Duty Free? Sydney - Singapore - coughet

[PeterA]

My wife and I will be travelling Sydney to Singapore on the Qantas/Finnair flight and then transiting to Jetstar Asia to coughet. Can we buy duty free alcohol in Sydney without incurring problems when going through Singapore or should we buy in Singapore? I know there are issues the other way.

 

[SYD]

My wife and I will be travelling Sydney to Singapore on the Qantas/Finnair flight and then transiting to Jetstar Asia to coughet. Can we buy duty free alcohol in Sydney without incurring problems when going through Singapore or should we buy in Singapore? I know there are issues the other way.

I suspect it’ll be confiscated at the rescreening at the gate?

SIN DF is reasonably competitive - although the poor Ozzie battler AUD may make SYD cheaper after the recent slide….

Do you have to collect bags in SIN? You could repack and recheck if you have time?

 

[markis10]

Do you have to collect bags in SIN? You could repack and recheck if you have time?

3K previously have been happy to through check QF bags if you go to the transfer desk and show them the tags, I would still be tempted to grab duty free in Singapore

 

[SYD]

3K previously have been happy to through check QF bags if you go to the transfer desk and show them the tags, I would still be tempted to grab duty free in Singapore

Yes, buying DF in SIN is ok. If it’s LAGS, it’ll be delivered to the gate for collection.

 

[PeterA]

I suspect it’ll be confiscated at the rescreening at the gate?

SIN DF is reasonably competitive - although the poor Ozzie battler AUD may make SYD cheaper after the recent slide….

Do you have to collect bags in SIN? You could repack and recheck if you have time?

Only carry-on

 

[SYD]

Only carry-on

I wouldn’t risk then. SYD DF probably won’t even sell it to you if you’re transiting SIN.

You should be able to get an idea of prices in SIN here.

BuyAndFly

www.ishopchangi.com

I have bought booze there on my way home because I worked out it was slightly cheaper - at the time.

 

[Quickstatus]

Can we buy duty free alcohol in Sydney without incurring problems when going through Singapore or should we buy in Singapore? I know there are issues the other way.

Yes you can
The DF needs to remain in its sealed transparent tamper evident bag with attached receipt until the final destination - that means you cant open it in Singapore.
You carry your DF as hand luggage.
Please note that you can only bring in 1L DF alcohol per person into Thailand.

Know your prices. Don't assume the DF prices are cheaper in Sydney or singapore or the streets in Sydney or coughet.

 

[offshore171]

Might be cheaper just to buy it at a convenience store in Thailand, instead of lugging it all the way from Sydney?

 

[Flyfrequently]

Might be cheaper just to buy it at a convenience store in Thailand, instead of lugging it all the way from Sydney?

I bought a small bottle of Vodka in Thailand 7/11 but ditched it as the Laos methanol episode had just made the news.
Bottle looked legit, had seal etc but thought - Nah @offshore171

 

[blackcat20]

Yes, buying DF in SIN is ok. If it’s LAGS, it’ll be delivered to the gate for collection.

This was our experience heading to coughet via Singapore. We purchased at SIN and they bagged it and delivered to the gate.

 

[dajop]

This was our experience heading to coughet via Singapore. We purchased at SIN and they bagged it and delivered to the gate.

IME generally they only bag and deliver to the gate for Australian and US bound flights (and must be purchased at least 90 minutes before the flight). For flights to other destinations having it in sealed bags with receipt attached is required to carry through security and it will not be delivered to the gate. (also I think for Europe bound flights you can only carry DF alcohol purchased at SIN, not at previous ports).

 

[elanshin]

Yes you can
The DF needs to remain in its sealed transparent tamper evident bag with attached receipt until the final destination - that means you cant open it in Singapore.
You carry your DF as hand luggage.
Please note that you can only bring in 1L DF alcohol per person into Thailand.

Know your prices. Don't assume the DF prices are cheaper in Sydney or singapore or the streets in Sydney or coughet.

