Troubadour Hongdae

This spot is on Global Tax Free (GTF)'s official list of downtown tax refund points in Seoul. Visitors staying in Korea for less than six months can get back part of the VAT on goods from tax-free stores when one receipt comes to ₩15,000 or more; after the operator's fee, the refund is usually about 5~8% of the price. To collect it before your flight, bring your passport, the GTF refund slip and a credit card, which is held as a guarantee until customs confirms the export. Downtown refunds take slips of up to ₩6 million each. Some stores instead take the tax off at checkout when one purchase is under ₩1 million, up to ₩5 million in total per visit. Either way, keep the goods unused and show them at customs when you leave Korea within three months of purchase.