Stena Line Duty Free

[Craig2601]

Hello!

Stena Line seems to be offering duty free day trips again (?) from Holyhead to Dublin for just £13. Are there any problems with using this for a one-way ticket and just not using the return portion? It seems cheaper than using a normal foot passenger fare.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Hello!

Stena Line seems to be offering duty free day trips again (?) from Holyhead to Dublin for just £13. Are there any problems with using this for a one-way ticket and just not using the return portion? It seems cheaper than using a normal foot passenger fare.

I believe the T and Cs state that Stena will cancel your ticket both ways if you don't use the return portion, and that they may be entitled to charge the standard fare for the single portion if you invalidate your ticket. Best to double check, but there is definitely a clear provision to block this type of loophole.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Stena Line seems to be offering duty free day trips again (?) from Holyhead to Dublin for just £13. Are there any problems with using this for a one-way ticket and just not using the return portion? It seems cheaper than using a normal foot passenger fare.

None, Stena and the other companies have never been bothered by it. They could theoretically invalidate the ticket and charge you more, but it would be a PR disaster for them for the sake of a few quid, especially as you might have perfectly valid reasons for not returning.

Check to see that it's allowed to land in Dublin though, as some ferry companies (such as Oserundlinjen) specifically sell cheap 'non-landing tickets' for the purpose of buying cheaper alcohol.

 

[AlastairFraser]

None, Stena and the other companies have never been bothered by it. They could theoretically invalidate the ticket and charge you more, but it would be a PR disaster for them for the sake of a few quid, especially as you might have perfectly valid reasons for not returning.

Check to see that it's allowed to land in Dublin though, as some ferry companies (such as Oserundlinjen) specifically sell cheap 'non-landing tickets' for the purpose of buying cheaper alcohol.

The latter is what it seems to be.

Disembarking:

• This is a landing day trip where you will disembark the ferry upon arrival in Dublin or Rosslare. You will spend a short time in the terminal lounge then return on the same ferry.

Taken from https://www.stenaline.co.uk/save

 

[Trainbike46]

The latter is what it seems to be.

Taken from https://www.stenaline.co.uk/save

When doing a dummy booking, it seems a real day trip where you actually go to Dublin also qualifies, e.g:
09:00 depart Holyhead
12:15 Arrive Dublin
20:30 Depart Dublin
00:01 arrive Holyhead

which is travelling on different ships.

 

[AlastairFraser]

When doing a dummy booking, it seems a real day trip where you actually go to Dublin also qualifies, e.g:
09:00 depart Holyhead
12:15 Arrive Dublin
20:30 Depart Dublin
00:01 arrive Holyhead

which is travelling on different ships.

Interesting. I remember that it used to, but the current T and Cs seem to tell us something different.

 

[185143]

When doing a dummy booking, it seems a real day trip where you actually go to Dublin also qualifies, e.g:
09:00 depart Holyhead
12:15 Arrive Dublin
20:30 Depart Dublin
00:01 arrive Holyhead

which is travelling on different ships.

I've done it several times in the past. Fishguard-Rosslare you had to go out and straight back, but Dublin you could either do that or catch the following ferry. Either the way you suggest or on the afternoon sailing from Holyhead and back on the night one. Easy to have a proper afternoon out in Dublin doing it and it'd be a huge retrograde step if they've stopped you doing that.

 

[Towers]

I believe the T and Cs state that Stena will cancel your ticket both ways if you don't use the return portion, and that they may be entitled to charge the standard fare for the single portion if you invalidate your ticket. Best to double check, but there is definitely a clear provision to block this type of loophole.

Interesting; how would they enforce that I wonder?

 

[AlastairFraser]

Interesting; how would they enforce that I wonder?

Perhaps by charging the standard fare back to the payment card?

 

[kevconnor]

Perhaps by charging the standard fare back to the payment card?

I wondered that myself, but thought if that was a real possibility, it's easily bypassed. Either by using a prepay card and only keeping the balance at zero so payment bounces, or some cards (such as Revolut) allow you to create one-off disposable card numbers for singular online transactions.

 

[AlastairFraser]

I wondered that myself, but thought if that was a real possibility, it's easily bypassed. Either by using a prepay card and only keeping the balance at zero so payment bounces, or some cards (such as Revolut) allow you to create one-off disposable card numbers for singular online transactions.

True

 

[Cloud Strife]

Interesting. I remember that it used to, but the current T and Cs seem to tell us something different.

