@juanbuis/TwitterA travel and technology writer has figured out how you can get an iPhone X and a New York trip, all for the European price of the iPhone X.
Clever Juan, from Amsterdam, tweeted the following message to his followers yesterday:
Buying iPhone X in Europe? Why not add a free weekend trip to NYC?
Tech addicts in The Netherlands, where Juan lives, can expect to pay €1159 for the new iPhone X, whereas in the US, they’d ‘only’ have to shell out €860 ($999).
buying iPhone X in europe? why not add a free weekend trip to NYC pic.twitter.com/K3IbdF4WNL
— juan (@juanbuis) September 13, 2017
And what better way to spend the money saved than to celebrate your love for ‘Apple’ in the Big Apple?
You could buy your new iPhone in the morning and be taking Instagram pics in Central Park by the afternoon.
Thrifty Juan noted, even after adding NYC sales tax, this still works out as a very doable trip for many people:
yes, i know, i forgot nyc sales tax. it's $88.71 / €73,68. still a very cheap trip
alternatively, sleep in the apple store
— juan (@juanbuis) September 13, 2017
Juan pointed his followers towards some affordable Airbnbs, which would work out very reasonably for those who are just after a short stay.
if you're there for only two days i don't think it really matters right pic.twitter.com/mhOGIkuBZ9
— juan (@juanbuis) September 13, 2017
He also provided evidence a €275 return flight to New York from Amsterdam does indeed exist, despite this sounding way too good to be true:
and yes, €275 return flights europe — NYC actually exist pic.twitter.com/tWCgT93I8u
— juan (@juanbuis) September 13, 2017
Comparable deals can be found at other European airports too!
Juan even took time to tweet costs from cities including Paris – how thoughtful:
— juan (@juanbuis) September 13, 2017
Juan, I like your out-of-the-box thinking, however you’ve forgotten just one tiny detail – for UK customers anyway!
HMRC’s rules are pretty clear – you must pay VAT on your £390-plus US purchases when you fly home, which makes those big savings a lot less appealing!
Contrary to popular belief, there’s no exception for personal use, which means an iPhone bought overseas is legally due a 20% import VAT, pushing the savings to just £40.
Nice thought though Juan…I guess £40 is still a saving!
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.