The Great British Summer Savings Scheme
How local businesses can register offers and attract families this summer
Scheme period: 25 June to 1 September 2026. Great British Summer Savings is a UK Government campaign to cut VAT for eligible businesses this summer, reducing the rate on qualifying children’s meals, tickets and family attractions from 20% to 5%, while helping families find discounted days out, entertainment and meals and supporting businesses with summer footfall.
Consumer website: https://summersavings.gov.uk/
Business registration: https://register.greatbritishsummersavings.gov.uk/
Who can take part?
- UK businesses registered for VAT.
- Venues and attractions operating during the scheme period.
- Businesses willing to offer a discount to Great British Summer Savings visitors.
- Relevant business types include cinemas, theatres, museums, heritage sites, soft play, adventure and theme parks, cafés, restaurants and other family attractions offering family dining.
What offers can be listed?
- Children’s tickets.
- Family tickets.
- Children’s meals eaten out.
- Offers must genuinely reflect discounts available to the public during the scheme period.
- Adult-only deals are not suitable for the scheme website unless they form part of an eligible family-ticket offer.
How businesses sign up
- Go to the business registration site and create an account using an email address and password.
- Have the business VAT number ready; the site verifies VAT registration.
- Add each site or location that will run an offer.
- Enter the offer details, including the discount, original price, discounted price, eligibility and which site the offer applies to.
- Provide a short description of the establishment and a website page where customers can find out more or book.
- Submit the listing for review.
- Complete address verification using the code sent by letter. Businesses can create listings while waiting for the code.
Time needed: Registration takes around 10 minutes. Most approved listings are expected to go live within 48 hours after review.
What businesses need before they start?
- VAT number.
- Business name and nominated business address.
- Site names and addresses for all participating locations.
- Brief description of the business or attraction.
- Offer details, including discount, original price, discounted price, eligibility and availability dates.
- Customer-facing web page or booking page.
- Contact email address for the review process; this will not be published.
Important notes for businesses
- Registering an offer does not confirm eligibility for the reduced VAT rate. Businesses should seek their own tax advice.
- Listings are reviewed before they go live and must comply with content rules.
- Submitted content must be accurate, lawful, non-misleading and directly related to the offer.
- Businesses can edit offers later, but changes may need a brief review before publication.
Messages to promote locally
- “If you are offering children’s tickets, family tickets or children’s meals this summer, register to be featured on the national Great British Summer Savings website.”
- “The scheme helps families search for local summer offers by postcode and can help businesses attract more visits during the school holidays.”
- “Registration is free, takes around 10 minutes, and approved listings can usually go live within 48 hours.”
Business support contact: support@greatbritishsummersavings.gov.uk for registration, listings, verification codes and portal questions. The team aims to respond within 2 working days.
Public enquiries: info@greatbritishsummersavings.gov.uk
