TL;DR
- The government has cut VAT from 20% to 5% on kids’ meals out, family cinema tickets and days out until 1 September – that’s roughly 12.5% off
- Where businesses pass it on, some brands have gone further: McDonald’s Happy Meals are £2.99 (normally around £4.50), Merlin is doing two theme parks for the price of one on top of the cut
- Children aged 5-15 travel free on local buses in England throughout August
- Businesses don’t have to pass the saving on, so check prices before you assume – the official deal finder is at summersavings.gov.uk
If the summer holidays are eating your budget alive right now, you’re in good company. Which is why it’s worth knowing about the Great British Summer Savings Scheme – the government initiative running until 1 September that cuts VAT from 20% to 5% on kids’ meals out, family cinema and theatre tickets, and admission to attractions like theme parks, soft play, zoos and aquariums. On top of that, children aged 5-15 in England travel free on any local bus throughout August.
It launched back in June, so we’re halfway through. There’s still over a month left – and now that brands have shown their hand, we can see who’s passing on the cut, who’s gone further, and who’s hoping you won’t check.
The standout deals
The VAT cut on its own should knock roughly 12.5% off prices. Some brands have used it as a springboard and discounted a lot more:
McDonald’s has Happy Meals at £2.99 until 1 September – they’re normally around £4.50, and the VAT cut alone would only have taken them to about £3.90. It even works on takeaway and Drive-Thru, which the scheme itself doesn’t cover. Small print: app only (via the offers section), once per day, up to four meals, no delivery.
Merlin (Alton Towers, Legoland, Chessington, The London Eye) is applying the VAT cut to tickets and kids’ meals, plus running a two-theme-parks-for-the-price-of-one offer on top.
Gulliver’s has applied the cut across its four resorts and stacked its own summer ticket offer on top.
The everyday price drops
Plenty of other big names have lowered prices by the amount of the VAT cut – a smaller saving, but still worth having, especially on bigger tickets. Alton Towers and Legoland advance tickets are down from £34 to £29.75, Odeon has two adults and two kids at £28.50 (down from £32), Longleat saves a family of four £17.50, Nando’s kids’ Nandino meal drops from £6.95 to £6.08, and a Wetherspoon’s kids’ meal from £5.75 to £5.03.
The government’s official finder at summersavings.gov.uk shows participating businesses near you – worth a look before you pay full price anywhere.
The catch (because there’s always one)
Businesses are expected to pass the saving on, but they don’t have to – some will keep part of it. So check the price against what you’d have paid before, and look for the ones actively shouting about their discounts. A few boundaries to watch: the kids’ meal cut only applies to proper children’s menus eaten in, sports facilities aren’t included, and season tickets generally don’t qualify.
How to make it work for your budget
As with any discount scheme, it only saves you money on spending you were already going to do. It costs you money if it tempts you into unplanned spending.
So start with your plan and budget, not the deals. If you’ve got a summer holidays sinking fund, this scheme makes it stretch further – the theme park day you’d budgeted £120 for might now cost under £100, and that difference stays in your fund. If you haven’t got one yet, your first move is knowing what the rest of the summer will cost and giving it a number.
Then pick your days out from what’s actually cheaper, travel by bus where you can, and let the government (and McDonald’s) fund the difference.
What’s left in your summer budget – and could these deals help it go further? If you haven’t done your August budget yet, now’s the time.