MSE News: Ryanair to charge for Visa Electron bookings

Toe-Jam

benjus wrote: »

The card is free? I thought it cost £9.95 unless you either put £500 on it or buy it through Moneysupermarket. I doubt that it's possible to use both the Moneysupermarket and Quidco discounts together, and I think most people won't want to put £500 aside just for Ryanair flights.

Also, they don't do a Sterling card, so you would have to pay for currency conversion twice - once when you load Euros onto the card, and again when you buy flights in Sterling. These are not explicitly listed as charges, but by giving you an exchange rate worse than the wholesale rate they are effectively charging you.

The card is free I don't know where your getting your information from.
"There is no charge to buy your FairFX Currency Card.
As we can only deliver in multiples of €10, the amount shown has been rounded to the nearest multiple."


And read the terms and conditions regarding the foreign exchange procedure before posting.

If you top it up with £10 sterling, you'll be able to spend £10 sterling, regardless of what your getting in euros.

benjus

Toe-Jam wrote: »

The card is free I don't know where your getting your information from.
"There is no charge to buy your FairFX Currency Card.
As we can only deliver in multiples of €10, the amount shown has been rounded to the nearest multiple."

Fair enough... I'll take that one back. Apparently they are now offering the Moneysupermarket.com promotion even if you don't go via Moneysupermarket.com

Toe-Jam wrote: »

And read the terms and conditions regarding the foreign exchange procedure before posting.

If you top it up with £10 sterling, you'll be able to spend £10 sterling, regardless of what your getting in euros.

Well, I was wrong to suggest that it charges for spending in GBP - I've checked the site and it gives you the wholesale rate. The rate you get when you initially buy the card is not the wholesale rate, but it's only about 1.5% lower. So if you load it with £10 you'd end up with about £9.85 to spend.

So this does look like a very good option - the 1.5%-ish you lose on the conversion is offset by the cashback, making it effectively free unless you spend more than about £500. I apologise for not investigating properly before my other post.

Toe-Jam

benjus wrote: »

Fair enough... I'll take that one back. Apparently they are now offering the Moneysupermarket.com promotion even if you don't go via Moneysupermarket.com



Well, I was wrong to suggest that it charges for spending in GBP - I've checked the site and it gives you the wholesale rate. The rate you get when you initially buy the card is not the wholesale rate, but it's only about 1.5% lower. So if you load it with £10 you'd end up with about £9.85 to spend.

So this does look like a very good option - the 1.5%-ish you lose on the conversion is offset by the cashback, making it effectively free unless you spend more than about £500. I apologise for not investigating properly before my other post.

Its the best option if you are just using it for the flights, it charges £1 for atm.

When you load it asks....I want to spend. £.... or i want to Load €.....

if your flight is £10 , then you fill in the I want to spend part, and it will load your account with £10, but you will see your balance in €'s you do not lose 1.5% to spend in sterling,

however you are correct that they give you less euros for your £10 which is how they make money.

stigofthedump

lufcgirl wrote: »

I'm still going for the prepaid Mastercard from the Quays shopping centre in Newry. Obviously it's hard for anyone who doesn't live there but it's worth checking out your local shopping centres to see if they offer one.

I'm going to stick £100 on it, and it's valid for 12 months and I pay £1 activation fee. And a small charge for each transaction. Considering most of the flights I buy cost no more than £10 return it's a bargain for me, and I can just buy another next time I need more.

We got one today and put £5 on it to test to see if it goes through with Ryanair and it does as the free payment method.

I have had a look of some of the t&Cs for the some of the uk shopping centres that offer a prepaid master/maestro gift card and they state not valid for internet purchases. Suggest you read the T&Cs first as this may vary but 4 I looked at all state the same.

OldGreyFox

james01 wrote: »

The Utility Warehouse card has got to be a top option for this. I use it to take advantage of the 5% cashback at sainsburys on food and petrol.

check xxxxxxxx for the details.

Yet another Utility Warehouse SPAMMER !!!!

Bengt

stoneman wrote: »

LMAO at this whole saga. Just finished reading the last 6 pages. The lengths some people will go to to save a couple of quid is unbelievable. Look, just put your hand in your pocket and travel with a proper airline, one that doesn't try and take you for a fool. For example, I can travel to Scotland cheaper with Flybe than Ryanair, to Barcelona with BA cheaper than RA, to Tenerife with Monarch cheaper than with RA (This is including ALL costs involved) and at the very least I won't feel like I am being laughed at by an MD that has his hands on your hips and is doing unspeakable things your bent over self.
If you want to travel to some obscure destination in Europe for a quid just to say you flew in a big metal bird, then that's your choice, but stop bleating about it costing you a few quid more than it did last week.
Let's be honest, it is only £10 more, but of course that doesn't sound patronising enough when you could come on a forum saying that you could get to Baklava and back for a pound.

Yes, obscure destinations like London, Berlin, Barcelona (OK a bit away) and Paris...
1. This is a moneysaving forum. So avoiding a fee of £10 for a return flight should be of interest for those who read. Others can book flights with their favorite airline. Some of us do actually live closer to Ryanair's airpors than the main one...
2. During 2009 I have booked more than 40 flights with Ryanair using my Visa Electron. I have flown with my family on Ryanair when it has been the best offer including check in luggage etc compared to other airlines. I have flown with Spanair when they have offered better fares. But 40 flights means £200 saved during 2009. Do you think it is worthwhile for me to look for a MasterCard prepaid?

My last flight was last week from Sweden to London, booked in June for 10p, in November I added a checked in luggage, still the fare is less than £30 including everything. Where do I find a "proper airline" at a price near this? I do not think I am bending over for MOL...

gardner1

would the o2 money card work on ryanair

Donnie

gardner1 wrote: »

would the o2 money card work on ryanair

I really am finding it difficult to refrain from being cheeky....

budgetflyer

Donnie wrote: »

So would it be ok if shopkeepers popped up on every 'relevant' thread?

Imo ,Yes, if they add value. Is that not what this site is all about ? getting value ?
Theres even specific threads for some of the larger shops such as Tesco, Argos, Ebay, Amazon.

Jemma-T

Thanks for many of the comments -looks like ICE is the way to go for most people.

I don't mind Ryan Air charging whatever they charge as long as things are clearly listed for the consumer.

Hopefully ICE owners will post their opinions on them. I like their clearly laid out charges www.iceplc.com/cashcard/delivery.html

I hope the financial authorities/MPs are keeping a close eye on these companies as they seem to fall outside the protection we expect in the EU/UK.