I wish I had understood this better while I was in Spain, so I'm going to share it with all you Americans that want to buy big in Spain...

When you go to buy something significant, like luggage, shoes, jewelry, perfume, make sure the shop is willing to give you an official Tax-free Cheque. Most stores played dumb with us (we found out later it was because they themselves don't want to pay taxes on their sale) and didn't give us the Cheque. Word of advice: Pay a little more and get the Cheque.

Before you leave Spain, get your Customs to stamp it. When you return to the US, fill it out and mail it in the envelope you should have been given with the Cheque. You will be reimbursed 10% of your purchase price (the taxes).

You will not be refunded with only the store receipt. It MUST be the official cheque. Plaza del Sol promoted this in many store windows (tourist shopping is big there) and you can get info on it there.

[ 05-06-2001: Message edited by: Antonio ]