If you are planning on jetting off for your next holiday any time soon you will most likely be heading to a duty-free store. 

Typically just after security and marking the first signs that you've made it through departures, duty-free is a mini shopping centre. 

With everything on sale from chocolate, toys, teddies, bottles of premium alcohol and even designer makeup and perfume.

Whether you are heading to your holiday and need to grab some last-minute items or are heading back home and getting some final treats, duty-free has it all. 

But, duty-free can be confusing with it sometimes unclear if you are actually saving or not getting the deal you think you are. 

How does duty-free work?

Duty-free shops work by offering products on sale without including tax, duty-free means, without tax. 

That means products sold do not include value-added tax (VAT) or consumption taxes, making the shops micro-free trade zones, according to N26.

Are items from duty-free actually cheaper?

The short answer on whether items duty-free are cheaper depends on what you are buying. 

You can get some deals, mostly with alcohol such as litre bottles where you can buy a one litre for around £18 to £19 instead of the supermarket prices at £28. 

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In comparison, perfume isn't as much of a saving, with some going on sale for £54 instead of their retail price of £59. 

The overall answer is that typically items are cheaper but not by massive amounts and you can get deals online away from duty-free. 

When buying from a duty-free shop it is also important to note that there can be regulations on the item of certain products you can take into another country for free.