Vouchers
Rest area toilets too expensive? How you can turn Sanifair vouchers into cash again
They usually lie forgotten in our cars: Sanifair vouchers from rest stop toilets. With a trick you can make money from it again – without expensive purchases.
They are ridiculed as “German Bitcoin” and are essentially part of the inventory in many cars: Sanifair vouchers. Anyone who goes to the toilet at a larger rest stop owned by the quasi-monopolist Tank & Rast literally cannot get past the pay barriers of the subsidiary Sanifair. Admittedly, the paid toilets are usually much cleaner than the outhouses in unmanaged rest areas, but the price of one euro now annoys many people.
Costs for Sanifair toilets continue to rise
Theoretically, it is a kind of deposit system: Anyone who uses the voucher to buy something at the rest stop can redeem the slips and thus reduce the price of the goods. However, since most goods at rest stops are significantly more expensive than in supermarkets, customers essentially end up paying more. In addition, Sanifair only allows one voucher per item, preventing you from paying exclusively with the vouchers.
Frustrated travelers are banding together on social networks against this sanitary supremacy. Especially since prices keep rising. Most recently at the main train stations in Nuremberg, Bremen, Dresden, Dortmund and Hanover, as “” reports. Going to the toilet there now costs 1.50 euros – but the voucher is only worth 50 cents. To make matters worse, it can only be redeemed with a minimum purchase value of EUR 2.50.
How can the system be tricked? Sure, the easiest way would be to sneak through the children’s entrance to the toilets. Not only does this attract unpleasant looks, but it is simply not allowed. But; At least for rest areas, where Sanifair currently costs one euro and also issues one euro as a token, there is a solution.
Sanifair trick doesn’t work at all rest stops
If you’re willing to make a small effort, you can actually get the money back in full – without paying anything extra. It remains to be seen how long this will last, but perhaps you can save a euro or two during the coming wave of travel over the Christmas holidays.
The solution to the puzzle is currently hot on the bargain portal “” and is based on a self-test. Because a Sanifair customer was annoyed about the high costs, he remembered a tip that is currently being passed on on Instagram and Tiktok: Anyone who uses their voucher to buy a so-called Recup, which are environmentally friendly reusable cups, for exactly one euro, got rid of the receipt. Then the highlight: If you return the cup – ideally not where it was bought – you’ll get cash in your hand. Recup lists relevant acceptance points on its website.
In the comments on “Mydealz” it is pointed out that this does not work at all rest stops. Because some cash registers did not allow the purchase of an empty cup. One user points out that an order terminal could help. The trick doesn’t work at train stations anyway due to the different cost-reimbursement structure.
If Sanifair now closes the gap, which is to be expected, it remains to be seen whether the push by the Jusos, who are calling for expropriation according to “”, is successful. In fact, Sanifair and its parent company Tank & Rast are not without controversy. For example, “” published extensive research into the background and history of the company.
Source: Stern
I’m a recent graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. I started working as a news reporter for 24 Hours World about two years ago, and I’ve been writing articles ever since. My main focus is automotive news, but I’ve also written about politics, lifestyle, and entertainment.
