The Secret Perk of Buying Electronics at the Airport No One Knows About

GaudiLab/ShutterstockIt’s happened to all of us: You get to the airport and realize you’ve forgotten your headphones. Or phone charger. Or whatever. Ugh. A scan of the airport bookstore isn’t too promising—if you want to replace your precious gear, you’ll have to shell out way more than you normally would since electronics are typically one of the worst things to buy at airports.

“Our research shows that electronics are, on average, 34 percent more expensive at the airport than what you would find online,” Lindsay Sakraida, director of content marketing with DealNews, a shopping comparison website, told Reader’s Digest. “For smaller items, that could mean a difference of $10 to $15. And that charger? It could be up to 50 percent more at the airport.”

But wait—there’s a solution! If you find yourself in a bind, head to the airport’s Best Buy kiosk. There, you’ll find a selection of electronics that might come in handy on your trip: headphones, cameras, chargers, and more. And sure, they might seem overpriced at first—but not if you read the fine print.

According to Best Buy’s website, each purchase made at a Best Buy kiosk is subject to the company’s price-match guarantee. That means if you return the product to a Best Buy store within the normal return period and the product is being sold for less—and if your original purchase was at an airport, it almost definitely will be—Best Buy will refund you the difference.

It gets better: the Best Buy Price Match Guarantee also includes other retailers, including Amazon.com. To get that refund, show the cashier at Best Buy your kiosk receipt along with a printout of the other retailer’s webpage. The page should include that retailer’s price as well as a statement that the product is in stock for instant shipping.

Frommers even did the math. A pair of Beats Studio wireless headphones was available at the Best Buy kiosk for a whopping $379.99. At a Best Buy store, they cost $299. If you were to stop there, you’d already have saved $80. But on Amazon.com the headphones cost $269—that $30 cheaper than the Best Buy price, and $110 cheaper than the airport price.

So what’s all this mean? Essentially, any product you buy at the airport kiosk has the potential to be purchased for the best price on the market—as long as you’re willing to put in the work. Before you catch your plane, don’t forget to take advantage of the hidden perk of buying books at the airport.