It's on the site you linked us to:



It seems that Dublin trips specifically require you to disembark and check in again for the return journey, whereas Rosslare passengers are taken straight to the (post-security?) departure lounge. For that reason, combined with the information that return trips are automatically cancelled if you don't check in, it seems pretty clear that you can simply use these tickets as one-way tickets.

Interesting; how would they enforce that I wonder?

They don't, simply. It would be unenforceable, because a passenger could simply say that they felt sick and that would be that.

 

[AlastairFraser]

It's on the site you linked us to:

It seems that Dublin trips specifically require you to disembark and check in again for the return journey, whereas Rosslare passengers are taken straight to the (post-security?) departure lounge. For that reason, combined with the information that return trips are automatically cancelled if you don't check in, it seems pretty clear that you can simply use these tickets as one-way tickets.

Ah OK, so it might work for the Dublin route, but perhaps not Rosslare.

 

[185143]

Ah OK, so it might work for the Dublin route, but perhaps not Rosslare.

You can definitely leave the building on the public side at Rosslare on a day trip, and you do have to check in again regardless.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Ah OK, so it might work for the Dublin route, but perhaps not Rosslare.

I asked a friend who knows a thing or two about Stena, and he said that the 'catch' is the luggage allowance: you're not allowed to take anything more than a single piece of hand luggage on such a trip, and that they're very hot on anyone taking anything bigger than the published allowance, which is 60cm x 50cm x 40cm and no more than 12kg. In comparison, with a standard foot passenger fare, Stena couldn't care less what you check in and what you take on board.

Essentially, they know fine well that anyone wanting to do this route as a one way trip will likely have more than the published allowance, so they get their money one way or another.

 

[AlastairFraser]

You can definitely leave the building on the public side at Rosslare on a day trip, and you do have to check in again regardless.

Fair enough, I've never done the Rosslare route, so no personal knowledge on it.

I asked a friend who knows a thing or two about Stena, and he said that the 'catch' is the luggage allowance: you're not allowed to take anything more than a single piece of hand luggage on such a trip, and that they're very hot on anyone taking anything bigger than the published allowance, which is 60cm x 50cm x 40cm and no more than 12kg. In comparison, with a standard foot passenger fare, Stena couldn't care less what you check in and what you take on board.

Essentially, they know fine well that anyone wanting to do this route as a one way trip will likely have more than the published allowance, so they get their money one way or another.

Ah, the O' Leary card! Makes sense.

 

[styles]

I asked a friend who knows a thing or two about Stena, and he said that the 'catch' is the luggage allowance: you're not allowed to take anything more than a single piece of hand luggage on such a trip, and that they're very hot on anyone taking anything bigger than the published allowance, which is 60cm x 50cm x 40cm and no more than 12kg. In comparison, with a standard foot passenger fare, Stena couldn't care less what you check in and what you take on board.

Essentially, they know fine well that anyone wanting to do this route as a one way trip will likely have more than the published allowance, so they get their money one way or another.

Let's say a 1L bottle of vodka weighs 2Kg (I haven't got one to weigh!) and a cheap size compliant case is 1Kg, surely this can still be worthwhile. £13 to bring back 5 bottles of duty free vodka can absolutely be worthwhile can't it?

The duty on 1L of 40% vodka is £13.11 alone.

Sure on a per hour basis it's less than minimum wage mind.

 

[185143]

Let's say a 1L bottle of vodka weighs 2Kg (I haven't got one to weigh!) and a cheap size compliant case is 1Kg, surely this can still be worthwhile. £13 to bring back 5 bottles of duty free vodka can absolutely be worthwhile can't it?

The duty on 1L of 40% vodka is £13.11 alone.

Sure on a per hour basis it's less than minimum wage mind.

I've never seen scales for Stena to weigh bags at any check in.

And even so, given you buy the booze onboard it's a moot point anyway. There would have to be 2 of you to legally bring 5L of spirits back of course, but your point is very valid.

Aside from it being just a booze cruise (watch the amounts of booze people wheel-literally-down the gangway at Gothenburg to see that in action!) Me and a mate have done it several times and had a full afternoon out in Dublin stocking up on 8 litres of spirits and a couple of cases of beer. Combine it with (until recently) free entry into the Stena Plus lounge as a Gold member of their loyalty scheme for both of us and 10% back off all purchases aside from tobacco as future travel credit... do the maths. It's a very cheap day out indeed!

 

[zero]

If you're travelling in a group, couldn't one person take the luggage on a normal ticket, and the rest use the day trip ticket and dump the return?