B.free Tax Back

Name

B.free Tax Back

Legal name

B FREE TAX BACK SLU

Website

https://bfreetaxback.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Tax Free / VAT Refund Processing Services

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHACADAF

VAT/GST Tax Recovery & Receipt Compliance

Travel & Hospitality/Business Travel & Corporate Travel Management/Expense Management & Travel Spend Analytics

SECONDARYBPAIADAO

Revenue Systems, E-Filing & Digital Tax Administration

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Tax, Revenue & Customs Administration

SECONDARYTHALAHAK

Loyalty, Points Currency & Stored Value Payments

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Technology & Distribution Services/Travel Payments, Fintech & Fraud/Risk (FX, BNPL, Virtual Cards)

Keywords

• Digital tax free services
• VAT refund processing
• Tax free shopping platform
• Merchant tax compliance software
• Tourist VAT reimbursement app

Headquarters

HQ city

Pinto

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Tax Free Transaction Processing Fees: B.free! generates revenue by charging transaction fees on VAT refunds processed through its platform for tourists. The service is offered free of charge to retail merchants, with revenue derived from the margin between the refund amount paid to tourists and the amount recovered from the tax authorities.
2. Promotional / Marketing Services for Merchants: The platform offers merchants additional visibility through promotional features in the SmartTax app (e.g., the 'Deals' section), enabling targeted marketing to tourists, potentially as a paid or premium feature.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

B.free Tax Back operates a digital Tax Free shopping platform that enables non-EU tourists to receive VAT refunds on purchases made at EU retail merchants. The platform comprises two core products: the smartTax mobile application for tourists to receive, validate (via DIVA airport kiosks), and claim Tax Free forms digitally, and the Shop b.free! merchant portal that allows retail stores to issue electronic Tax Free forms, integrate with POS/TPV systems, and automate SII tax-compliance accounting. Revenue is generated from transaction fees on processed refunds.

Product overview

B.free! Tax Back Shopping operates as a multi-product platform centered on digital Tax Free services for the tourism retail sector. The core infrastructure is the Digital Tax Free Platform, which connects two primary user-facing products: smartTax (a mobile app for tourists to request, receive, validate, and collect Tax Free refunds digitally) and Shop b.free! (a merchant web portal for issuing electronic Tax Free forms via the DIVA system and managing transactions). The platform integrates with government tax validation systems — DIVA (Spain), ETaxfree (Portugal), OTELO (Italy), and Pablo (France) — and offers add-on services including Advanced Refund (in-store early VAT refund), a b.free! Points Program (loyalty/VIP membership), and partnership modules with ACADE (Denia merchants) and Crèdit Andorrà (banking customers). The architecture is 100% digital, paperless, and synchronizes data between merchant POS systems, tax authority validation kiosks, and the tourist-facing smartTax app.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• smartTax App: Mobile application for tourists to manage Tax Free forms, validate at airports, and receive VAT refunds directly to their mobile devices.

Products and services

• smartTax Mobile App

Quantifiable outcome

• Spanish Tax Free sector projected to grow 40% with Brexit
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ACADE (Asociación de Comerciantes Autónomos de Denia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2023B.free! signed a strategic alliance with ACADE, the association of independent merchants in Denia, Spain. ACADE provides its member merchants with access to B.free!'s digital Tax Free platform, enabling them to process VAT refunds for non-EU tourists digitally. The partnership includes promotional features in the SmartTax app, exclusivity considerations, and joint efforts to develop the shopping tourism sector in the Denia region.
• Crèdit AndorràcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2022B.free! signed an agreement with Crèdit Andorrà, the leading bank in Andorra, to offer digital Tax Free services to the bank's clients. Andorran residents can recover VAT on purchases made in Spain through the SmartTax app. The partnership includes a promotional period with 100% commission-free Tax Free refunds until December 30th. The collaboration also targets Spanish and Catalan merchants seeking visibility among Andorran tourists.
• Exact ChangeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorB.free! partners with Exact Change, a currency exchange network operating across Spain and Portugal, to provide physical cash refund collection points. Tourists can visit any Exact Change office to collect their Tax Free reimbursement in cash, in addition to receiving it digitally via the SmartTax app. Exact Change also offers currency exchange, credit card acceptance, money transfers, and cash advances for non-EU residents.
• Agencia Tributaria (Spanish Tax Agency)coreTechnology or IntegrationB.free! is an authorized entity by the Spanish Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria) for processing VAT refunds to travelers. The platform connects directly to the DIVA electronic validation system operated by Agencia Tributaria, enabling digital Tax Free form processing without paper.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Innova Taxfree: Innova Taxfree is a Tax Free Shopping operator competing in European markets with merchant- and tourist-facing services. It overlaps directly with B.free! in product offering and customer base.
• Taxback International: Taxback International provides VAT recovery and Tax Free shopping services to businesses and travelers. It is a direct peer given its focus on cross-border VAT refund processing for travelers, similar to B.free!'s core proposition.
• Premier Tax Free: Premier Tax Free is a Tax Free Shopping processor operating across multiple European countries. It is comparable to B.free! in target customers (retailers and tourists) and in the core refund-processing service offered.
• Global Blue: Global Blue is the world's largest Tax Free Shopping operator, serving tourists and merchants across Europe and beyond. It is the most direct competitor to B.free!, with overlapping government validation integrations and a two-sided merchant/tourist platform.
• Planet (Fintrax Group): Planet/Fintrax is a leading global provider of Tax Free shopping and dynamic currency conversion services. It directly competes with B.free! in serving retail merchants and international tourists across European markets.

Broad incumbents

• Wise (formerly TransferWise): Wise is a broader cross-border payments and currency fintech serving both consumers and businesses. While not a direct Tax Free operator, it is a relevant incumbent in the broader space of cross-border money movement that B.free! touches in refund reimbursement.

Emerging players

• Zonos: Zonos provides cross-border tax and duty calculation tools for international e-commerce merchants. It intersects with B.free!'s domain of cross-border tax/duty processing for international transactions, though focused on e-commerce rather than physical retail refunds.

Regional players

• Travelex: Travelex is a global currency exchange and payments business with extensive physical retail and partner networks. It is comparable to B.free! through its role in cash refund collection (as Exact Change is for B.free!) and its presence at airport refund/foreign exchange points.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOR_VBSWwQqiMeRuAvtU3Eg
• Facebookfacebook.com/bfreetaxback
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/15230192
• Instagraminstagram.com/bfreetaxback

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about B.free Tax Back