Dubai Duty Free
Dubai Duty Free (DDF) is the tax-free shopping haven located at Dubai International Airport. With sales of over $1.4 billion in 2011 it is the world’s biggest single airport retailer, taking over 3% of the total global duty free retail market.
Shops are located in all three terminals, in both arrivals and departures, but the largest and most modern is situated in departure area of Terminal 3 (used exclusively by Emirates and one of the largest buildings in the world). All stores are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Duty free items can also be purchased on Emirates flights.
The product range is diverse and includes:
- Alcohol –Brands and products available include whisky (Johnnie Walker, Glenrothes, Clynelish, Talisker, Bushmills, Jameson, Kilbeggan, Tullamore Dew, Glenfiddich, Cutty Sark, Dewars, Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniel’s, Jim Beam etc.), champagne (Dom Perignon, Krug, Moet & Chandon etc.), Cognac (Courvoisier, Hennessy, Remy Martin etc.), gin (Beefeater, Bombay Sapphire etc.), vodka (Ciroc, Smirnoff, Grey Goose, Absolut, Belvedere etc.), rum (Mount Gay, Bacardi, Havana Club etc.), tequila (Sauza, Jose Cuervo etc.), wine, and beer.
- Cigarettes – Packs of the most popular brands such as Benson & Hedges, Davidoff, Dunhill, Kent, Marlboro, Regal, Richmond, Silk Cut, and Winston.
- Cigars – Boxes of cigars from America, Europe, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Cuba. Cuban brands stocked include Bolivar, Cohiba, Hoyo de Monterrey, Montecristo, Partagas, H Upmann, and Vegas Robaina.
- Gold and Jewellery
- Watches – Timepieces from all the top watchmakers including Citizen, Seiko, Breitling, Rolex, Omega, Bvlgari, Tag Heuer, and Tissot.
- Perfumes – Fragrances by Aramis, Bvlgari, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera, Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior, Diesel, Elizabeth Arden, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kenzo, Lacoste, Montblanc, Nina Ricci, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, and many more.
- Cosmetics
- Leather Goods – Handbags, purses, and wallets from all the top names.
- Luggage – Suitcases and bags by Delsey, Echolac, Porsche Design, Samsonite and others.
- Pens – Luxury pens by Montblanc, Cross, Montegrappa, and ST Dupont.
- Sunglasses – Designer sunglasses by Emporio Armani, Gucci, Prada, Ray Ban, Tom Ford, Burberry, Marc Jacobs, Maui Jim, and many others.
- Men’s Fashion – Cufflinks, ties, shirts, and suits. Labels stocked include Boss, Lacoste, Paul Smith, and Emporio Armani.
- Electronics – Products available include camcorders and digital cameras (Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, Samsung etc.), laptops and computers, video games (Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3 etc.), MP3 players (iPods etc.), and mobile phones (iPhone, Blackberry etc.).
- Telephone Cards – Du and Etisalat mobile telephone cards.
Perfume is the most popular product sold at Dubai Duty Free, accounting for 15% of sales in 2011. Sales of alcohol comprised 14% of all revenue.
Passengers arriving in Dubai can bring in the following quantities of goods free of duty:
- Gifts with a value of less than AED 3,000
- 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 500 grams of tobacco
- 4 litres of alcohol or 2 cartons of beer (one carton equals 24 cans, each not greater than 355 ml)
- Personal belongings
These limits apply irrespective of where the goods were purchased i.e. they include items purchased at Dubai Duty Free in the arrivals area. Arriving passengers should also note that Dubai Duty Free is the only place where they can legally purchase alcohol in Dubai (outside of hotel bars and restaurants) without an alcohol license (only available to residents).
Passengers leaving Dubai and making duty free purchases in departures should be aware of the duty free limits in their final destination. For example passengers travelling to the UK from Dubai enjoy the following duty free allowances:
- 1 litre of spirits or 2 litres of fortified wine (port, sherry)
- 16 litres of beer and 4 litres of wine
- 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco
- £390 of other goods including perfumes and souvenirs
Most other countries have similar limits.
The most common question most passengers ask is whether they are better off purchasing products at Dubai Duty Free, at another airport, in their home country, or in Dubai itself.
There is no single definitive answer. It depends on the product itself, which country the passenger is from, the airport they are flying from, exchange rates, discounts, and so on. The best way to decide is to carry out careful research based on individual circumstances.
Dubai Duty Free publishes a catalogue that lists individual prices for many, but not all, of its products. It’s available for download from the official Dubai Duty Free website (scroll down the homepage to the ‘New Arrivals & Shopping Guide’ and select the ‘Product Listings’ link.)
There are a number of websites that can be helpful in determining the prices of goods in Dubai itself:
- The Paris Gallery website lists prices for perfumes, make-up, sunglasses, watches etc. They have stores throughout Dubai, including branches at the Dubai Mall, Ibn Battuta Mall, BurJuman, Mirdif City Centre, and Deira City Centre).
