Martin Lewis’ MSE says ‘don’t shop at Zara before your holiday’

MoneySavingExpert has told fashion fans ‘don’t shop at Zara before your holiday’. The consumer advice website, founded by Martin Lewis, has shared a money-saving tip for people jetting off to Europe this summer.

In a post on Facebook and Instagram, an MSE team member explained that holidaymakers visiting Spain, Greece, France, or Italy could find better deals by waiting to shop at Zara abroad. In the caption, MSE wrote: “Heading to Spain, Greece, France or Italy this summer? Or know someone who is?

“If you were planning on raiding the rails at Zara, hold off until you get there – and leave some space in your suitcase!” The MSE expert told viewers: “Here’s a trick that could save you serious money at Zara.”

She explained: “It’s often much cheaper to shop at Zara in its native Spain and in Greece. It’s also slightly cheaper in France and Italy. So if you’re heading to these places on holiday, check Zara’s international websites to see if the clothes you want are cheaper abroad.

“Often the Euros price is less than the Pounds price before you even take into account the exchange rate, which makes it even cheaper. But only buy the things you’re going to get anyway. And who knows? The savings might even cover the cost of the flight.”

While some savvy shoppers might have known about the trick for a while, for others it could be welcome news. The video impressed social media users, with one fan claiming: “Omg this was definitely not the case in the past! I used to try things on in Italy when on holiday and order online for delivery in the UK good spot!”

Martin Lewis highlighted the trick back in 2025, when he shared a blog post sharing the tip for Spanish holidaymakers. At the time, he even found a jacket that was so much more expensive in the UK that he could have saved money flying to Spain to buy it.

The money-saving guru wrote: “Doing only a touch of research, I found a Ryanair flight to Santander in Spain (not the bank), for £42 return (hand luggage only). So it would actually be cheaper to jump on a plane to Spain and buy the jacket there.

“Of course, I’m using some journalistic licence here to prove a point. You’d obviously need to get to and from the airport and may want a hotel.

“Yet if you’re a Zara fetishist and are stocking up for yourself and your family (and perhaps taking orders for friends too), the economics could work (do think about the environment too, though).”