Are you sure about this? I've been declined at multiple airports transiting SIN from even purchasing because they state it would just get binned. There was even a thread here recently about coming from India with a sealed DF bag and losing the alcohol.

SIN wants you to buy at SIN.

 

[Quickstatus]

SIN wants you to buy at SIN.

Check out this FB group

The most important thing is you need to tell the DF that you are transiting because they will then seal the item in a STEB (sealed transparent tamper evident bag). If it is not in such a bag, then it will be considered as unsecured LAG at the SIN security checkpoint. Of course if the DF shop cannot provide you with such a bag (they have a red border), dont buy.

 

[SYD]

Are you sure about this? I've been declined at multiple airports transiting SIN from even purchasing because they state it would just get binned. There was even a thread here recently about coming from India with a sealed DF bag and losing the alcohol.

SIN wants you to buy at SIN.

This thread - which went off on a tangent on the pros and cons of buying DF...

S

Thread 'Duty Free in Singapore Transit.'

Jun 14, 2022

We are departing Sydney for Amsterdam, with transit in Singapore for 2.5 hours. Am I able to purchase duty free liquor in Sydney & carry through transit in Singapore or am I able to just buy it in Singapore (assuming I have time)
Thank you.

• stroudie
• stopovers and transit
• Replies: 38
• Forum: Open Discussion

 

[dajop]

Are you sure about this? I've been declined at multiple airports transiting SIN from even purchasing because they state it would just get binned. There was even a thread here recently about coming from India with a sealed DF bag and losing the alcohol.

SIN wants you to buy at SIN.

It does depend on the final destination/ Certainly it is the case if transiting to a flight onwards to EU, US or Australia you can only carry on duty free alcohol purchased at SIN (with the latter two requiring 90 mins and gate delivery as well). If going to other destinations - it seems YMMV.

 

[blackcat20]

IME generally they only bag and deliver to the gate for Australian and US bound flights (and must be purchased at least 90 minutes before the flight). For flights to other destinations having it in sealed bags with receipt attached is required to carry through security and it will not be delivered to the gate. (also I think for Europe bound flights you can only carry DF alcohol purchased at SIN, not at previous ports).

We may have carried to the gate, I don't remember. But it was definitely bagged up.

 

[offshore171]

I bought a small bottle of Vodka in Thailand 7/11 but ditched it as the Laos methanol episode had just made the news.
Bottle looked legit, had seal etc but thought - Nah @offshore171

I guess it's about making a risk judgement.

The incident in Laos was from alcohol served over the bar, from an open bottle. The grog in question was a local Laos made "whisky". Pretty much a worst case scenario.

So there's 3 risk factors there:

• Drink prepared over the bar
• From open bottle
• A tin-pot local product: "Tiger Whisky" which has since been shut down.

Buying a sealed bottle of an international branded spirts (eg: Johnny Walker, Smirnoff etc) in a legit 7-11 store in Thailand mitigates all 3.

Has there been any reported methanol incidents from the latter scenario?

 

[Flyfrequently]

I guess it's about making a risk judgement.

The incident in Laos was from alcohol served over the bar, from an open bottle. The grog in question was a local Laos made "whisky". Pretty much a worst case scenario.

So there's 3 risk factors there:

• Drink prepared over the bar
• From open bottle
• A tin-pot local product: "Tiger Whisky" which has since been shut down.

Buying a sealed bottle of an international branded spirts (eg: Johnny Walker, Smirnoff etc) in a legit 7-11 store in Thailand mitigates all 3.

Has there been any reported methanol incidents from the latter scenario?

Agree, but it wasn't an international branded bottle, was bottled under licence IIR @offshore171
At the time, information was very sketchy, figured I wasn't that desperate for 200ml of plonk.
And I'm a known catastrophiser!

 

[offshore171]

Agree, but it wasn't an international branded bottle, was bottled under licence IIR @offshore171
At the time, information was very sketchy, figured I wasn't that desperate for 200ml of plonk.
And I'm a known catastrophiser!

Yep understandable in the heat of the moment before the situation was clear.

I thought you were generalising your example as a response to the OP's question.