Utu Voucher Terms & Conditions (UAE)
These utu Voucher Terms & Conditions (UAE) (hereinafter referred to as the “Voucher Terms”) govern the issuance, usage, and redemption process of Vouchers provided by utu. By using or otherwise utilising a Voucher, the Tourist (hereinafter defined) agrees to be bound by these Voucher Terms. These Voucher Terms shall exclusively govern all aspects of the Voucher services offered by utu, including but not limited to its validity, utilization, refund, and expiration. Utu reserves the right to amend these Voucher Terms at its sole discretion, and the continued use of the Voucher constitutes acceptance of any such modifications on part of the Tourist.
1. DEFINITIONS
In these utu Voucher Terms, the following words shall have the following meanings:
Tourist | shall mean any individual/person who is not a resident of the UAE who is eligible to claim a Tourist Refund. |
Tourist Refund | shall mean the actual refund of the value-added tax imposed on goods or services by the government of the UAE, paid by the Tourist on tax-free purchases made in the UAE, in accordance with and in compliance with the Tax Refund for Tourists Scheme launched by the Federal Tax Authority of UAE. |
Refund Receipt | shall mean the receipt issued by an authorized Refund Operator of the Federal Tax Authority of UAE, i.e., Planet to process the Tourist Refund. |
Voucher | shall mean the utu Voucher issued through the utu WebApp for use exclusively in the designated Partner Stores |
Partner Store | shall mean a designated store which accepts Vouchers issued through utu WebApp |
Utu WebApp | shall mean the application developed by utu to generate Voucher |
UAE | shall mean the United Arab Emirates |
2. ACCEPTANCE OF UTU VOUCHER TERMS
These utu Voucher Terms shall govern the use of the Voucher by the Tourist. By participating or using or utilizing the utu Voucher or the Utu WebApp, the Tourist acknowledges and agrees to be bound by these utu Voucher Terms.
3. USE OF UTU VOUCHER
- Each Tourist Refund receipt shall only be eligible for a single utu Voucher, this is determined based on the PTF number of the Refund Receipt. Refund receipt with the same PTF number cannot be used to issue multiple utu Vouchers.
- By submitting a copy of their refund receipt , the tourist expressly consents to utu using the receipts details to generate a corresponding voucher and confirms the accuracy of the information provided.
- All utu Vouchers will only be redeemable at the designated Partner Stores.
- All utu Voucher redemptions are non-transferable, non-monetary, non-refundable in any currency, nor exchangeable to any other value or promise of utility.
- Redemption of the utu Voucher must only be done at the till or cashier at Partner Store.
- The utu Voucher may be used on all items/goods except for discounted goods and ‘no making charge’ items unless otherwise communicated by Partner Store and/or utu to the Tourist.
- Each utu Voucher is valid only for a single redemption.
- The utu Voucher shall only be valid for fourteen (14) days from the date of issue, displayed on the utu Voucher. Upon expiration, the utu Voucher will become void and unusable. No refunds or extensions shall be provided for expired utu Vouchers.
- Each utu Voucher can be used to buy items up to the amount shown on it. If the total cost is more than the Voucher’s value, you can pay the extra amount with cash or another payment method.
- Each issued UTU Voucher will be valued at either 125% or 115% of the Tourist Refund amount, depending on the purchase category.
For example, for a VAT refund of AED 100, the Tourist pays UTU AED 100 and receives a Voucher worth AED 125 to spend at the Partner Store on diamonds and other jewellery. For gold jewellery purchases, the Tourist pays UTU AED 100 and receives a Voucher worth AED 115 to spend at the Partner Store.
- Any refunds will not be provided if the total value of the goods purchased by the Tourist is less than the value of the utu Voucher.
- The Tourist shall be liable for actual loss arising from an unauthorized transaction/use of the utu Voucher, where such Tourist’s recklessness was the primary cause of loss.
- The Tourist shall make payment for the purchase of the Voucher online using Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards, in United Arab Emirates Dirhams (AED) or any other currency or modes of payments as may be accepted.
4. LOSS OF REWARDS
- The utu Voucher cannot be replaced if it is lost, stolen, or in utu’s opinion, has been unlawfully obtained, or has expired or been voided, or is or appears to be counterfeit or altered, defaced, damaged, or tampered with (as applicable). utu shall not be liable or required to replace any such utu Voucher. utu’s decision on the replacement of any Voucher shall be absolute and binding on the Tourist.
- Each utu Voucher is used at the sole risk of the Tourist. Partner Store may decline to accept any utu Voucher which has been unlawfully obtained, or has expired or been voided, or is or appears to be counterfeit or altered, defaced, damaged, or tampered with.
5. VOIDANCE OF VOUCHERS
- General Voidance: A Voucher shall be deemed void and invalid under any of the following circumstances:
- Fraud or Unauthorized Use – The Voucher was obtained fraudulently, tampered with, altered, duplicated, or used in violation of the issuer’s terms.
- Expiration – The Voucher has exceeded its validity period and is no longer redeemable.
- Breach of Terms – The Voucher is used for unauthorized products, services, or in a manner that contravenes the issuer’s policies.
