Paying for Ryanair flights in Hungarin Forints

fluffysheep

I'm looking to book flights from Budapest to Dublin, single. This is being quoted in Hungarian Forints. I'm not sure whether to use my Nationwide Visa debit or my FairFX Pre-Paid Euro Mastercard.

The FairFx card is a Euro card and whilst I'd avoid any charges from Ryanair - I'd imagine FairFx would charge me to use this. I'm not sure how much FairFx would charge me for using the card to purchase something in Forints, and I can't seem to find out on their web-site.

Would Nationwide charge me any fee for using a foreign currency? I know that I could previously use the card abroad without fees but I think this has recently changed outside Europe.

Similarly (sorry to be a pest!) I'm booking flights from Bristol to Budapest and have the same problem since these are quoted in Sterling. Would I be better paying these with my Euro Prepaid Mastercard or an ordinary Sterling card?

Any help would be much appreciated!

dzug1

Nationwide do not charge for forints

fluffysheep

I've just found on the FairFx web-site "If you were to use the cards in a country where Euros or Dollars are not the local currency, the exchange rate would be the wholesale MasterCard® market rate. FairFX do not take any further commissions or fees when you do this" so it looks like I'd be better to use my FairFx card for the forint transaction.

I'm still not sure what to do for the Bristol to Budapest flights, as I don't have a Sterling prepaid card.

Toe-Jam

There is no transaction charges to use a fairfx euro card in another currency, you'll get the same rate as the nationwide visa card without the fees from ryanair.

jammin_2

If you want Ryanair to charge you in Euros, this is how you do it:

Search for your Budapest to Dublin flight. Select the flight you want but don't click on "select and continue" yet.

Open a new tab. Search for Dublin to wherever. Select any flight and click on "select and continue". When you're on the next screen (passenger details), close this tab.

Back on your original tab, now click "select and continue". Prices are no longer in Hungarian Forints they are in Euros - however your originally selected itinerary remains.

(Works with any currency).

fifeken

Be careful - using the method above will force you to take Ryanair's exchange rate (as opposed to the bank rate) which may cost you more than the alternative charges.

jammin_2

fifeken wrote: »

Be careful - using the method above will force you to take Ryanair's exchange rate (as opposed to the bank rate) which may cost you more than the alternative charges.

That's true, it may. But in my experience it's actually been more favourable than my credit card issuer's rate + commission.

I'd recommend trying both and comparing what the total costs would be before completing the booking.

Lehman

jammin wrote: »

If you want Ryanair to charge you in Euros, this is how you do it:

Search for your Budapest to Dublin flight. Select the flight you want but don't click on "select and continue" yet.

Open a new tab. Search for Dublin to wherever. Select any flight and click on "select and continue". When you're on the next screen (passenger details), close this tab.

Back on your original tab, now click "select and continue". Prices are no longer in Hungarian Forints they are in Euros - however your originally selected itinerary remains.

(Works with any currency).

This works, but if you look at the exchnage rates applied by Ryanair, they are very unfavorable and if you chose other methods on a prepaid card, you would almost certainly have a better exchange rate. Ryanair gives one of the worst exchange rates based on my comparison.

jammin_2

Lehman wrote: »

This works, but if you look at the exchnage rates applied by Ryanair, they are very unfavorable and if you chose other methods on a prepaid card, you would almost certainly have a better exchange rate. Ryanair gives one of the worst exchange rates based on my comparison.

I've not done it for a while. When I did it was actually more favourable to use this method and pay for my flights in Euro (I have a Euro card), rather than pay in Sterling and incur the bank's charges.

Like I mentioned, try both and compare what the total costs would be before completing the booking.