Where to get a VISA Electron card?

merched50

If it's of any interest, I just rang the Co-op Bank after reading this thread and opened a Current Account to get an Electron card. They have two accounts with Electron cards, a basic Cashminder and an ordinary Current. With the Current you have to specifically ask for an Electron card, but it was no problem and when they asked why I wanted to open an account I just said it was so I can get an Electron card. There is no minimum funding requirement.

NonGeographicalMan

On the latest Ryanair so called 0p flight offer a flight from Stansted to Palma on 31st January for 7 days that is supposed to be 0p each way still costs £44.82 return after airport taxes, wheelchair levy and insurance (no not passenger insurance but the cost of Ryanair insuring its plane it seems which cannot be removed). This is with hand baggage, online check, my own annual travel insurance and payment by Visa Electron.

OK its still cheap but not free or zero and the killer for me is that it goes from Stansted and I live very near Gatwick and also the current abysmal rate of the pound to the Euro.

How can O'Leary get away with still advertising free flights when they are not free, even with no hand baggage, onine check-in, my own annual insurance and Visa Electron card in place.:mad:

In last January's 0p offer I could have got a flight for £10 per head return all in including debit card payment and taxes. It seems O'Leary will just dream up more and more bogus taxes and fees he claims are not fares and the dumb passengers will fall for it.:eek:

daveyjoe

hmmm, I rang around the various banks and it seems that you can't get a visa electron in Ireland.

If anybody is willing to book a bunch of free flights for me on ryanair with a visa electron then I'll give them commission.

NonGeographicalMan

daveyjoe wrote: »

hmmm, I rang around the various banks and it seems that you can't get a visa electron in Ireland.

If anybody is willing to book a bunch of free flights for me on ryanair with a visa electron then I'll give them commission.

The only option seems to be to open an account with Lloyds TSB in Spain as they will allow Irish citizens to do this, it is denominated in Euros and comes with a Visa Electron card.

No Irish Electron cards except an MBNA Visa Electron gift card but its a ripoff in terms of fees to obtain it etc, etc. Not like a current account Visa Electron card at all.

See the discussion on all this leading to the Lloyds TSB Spain conclusion at:-

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055044499&page=5

However it may be easier just not to travel at all with Scumbag Air who now have so many other hidden fees that whatever you do they will get you. And look at their many recent safety issues. Are you really willing to gamble with your life for the sake of saving a few Euros on an air fare.

snaveuk

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

On the latest Ryanair so called 0p flight offer a flight from Stansted to Palma on 31st January for 7 days that is supposed to be 0p each way still costs £44.82 return after airport taxes, wheelchair levy and insurance (no not passenger insurance but the cost of Ryanair insuring its plane it seems which cannot be removed). This is with hand baggage, online check, my own annual travel insurance and payment by Visa Electron.

OK its still cheap but not free or zero and the killer for me is that it goes from Stansted and I live very near Gatwick and also the current abysmal rate of the pound to the Euro.

How can O'Leary get away with still advertising free flights when they are not free, even with no hand baggage, onine check-in, my own annual insurance and Visa Electron card in place.:mad:

In last January's 0p offer I could have got a flight for £10 per head return all in including debit card payment and taxes. It seems O'Leary will just dream up more and more bogus taxes and fees he claims are not fares and the dumb passengers will fall for it.:eek:

It's a bit of a silly system, but you need to look for flights that cost 1p, as they are the one with no charges, taxes, etc. Whereas flights that cost 0p will be hit with the additional charges, taxes, etc.

NonGeographicalMan

snaveuk wrote: »

It's a bit of a silly system, but you need to look for flights that cost 1p, as they are the one with no charges, taxes, etc. Whereas flights that cost 0p will be hit with the additional charges, taxes, etc.

I think these ones I looked at cost 0p so that would explain it.

If these airport charges etc are fixed items genuinely charged for each extra passenger who travels (they are not and this is only true of government airport tax) then how come Ryanair can still afford to not charge them on some of its air fares;):mad:

I will cheerfully book a fare that costs me nothing as I can always not go if something else comes up nearer the time but I will have to think much harder about booking a fare that really costs me 45 quid. To be honest if I lived near Stansted it would still be a good deal but living where I do Ryanair needs to be very cheap to even thing about booking a flight with them. The car park charges for more than a few days away really add up and also early flights travelling from here to Stansted on Monday to Friday are a total no/no due to the M25.

Unfortunately Ryanair only operate about 6 routes from Gatwick that are served by flights originating at one of its overseas hubs.

NonGeographicalMan

Having used the MSE Flightchecker to search on flights from Dec to Feb at under £1 to Palma, Tenerife etc it is telling me the cheapest flights including unavoidable charges are all £30 to £40.

Seems Ryanair have done away with the real zero cost flights as they were all obviously being booked by people with only hand luggage, their own insurance, who checked in online and booked with Visa Electron............

And probably most of them took their own sandwich and drink too.

I don't mind Ryanair charging a fair price for a flight if they are up front about it instead of trying to mislead people. Ditto if they didn't always try to screw people over on latest check in times, baggage allowances and every other damn thing.

Michael O'Leary is an old fashioned conman of the worst kind.:mad:

NonGeographicalMan

There was a detailed article in The Guardian last month on the cheaper deal available for Ryanair customers making a booking using the Visa Electron card.

See www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/oct/25/consumeraffairs-banks1

It implies Visa is giving Ryanair a better deal charges wise on Electron but how can this be sensible when this deal with Ryanair is picking up the wrong kind of customers for Visa Electron (namely those who are creditworthy so don't need to be Electron customers).

Its obviously insane that Ryanair now charge the same for ordinary (non Electron) debit as credit cards when a credit card like Egg Money gives 1% cashback as a long term offer and yet no debit cards gives cashback and all debit cards also cost Ryanair much less in charges than credit cards.

Quark_GB

After just finding out earlier today that Ryanair have increased booking charges using a debit card to the same as for using a credit card. £4 for each person included, each way' (£16 return for two) now.
(Apparently has been since Oct?). :eek:

If of any help, and after also having seen some of the threads on here. Having been with the co op bank for some years, I made a call to them asking for an electron debit card. As I already have debit card I was asked why I wanted it? Having said for airline booking purposes. (Apparently it is not a whole lot of use for anyhing else that a normal d.d won't do).

I was told. 'No problem, will send one off to you'. I did ask if there was an expectation to discontinue the card shortly or near future? And was told that 'not so far as aware'.
.

ralabaf

I was in Clinton Cards (the High St greeting card retailer) today and they seem to sell a top-up ELECTRON Card. It costs £9.95 (which includes a £4.95 - I think) annual fee. You top it up and use it to pay for services. They claim it is works on the internet, at cash-points and in shops. It seems to have charges for some services though (2% or so), but it doesn't require a bank account or credit reference as unless you've topped it up with funds it won't work. Wasn't for me, and you'd probably need to do a few flights a year, but might be good for some.