Cheap Cigarettes vs. Duty-Free Cigarettes

A lot of us have heard about duty-free cigarettes yet don’t know what they are or how they’re more worth your hard-earned dollar than regular discount, cheap cigarettes. In a nutshell, duty-free cigarettes are cigarettes that are sold at duty-free (or tax-free) shops, mostly in airports. Getting your cigarettes from these shops has become more popular amongst smokers these days, since duty-free cigarettes are offered at a lower price per carton than even some of the cheapest cigarettes in New York. And considering that these duty-free cigarettes are some of the most premium brands on the market—we’re talking luxury cigarette labels, hard-to-find brands and even fashion collaborations—it’s easy to see why lots of people have taken this route over merely settling for cheap cigarettes.

Not to say that there aren’t any upsides to finding the cheapest place to buy cigarettes, of course. First of all, not everyone has access to a duty-free store every day; you must either be in an airport, or have just come from a flight, or know someone who has. The cheapest cigarettes out there, however, don’t come with these erratic conditions; once you discover the cheapest place to buy cigarettes, you’re almost always guaranteed to find your discount, cheap cigarettes there any time you want—no flight itinerary necessary. The only drawback is that they might not be as high-end as what you’re used to getting when you purchase duty-free cigarettes.

Duty-Free Cigarettes: Why They’re Sometimes the Cheapest Cigarettes Out There

There’s some controversy surrounding these airport-sold smokes, and we’re here to figure it out. Duty-free cigarettes aren’t taxed at the same rate as those outside of these duty-free shops, mostly because the premise is that these duty-free cigarettes are sold for the purpose of consumption overseas, outside of the state or country. This means that the regular state excise taxes for these goods cannot be applied to these duty-free cigarettes, making these cigarettes cheap or, at least, more affordable than those found at the corner convenience store within state boundaries.

Does this necessarily make them better? As with all things tobacco and smoking-related, it all boils down to a matter of taste. Cigarettes, cheap or expensive, all depend on the smoker’s preference. It may be the highest-end, most premium kind of duty-free cigarettes available or the cheapest cigarettes known to mankind, but if it’s what appeals to the taste of the consumer, then it ultimately doesn’t matter.