Don’t Get Ripped Off at Cancun Airport: Scams to Watch For

Almost everyone that is visiting the Riviera Maya and Cancun will be passing through the Cancun Airport. The airport itself is large and has four terminals for travelers. Overall, the Cancun International Airport functions well as it serves about 30 million passengers a year. Since arrivals at a foreign airport can be confusing, it can be easy to fall into some of the scams or ripoffs. Here is an extensive list of things to be alert for when going through the Cancun International Airport.

The Most Complained About Thing at the Cancun Airport: Taxis

Often when people complain about the Riviera Maya, taxi drivers come up. Airport taxi drivers especially have a bad reputation. Why is this? For one, there is no set pricing from the Cancun Airport. No signs for prices or a taxi desk to buy a ticket. No set prices have been the way and until it changes, it is the art of negotiating the price. We often see taxi drivers take out a calculator and show people prices. It can be hard to negotiate with them because most people don’t know all the details of a transfer from the airport.

Taxi unions have also pressured other rideshare companies for opening or getting a foothold in the local transportation market. To be fair, the taxi drivers do have some legitimate complaints about fairness. As the situation stands, taxis still

To give you an example, the few times I have been at the Cancun Airport and needed a taxi, it was a struggle to get a good price. One time I needed to get to my car parked off site and another time to the Tren Maya Station. Both times I only needed to go 10 minutes away. For the distance and time, it should have been much cheaper. When asking around I got offers as high as $60 USD. Many of the taxi unions pressure drivers to only accept a minimum amount for travel. There are thousands of travelers arriving each day to the Cancun Airport and taxi drivers wait for people who will pay too much for the ride.

How do you avoid taxi ripoffs at the airport?

Know how you want to get from the Cancun Airport to your hotel before you arrive. At the end of this article, we have links for guides to all areas of the Riviera Maya and Cancun. These will help you plan which option is best for you, so you won’t have to deal with the taxi drivers.

“Official Airport Information” Those people Outside the Airport

Once you leave the terminal of the Cancun Airport you are on the sidewalk with dozens of taxi touts and people asking you if you need anything. Some people have official looking lanyards around their neck saying, “Official Information”. Many people think this is a nice service of the Cancun Airport, but these are really just people looking to fill taxis or transportation to make some money.

These people will come up to you offering your help once you leave the terminal. Sometimes the information is a lie. For example, when people are looking for the ADO bus, they say there are no more today, but they have an offer for you. Or if you have prebooked a transfer, they try to get you to switch to some other driver you don’t know and offer a cheaper price, only to find out it is a taxi driver and charges you too much.

How to avoid these busy bodies?

Have a plan on which transportation you want to take from the hotel. Then just look for your driver of your prebooked van or ADO bus pickup spot. Ignore the people trying to get your attention and be on your way out of the airport.

Terminal 3 Cancun Airport — When you arrive at the Cancun Airport there are dozens of taxi drivers, and people trying to get your attention. It is best to prebook and have your transportation all set so you don’t have to deal with these people.

Timeshares and Vacation Clubs

In mainly terminal 3 and 4 of the Cancun Airport, when you are exiting the terminal from arrivals there are booths for car rentals, tours and lots of “tourist” information booths. These are not official, government run information booths to help tourists. These are money making companies that work to steer people at the airport toward certain transportation and to possible offer something for free in exchange for hearing a presentation. These presentations are for timeshares, or what as they are newly called, vacation club memberships.

These salespeople have specific people they target. Often couples that look like it is their first time to the area or are looking around at the airport for information. These free gifts they offer come with a promise of your time. It is best to ignore these people and walk out the airport and directly to your already booked transportation.

Why be Cautious about Vacation Presentations at the Cancun Airport

If you mention “timeshares” most people know the reputation as something that you buy, they are hard to use or book and often have many hidden fees. Nowadays, the term “vacation club” is used, but it is the basically the same thing. We have only heard about 8% of people say they enjoy their timeshare (vacation club membership). Not many people say they love it after they buy it. Why is this?

First, the goal is just to get you interested. Something for free on vacation always sounds good. Most all-inclusive hotels offer some kind of membership. the sales team has heard all the excusing and objections and is ready to counteroffer. Often times you get trapped in these presentations and a day of your vacation is a heavy price to pay for a free massage or something.

When people realize how it works and see that they are paying more for something they don’t use all the time, they think about selling it or getting out of the contract. There are even predatory businesses that try to scam owners of a timeshare to sell, but they only end up getting scammed again. You can read more in our article about timeshares and vacation clubs.

Before you get into a presentation, know what you want and know your rights. Even if you sign something, Mexican law gives you 5 days to cancel the contract.

Parking at the Cancun Airport

Parking at the airport is not a scam but it can add up. If you are only picking people up at the airport, it is hard to know exactly when people will exit the terminal after customs, immigration and bag pickup. This is why there is short term parking at the airport. It is currently 48 pesos for the first hour. After 6 hours the day rate kicks in of 290 pesos. This means during a weeklong trip you parking will cost 2,030 pesos or about $120 USD. This might seem inexpensive when compared to other airports in the world. But consider that a private transfer between Playa Del Carmen and the Cancun Airport is the same as parking for 10 days at the airport. Also, many one-way domestic flights in Mexico are about the same price as parking for a week at the airport.

