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How and where to get discounted tickets for days out in the UK
An Orwell prize-nominated investigative journalist, Kate lives in Portugal and covers news, travel rules, tourist taxes and visas.
As the Great British Savings Scheme kicks off, Which? asked some of the UK’s largest attractions if they will commit to passing savings on to consumers
The cost of days out in the UK has soared in recent years, but this summer you can save on admission to some top UK attractions through a new government programme called Great British Summer Savings (GBBS).
For eligible leisure and hospitality companies, the government is cutting the VAT they must pay on admission tickets to attractions from 20% to 5% between 25 June and 1 September. That VAT cut leaves the attraction with a saving of 15%, but it is not required to pass this saving on to customers.
Which? contacted 26 of the UK’s biggest attractions to ask them if they are enrolling in the Great British Savings Scheme, but also if they will pass the full savings on to consumers through reduced ticket prices.
The good news is that of those who are joining the scheme, most committed to Which? that they will pass on the full savings to customers by reducing the price of entry tickets. But not every attraction is participating, while others are but won’t pass on all the savings.
Which attractions will be cheaper this summer?
| Attraction | Response |
| Adventure Coast Southport | No response |
| Adventure Island Southend | No response |
| Alton Towers | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| Barry Island Pleasure Park | No response |
| Blackpool Pleasure Beach | Participating and passing partial savings onto customers |
| Blackpool Tower | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| Brighton Palace Pier | No response |
| Cadbury World | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| Chessington World of Adventures | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| Drayton Manor Resort (including Thomas Land) | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| Eureka! Science and Discovery | Participating and passing partial savings onto customers |
| Go Ape | Participating and passing partial savings onto customers |
| Legoland Discovery Centres (Manchester & Birmingham) | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| Legoland Windsor Resort | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park | No response |
| London, Edinburgh and York Dungeon | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| Madame Tussauds Blackpool | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| Madame Tussauds London | No response |
| National Space Centre | No response |
| Paultons Park - Home of Peppa Pig | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| Shrek’s Adventure! London | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| The Beatles Story | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| The London Eye | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| The View from the Shard | No response |
| Thorpe Park | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
| Warner Bros Studio Tour London — the Making of Harry Potter | Participating and passing full savings onto customers |
Notes: LEGOLAND Windsor Adventure Golf is not part of the scheme and 20% VAT applies. The London Eye River Cruise is not part of the scheme, and 0% VAT will continue to apply.
Three attractions confirmed they were enrolling the scheme, but would only be passing on partial savings onto customers. Those were Eureka! Science and Discovery, Go Ape and Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Eureka! Science and Discovery told us it would pass a portion of the savings onto visitors from 16 July to 31 August, adding that as it is a charity, it would also be “using part of the support to help fund the things that matter behind the scenes.” Go Ape’s 15% discount is only available for online bookings on everything apart from Forest Biking, Archery Tag, Disc Golf, using the code VATSUMMER.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s response was the least clear. It said that while it was participating, due to dynamic pricing it was unable to confirm exact savings that would be passed onto customers.
Of the 26 companies we emailed, 8 companies did not respond. Those were Madame Tussauds London (which operates separately from Madame Tussauds Blackpool), Brighton Palace Pier, The View from the Shard, Barry Island Pleasure Park, Adventure Coast Southport, Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park, National Space Center, and Adventure Island Southend.
I’ve already bought tickets — can I get my money back?
In some cases, you might be able to get a partial refund of up to 15% from the attraction, but retroactive refunds aren’t a legal obligation.
Some companies, such as The National Trust and The Eden Project have confirmed that they will automatically refund the difference on any eligible tickets already bought by customers.
Merlin, which operates 10 of the attractions we contacted, including Alton Towers, Legoland Windsor Resort, The London Eye and Thorpe Park, said it will not offer retrospective refunds and will pay the full 20% VAT on all tickets already purchased.
If you’ve bought tickets for an attraction and aren’t sure whether you’re owed a refund, you could try contacting the company’s customer services department. Ask if the attraction is participating in GBSS and offering partial refunds — and if so, whether this process is automatic, or you need to do something.
Why some museums and charity venues can’t participate
You might spot that your favourite attraction, gallery, museum or other venue isn’t participating, nor offering cheaper tickets; some attractions, such as charitable organisations that don't charge VAT, are not eligible to participate.