- Revocation by Issuer – The issuer cancels the Voucher due to operational, legal, or policy changes.
- Void ab Initio - A Voucher shall be considered void ab initio (invalid from the outset) under the following conditions:
- Issuance Error – The Voucher was issued due to a technical malfunction, pricing error, or system glitch.
- Non-Payment or Reversal – The Voucher was issued for a transaction where payment was reversed, cancelled, or disputed.
- Business Closure – The issuing entity ceases operations, rendering the Voucher unusable.
- Effect of Voidance: A voided Voucher shall not be eligible for redemption, refund, exchange, or any form of compensation, unless otherwise required by law.
6. EXCLUSION OF LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
- utu shall not be liable for any damages, loss or inconvenience, cost and expense of any nature (including, without limitation for any act, omission, neglect or wilful default on the part of Partner Store and/or their respective officers and employees) which in any way may be suffered or incurred by the Tourist in respect of or in connection with the use of the utu Vouchers. The Tourist will release and discharge utu from all claims in relation to the above-mentioned loss, damage, cost and/or expenses.
- The Tourist shall indemnify utu and keep utu indemnified against any loss, damage, liability, cost and expense (including legal costs and disbursements on a full indemnity basis), whether directly or indirectly arising from the Tourist’s use of the utu Voucher.
- Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Voucher Terms, the total aggregate liability of utu under these Voucher Terms, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise, shall not exceed the total value of the Voucher issued. This limitation shall apply to all claims, damages, and liabilities arising out of or related to these Voucher Terms, except as expressly excluded under clauses (i) and (ii) hereinabove.
7. REFUND AND CLAIM RULES FOR TOURIST BONUS
Eligibility for Refunds
- Request for refund of the Utu Vouchers may only be considered if they are unused and have not expired, as per the terms outlined herein.
- A refund may also be granted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations of the jurisdiction where the Vouchers are used.
- Claims for refunds must be submitted within 14 days of the Voucher’s issuance date, provided the Voucher remains unused.
- The purchase of an utu Voucher is final, irrevocable, and non-refundable. By buying the Voucher, the Tourist acknowledges that it is an independent and private company not affiliated with the process Refund Receipts process and additionally, does not grant any absolute right to a refund.
- utu does not guarantee or take responsibility for the Tourist’s ability to obtain a VAT refund and is not liable for any related claims, losses, or reimbursements. This applies even if the Tourist is unable to use the Voucher, lacks time to complete the tax refund process, faces personal constraints, or does not meet tax-free validation requirements. The responsibility for meeting all necessary conditions for a VAT refund rests solely with the Tourist. utu does not facilitate or intervene in the VAT refund process in any way.
Refund Request Procedure
- Any refund claims must be submitted via the official utu channels (in writing), specifically by email to help@utu.global
- The claimant of the Voucher must provide the following documentation:
- A copy of the utu Voucher, including its barcode, amount, and issue date.
- The email address used for Voucher issuance.
- A detailed explanation of the claim (e.g., error or non-use).
- Supporting documents proving the inability to use the Voucher, if applicable.
- Any refund requests will be reviewed and processed within 14 working days of receipt. Utu reserves the right to request additional information or documentation to verify the claim’s validity.
- Utu reserves its right to either accept or reject the refund request depending upon the documentation and verification of such requests if any.
- Refunds shall be processed within 7 to 14 business days from the date of approval. The actual crediting timeline may vary based on the payment provider or financial institution and is beyond Utu’s control.
Limitations and Conditions
- The refunds are processed using the same payment method used for purchasing the Voucher, unless otherwise agreed. Any refunds in cash are strictly excluded.
- In cases of technical or system-related issues that prevent Voucher usage, refunds will be issued at the earliest reasonable opportunity.
Exclusions
- Partial usage of the Voucher does not entitle the holder to a refund of any unused value.
- Vouchers are non-transferable/ Not eligible for gifting/ Not for resale and can only be used by the original holder as specified at the time of issuance.
- If the value of the Voucher exceeds AED 1,800, the name specified on the Refund Receipt form must correspond to the name on the payment method utilized for the transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, exceptions to this requirement may be considered and granted solely under exceptional circumstances, at the sole discretion of utu.
8. GENERAL TERMS
- These Voucher Terms may be translated into other languages but in the event of any inconsistency, the English version shall prevail.
- In the event of any inconsistency between these utu Voucher Terms and any other form of publicity relating to the utu Voucher, these utu Voucher Terms shall prevail.
- Any decision on all matters relating to the utu Voucher made by utu will be final, conclusive and binding on all Tourist.
- Utu’s website or Utu WebApp will not offer or supply any products or services to countries sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in compliance with UAE laws.
- utu reserves the right to add, modify, or remove any content of these utu Voucher Terms without prior notice to the Tourist.
- utu may at its absolute and sole discretion, without prior notice to the Tourist, suspend or terminate the Voucher for any reason whatsoever as utu may deem fit.
- These utu Voucher Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of UAE. The Tourist agrees to submit all of their disputes arising out of or in connection with this utu Voucher Terms to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of UAE.