It is also important to notice that most people use Terminal 3 & 4 of the Cancun Airport. Terminal 3 has a smaller parking lot and is sometimes full! I have been at the airport several times and wanted to park at Terminal 3, only to wait about 20 minutes to get into the parking lot because we had to wait for people to leave. Most people arrive an hour or two before their flight and don’t want an unexpected delay. Just keep in mind that this Terminal 3 can fill up. An alternative is parking outside the airport at ipark. It is about 30 pesos cheaper per day and has a shuttle connecting it to the airport.

How Duty free is Duty-Free Shopping at the Airport?

Duty free shops in Cancun are located in all terminals. Most of the time people think about buying things on their exit from Mexico. Typical categories available: alcohol & spirits, perfumes & cosmetics, tobacco & cigars, chocolates & snacks, sunglasses & accessories, and souvenirs from Mexico. Are these stores a scam or rip off? There are no scams here, only the idea that you will save money on everything in the store.

Is Cancun Airport duty-free really a good deal? It depends on what you are buying. Most of the time the liquor is cheaper in Mexican stores like La Europea and Walmart. The one time you might save a little on alcohol is when they have a promotion on multiple bottles, this can be some savings over taxed stores. Perfume often has higher duty, and this can make for a savings. You can see the full story in the link to our article above.

How to get good deals at the Cancun Airport Duty-Free?

Knowing what types of products have a good price is a start. You can actually compare some prices from the Cancun shop duty free website. For things like alcohol, you can compare to La Europea, a recommended liquor store chain that has official prices for brands. For other types of items, a quick internet price check can let you know if it is a good deal.

Example:

Below is one example of prices in the Cancun Airport Duty Free compared to Walmart in Mexico. The price for the 1921 Tequila in .075L at the airport duty free shop is 846.02 pesos. In Walmart it is normally 688.75 pesos for the same size. That means it is 157 pesos (about an $8 USD) more expensive in the Cancun Airport. But get this, Walmart has it on sale now for 551 pesos now, making it even cheaper to buy in Playa Del Carmen.

Overpriced Food in the Terminals

Many airports face the hardships with having normal street pricing. It is such a problem that comedians make jokes about airports not knowing what real prices are like just feet from the airport. All jokes aside, what are some of the reasons airport food options are so expensive?

Two reasons food costs are more in the airport are rental prices and extra security. Airports offer prime real estate for rent. Tons of affluent world travelers passing by your store and are a captive audience for an hour or two gives business owners lots of eyes and potential sales. Rent in the Cancun Airport, according to the ASUR website is not as expensive as most airports. It is however about 3 times the price per meter as a good location in Cancun. Then there are the added costs to working inside a secure airport. For example, all food and employees must be screened daily and extra background checks on staff. Staff also needs to be bilingual and able to work in a fast-paced environment, so pay has to be higher.

Even though there are some heavy extra expenses to running a business in an airport, Cancun Airport still has considerable higher prices for food when compares to outside the airport.

An example of this is Starbucks. They have stores in Playa Del Carmen and the Cancun Airport. The same products cost nearly 30% more in the Cancun Airport. This number is fairly consistent with other restaurants at the airport as well.

Note: Restaurants and food options are the same price before security and after security. There is no one area that is cheaper.

How can you avoid overpaying at the Cancun Airport?

If you like snacks for your flight, it is best to stop by a convenience store before going to the airport. they will be less than half the price.
Plan to eat before or on the plane (although many flights offer basic food these days).
Go to a lounge. Cancun Airport has some lounges. They are not the best lounges but can offer you a reprieve from the high prices. if you have free access to a lounge, you get free food and drink which can tide you over until you arrive back home.
Don’t plan on eating at the airport or spilt food.

Tax Free Shopping Refunds

This scam might not start in the airport; but you might find out at the airport your purchases do not qualify for your refund. Many countries offer tax free shopping as incentives for tourists to buy and spend more. Around the Riviera Maya you see stickers on store windows advertising the refund of taxes. When we first wrote an article about tax free shopping in Mexico, we started to get a lot of comments about how people were still waiting for a refund or never got one. We realized that something was off and looked into it further.

The official TaxFree website has all the exact details and participating stores. What seems to be the problem is stores saying they offer the program but actually do no. Some not-so0honest salespeople mention the refund only to close a sale. It has been enough of a problem to mention it here.

Conclusion

We hope that with this information you can avoid some of the scams at the Cancun Airport. It is not too bad, but a just having a small issue can put a bad taste in your mouth for visiting the area. We do care about our readers happiness on vacation. This is why we write guides like 27 possible scams in Playa Del Carmen, or how to avoid getting scammed at the gas station in Mexico.

We also have you covered when it comes to getting to and from the Cancun Airport. These guides give you all the options to the area of Cancun or the Riviera Maya where your hotel or accommodation is located.

Cancun Airport Transportation Guides to the Riviera Maya

Cancun Airport Transportation Guides to Cancun Hotel Areas

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Mr.Yucatan

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How to Avoid Scams at Cancun Airport (Taxis, Timeshares, and Shopping)