or would the free HE extended warranty not be valid when they travel outside the UK or return home?
 
PDE said:
I can't believe that Apple would require that you use your computer in the UK. there are tens of thousands of non-UK students studying full time in the UK who will finish their courses and return home afterwards. Would they be violating the terms of the education discount? Or would the free HE extended warranty not be valid when they travel outside the UK or return home?
Click to expand...

Sorry it may not have been exact wording from Apple.

Good that you asked it, To my knowledge, to get HE discount, you have to belong to university etc. in UK. I'm a foreign student in UK myself and able to get such. I have actually confirmed with Apple that even after graduation the warranty's still valid worldwide.

To be eligible for VAT refund as a TOURIST, you can't be a student in UK

Could be still wrong in details, but

Whatever the reason is, the bottom line is that Apple won't do both VAT refund and HE discount at same time. I've asked this like 3 times to Apple and answer is always the same. As for getting discount as foreign student at a university that is not in UK... dunno.

Hope I don't sound rude here, but Trust me, I've thought of getting HE discount and VAT refund at same time too.

To my knowledge, if you are an EU citizen you are not elligible for VAT refund, I could be wrong on this though.

if you are non-EU, the cheapest way is to get VAT refund on Apple Retail store's refurbished ones.
 
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