- The Jumbo Electronics website lists prices for laptops, TVs, mobile phones, cameras, and camcorders etc. They have branches at the BurJuman, Deira City Centre, Dubai Mall, Ibn Battuta Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Centre, and several other locations.
- Sharaf DG is another big electronics retailer in Dubai. Store locations include Deira City Centre, Ibn Battuta Mall, and the Dubai Mall.
Passengers from the UK can check out the prices online of fragrances, alcohol, and beauty products at many UK airports using the World Duty Free website.
For electronics, UK travellers can use the Dixons Travel website to check out products offered. Unfortunately it’s necessary to actually call the individual store to confirm price and real time availability (add the product to the shopping basket and submit to obtain the telephone number of the duty free store).
Travellers from other countries should be able to find similar websites.
To compare prices it’s necessary to convert the price to dirhams (AED). Real time exchange rates for the most popular currencies used by travellers to Dubai can be found here.
Dubai Duty Free was founded on 20th December 1983. Every year massive discounts are offered on the anniversary of its founding. In 2010 and 2011 the discount has been 25% across a wide range of products. The promotion usually runs for the 24 hours to midnight on the 20th December.
DDF is famous for its lotteries and raffles. Prizes include cash of up to $2 million and luxury cars (Bentley, Porsche, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz, Aston Martin, Lamborghini etc.). Tickets can be purchased at the airport or online at the official Dubai Duty Free website.
Reviews / Comments / Additional Information
Goods are expensive
Filipino staff is no good.
Goods are damaged, kind of factory seconds.
Even if you are famous there is no escape. Remember what happened to Shah Ruk Khan? If you are white (or even black) you can expect the best customer service. Dubai is not too bad on the whole (I have been travelling through Dubai since 1983).
Prices are simply nasty, from 10% (Rolex) to 50 % (Apple IPad) more expensive than the retailer price in EUROPE.
Forget the salesmen, simply arrogant.
Last year I travelled through Hong Kong and Dubai Duty Free is way way better.
The pricing in the shops can be a little high on some items, but I travel 6 months a year all over the globe and can honestly say DDF is no better or worse than any other airport in terms of pricing.
Most airports have wi-fi now a days so just check on line before purchasing.
I am amazed that people find the staff rude and ignorant. I have never been to an airport where they are not - try buying in Australia, USA, UK etc.. They are far far worse - in fact Sydney is a complete joke. Politeness is a rude word there!
I am always amazed how much time people are prepared to spend trying to rubbish something and how little time they a willing to spend offering a compliment.
Overall some of the sales staff are very knowledgeable, others are total numptys. Had I not been able to go back to DDF I am not sure how the situation might have been resolved.
I'd advise anyone buying from DDF to compare with prices back home before purchasing as prices are cheaper for certain products especially electronics. Items like cigarettes for obvious reasons are always cheaper at DDF than the UK.
Ideally have someone back home on-line to do a quick price check when you're at the airport.
I'm about to fly Emirates again in few months and this time I'm in good mind of making a complaint if I come across ignorant/rude staff.
Do not waste your time!
And as you can see 85% of this bloggers here are saying the same thing.
Most items are competively priced (compared to Europe) and the service has been very good. I especially like the free gift wrap service.
I am travelling with Emirates later this month much against my will. Last trip with them was a disaster and their staff were just as unhelpful as the ones in DDF. I wrote a letter of complaint to them but they did not have the courtesy to reply.
I am very disappointed in DDF that the staff are not trained well enough to have known that this would be a problem. Surely they should know the contents of the items that they sell.
The biggest advantage for the shopper is that you can conveniently forget to buy those silly gifts for your loved ones and make up the loss by purchasing them at the last moment and saving your skin. Disadvantages - well as many have pointed out : once you buy, there is no return!
The staff didn't know very much about their products either.
could take up to 2 litres into Brunei as hand luggage.
This afternoon something very unpleasant happened at the Brunei Airport. They confiscated all my alcohol saying it was illegal to bring alcohol in hand
luggage!
I wish the DDF ground staff had been more responsible in advising me. I clearly recollect the cashier at the Liquors and Tobacco Shop telling me "no worries you can take it in, many people do." I still have the receipt and can confirm my actions.
I understand as a Duty Free increasing sales is the priority. But please to not neglect your fans. I am a PR of Singapore and I absolutely love Dubai but I am deeply betrayed by how little responsibility the staff seem to be taking. I buy alcohol often and never have I been humiliated and had my stuff confiscated before.
You cannot check any Dubai Duty Free prices on Internet. Neither can you let them be delivered to you. If you can order on-line, how is that duty free? You are just lying and telling here stories to people. Shame on you!
The same story about you cannot find anything in Iran. You get everything in Tehran's shopping centres. Are you doing here just some pan-Arabist propaganda again?