Ryanair Credit Card Charges

kev1ne

Hi i have just recently bought tickets to fly to France with Ryanair i used my card card which i have been charge 12.00 pounds for the privilege.

Are Ryanair allowed to make such charges?

KTF

Yes. As Ryanair cut overheads to the bone, the credit card company handling fee is passed to the customer rather than them absorbing it. If you pay by other methods then the fee is reduced.

kev1ne

Hi thanks for your quick response to my question!

I wonder how much money that they will be saving at the cost to their customers?

I would prefer if budget airlines would just give you the price up front then charge after charge!

Timmne

That's what they are doing - by charging you every item separately, they are making it clear what you're paying for. It gives the businessman who's travelling alone with only a briefcase paying on a debit card the chance to pay a lot less than people who carry more on board.

I personally like it - it's only not clear if you fail to read the website as you're booking.

kev1ne

Hi even if the businessman weights the same as myself my luggage and takes up more room in the seat then i do!

Timmne

Yeah but it used to be that the businessman would pay £100 for his ticket, by paying with a debit card, checking in online and not taking any checked-in baggage.

Also travelling on the same plane would be a couple who check in at the airport, have a suitcase to chack in each, pay on a credit card and change part of their booking before the flight with a telephone agent - these would have also paid £100 each.

As budget airlines now charge for each different thing, the businessman gets away with paying £30 and the couple more like £300 because of the extra services they're using. All fairly done, too - I think even in this situation the couple should be happy with the price as it's the extra optional services they're using that add to the costs!

kev1ne

Hi it might not be long till we actually get weight with our luggage. This would have a great effect on the nations weight problem.

I am just moaning about the credit card charge that the have passed on to customers. I would also to prefer to work with the highest price then work back the way to make it cheaper. ie for the over weight business man!

alared

The credit card companies charge all businesses, even the supermarkets.

The charge may look like it`s absorbed by them but it reflects in the prices of your items.

The cheapest way to pay Ryanair,not counting Electron,is by debit card.

kev1ne

Thanks for the advice but do i have the same protection when using my debit card on-line against fraud?

Does 12 pound sound like a fair charge to use a credit card? companies also get charged to use debit cards. Why is the charge different? and should it be different?

simongregson

They can charge what they like. However, the cost to Ryanair will be much less than £12 for most tickets, so it is another way for them to make money. A % charge of around 2% would be a fairer reflection of their actual costs.

You always have the option of using another airline, but the overall cost may still be higher.

Debit charge transactions cost Ryanair a flat amount, this is a matter for Ryanair to negotiate with the bank, but I wouldn't expect it would be more than 50p PER booking. Note that ryanair charges their fee PER FLIGHT, even if several people are travelling on one booking, on return flights (note 1 fee for Ryanair, several for you!)

Credit card transactions are charged to Ryanair as a % of the transaction value, so for low value transactions can be cheaper than debit card fees. However, for low-margin high price items obviously the costs become significant, hence the fact that flights and holidays often incur a %age fee. This is also the reason why you can buy a 24p stamp from royal mail with a credit card but not a debit card!

You are covered under section 75 if the airline goes bust, so only pay by debit card for cheap flights where you can afford to lose the cash would be my advice!

It is up to you to judge the effect of these fees on your purchase decision!

neverdespairgirl

alared wrote: »

The cheapest way to pay Ryanair,not counting Electron,is by debit card.

The best way to pay Ryanair, though, is not to pay them at all!