Fairfx card or Escape Card?

moneylover

I read Martins article on pre paid cards for Ryanair and thought I would get a Fairfx one for free and .5% per transaction when used.
Then I read that some frequent flyers have the Escape card which isnt mentioned in the article. That costs £9.99 and is then free to use
Is there any advantage one over the other? Is there a top up fee with Escape or only ever a one off charge? If I go into the shop I can get the Escape card right away?
Several people recently have mentioned probs using their card to book on Ryanair recently mostly Fairfx but then someone with an Escape card said the same - had to keep trying then gave up.
If I had money loaded and then didnt use on a flight, I can just use in a shop like a debit card?
Please advise me - I am a bit confused. We have recently retired and want to start doing a few flights but as cheaply as possible!
Can I use either of these cards on Easyjet too?
Many thanks

A.Jones

I use a FairFX one in Euro (available for free, with just a 10 Euro top up https://www.fairfx.co.uk). Book out and return flights spearately, and pay less. On the way, pay in GBP and let FairFX convert for you - otherwise Ryanair will sting you at their Euro exchange rate. There is a box to click just before paying to say pay in GBP. On the return flight, pay the final bill in Euro. That way, check-in costs Euro 6 instead of £6 (if you cannot avoid paying it completely, by using the £1 flight offers).

I booked a flight yesterday with Ryanair with the FairFX card, no problems. You can use it like any debit card, although you pay to withdraw cash from an ATM. I use a Halifax Clarity card when abroad, and the FairFX just for paying for flights. I keep hardly any money on it, but top it up just before booking the Ryanair flight.