During a recent trip to France I found myself having made several large purchases at stores that were not participating in the VAT refund program. At first I was upset not to have realized beforehand that I could have been getting some of the tax back as a non-EU tourist. Then I found AirVAT. They saved the day! Despite their having made several step by step blog posts, I of course didn’t read them, and made a few mistakes with my first “facture,” so it was rejected. However unlike most apps, someone from customer service actually contacted ME, not the other way around, to explain how I could fix it and get my refund. And that person (or perhaps there were multiple, I’ll never know) accompanied me every step of the way. It was the best customer service I’ve experienced in a long time. And they saved me over €100!! So, naturally, I shopped some more 😎😅 Seriously, I cannot recommend this app enough. They’ve thought of everything, including the explanation screen for those of us wanting to ask for a facture, who aren’t fluent in French. If you don’t live in the EU and are traveling to France and thinking of shopping, use this app and save money!!

Let me start by saying I felt like I was taking a chance in downloading this app and using it during my stay in London - I feared I would get to the end, without any VAT forms, and somehow end up screwed. I’m delighted to say that’s exactly what DIDN’T happen! The app is totally legit and very well organized. I had a few hiccups, but the customer service team is AMAZING and often got back to me in less than an hour. The app is thorough, has an easy to understand/use interface, and in the end provides a well organized form for you to take to the VAT Refund counter staff your airport of choice. I will note that the admin fee is a bit steep, so if you’re making just one or two big purchases it probably won’t be worth it. But with this app I felt free to shop as I pleased and log several items across several receipts, which in the end made it worth it. Making as many purchases as I did, it would’ve been difficult to keep track of several forms, receipts, etc. not to mention every single one would’ve needed filled out, which you don’t have to do with this app - you upload your passport info etc. just one time.

I received the refund today two weeks after departure. I am impressed with the turnaround time. The app was fantastic, I would highly recommend, it worked seamlessly. I previously contacted you while I was uploading a receipt with multiple items where I was only exporting one item and the answer came back via email to indicate as such on the receipt. When I uploaded the receipt it worked perfectly. I will definitely be using the app in the future, it's great!

Airvat isn’t as popular as some of the other refund apps out there but experience overall is pretty good. Did have to manually print out a form because the customs system was down (that’s when staying at a hotel comes in handy), but other than that it was fairly straightforward and got about 80% of my VAT back. Will use again for my next trip to Europe.