Get a Visa Electron now to avoid some low cost airlines’ booking and card payment fees
Written by Karen BryanIf you book a few flights a year with low cost airlines, you could save yourself a tidy sum by paying for your flights with a Visa Electron card and avoiding the additional booking and/or payment fees. Visa Electron cards are available with some basic current accounts such as the Halifax Easycash Account. However from 1 January 2010 you will need to use a Mastercard prepaid debit card to avoid the Ryanair admin fees.
Jet2
Booking fees: 3.5% (min £5) for all card payments except Visa Electron or Solo, £3.49 for payment by Paypal, no charge for Visa Electron or Solo.
Payment fees: Payment made by credit card an additional fee of 2.25%. Payment by paypal an additional fee of 1.5%.
Easyjet
Booking fees: £3.50 but Visa Electron no fee.
Payment fees: Payment by credit card an additional fee of 2.5% (min £4.50)
bmibaby
Payment fees: Payment by debit card, £3 per person per flight (min £4) Payment by credit card, £4.50 per person per flight (min £6). Payment by Visa Electron no fee.
Do bear in mind that if your total transaction cost is more than £100 that you will have additional protection if you pay by credit card, so it could be a wise move to pay for more expensive flights by credit card for extra protection in case the airline goes bust. However for cheap flights costing under £100 in total, there’s no point in paying these additional card payment fees.
It’s wise to apply for a Visa Electron card and a Mastercard prepaid debit card now, so you’re poised to avoid these additional booking and/or card payment charges next time you spot a bargain flight with a low cost airline.
- Avoid paying the Ryanair £5 debit and credit card fee by using Visa Electron
- Is Ryanair’s £5 per person online check-in fee legal?
- Ryanair hike their card fee to £5 per person per flight
- Best Mastercard prepaid debit card to avoid Ryanair admin fees
- Europe a la Carte featured on front page of Money Guardian
[...] Europe a la Carte Blog Europe travel online magazine « Get a Visa Electron now to avoid the low cost airlines’ booking and card payment fees [...]
Hi Karen
Some very good advice, and especially useful if you book lots of flights throughout the year. These extra charges can certainly build up if you are not careful.
Colin – thanks for your comment, I do think it’s worth the time to open an account which offers a Visa Electron card, as it only take a few minutes and could save you quite a bit in avoidable booking and card handling fees over a year.
Excellent advice as ever – thank you. The other way round the problem, of course, with Ryanair, is to buy gift vouchers for which there was (last time I looked anyway) no debit card charge, and then use the vouchers to pay for your flights.
A bit more long-winded, but useful if your bank doesn’t like supplying Electron cards.
Melanie – thanks for the tip. I have a look on the Ryanair site:
https://www.bookryanair.com/SkySales/VoucherIssuance.aspx?culture=EN-GB&lc=EN-GB
Unfortunately there are some catches to the gift vouchers:
1 There is a £5 handling charge
2 Vouchers are available in 25 and 50 euro denominations (or local currency equivalen)t and there is no partial redemption, you lose any remaining balance in your transaction.
3 Vouchers are only valid for 6 months
[...] as the £5 per person per flight card handling fee for payment by any debit or credit card except Visa Electron, so until this most recent charge, as long as you paid by Visa Electron, checked in online and had [...]
Hi Guys,
You can find a list of banks in the UK that issue visa electron cards:
http://visa-electron.co.uk/list-of-banks-that-issue-visa-electron-cards-in-the-uk/
and a list of airlines that don’t charge for payment by Visa Electron.
http://visa-electron.co.uk/airlines-list-that-accept-visa-electron-cards/
I hope this helps more travelers like me!
Cheers
Dinis – thanks very much for the links. It does appear that not many UK banks offer Visa Electrons, the Co-op Bank did until recently but stopped saying that their customers found the many retail outlets didn’t accept Visa Electron.
Karen and Dinis, this is really useful info. Thanks for that. I’ll get one of our editors to put this info on WhichBudget, next to relevant airlines.
Martino
Martino – that would be great if you could add this information to WhichBudget as passengers such as families and/or frequent fliers can save a tidy sum by paying with Visa Electron and avoiding all these payment fees.
Hi Martino,
do you think it’s possible to mention the website http://visa-electron.co.uk/? The more publicity it gets, the more the community gets involved updating it and I think everyone would benefit from it.
What do you think?
Thank you,
Dinis
[...] a Visa Electron card. It will get you a pass from the “convenience fee” you’ll pay for the great [...]
Hi
I would like to know where in Ireland will i be able to get a Visa Electron Card as I fly frequently with Ryanair and there is a 5 euro charge for using a credit card
thanking you
mary hayes
Mary – I’m sorry but I don’t know which Irish banks issue Visa Electron cards as I live in the UK.
Have just booked a really cheap flight to France from Gatwick with Aer Lingus. Got charged £10 for using a Debit card, went ahead ‘cos it was last day of ‘Sale’.
Decided now to get a prepaid card for Euros and have been comparing.
Just found that the Post Office Travel Card is a Visa electron. Doesn’t offer the best exchange rate, but next time I will certainly see if I can pay for a flight in Euros, then all I need to do is load up money for my trip and flight and be in pocket despite rates.
[...] high fees that budget airlines charge to pay with credit and debit cards. The best way around this, as Karen Bryan explains, is to get a Visa Electron [...]
You do not need a new bank account when cash passorts or travel money cards do the same thing when issued in the visa system. Some company’s now do these with no issue or running costs as well.(they come in upto 7 differant currencies to be used around the world)
Nick – thanks for your comment. Do you have links to any of these cash passports or travel money cards which have not set up or ongoing costs? So far I’ve only come across the Post Office Travel Money Card which does have fees:
ttp://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/content1?catId=26800661&mediaId=53800721
although there are lower than paying the Ryan card payment fees.
Hi Does anyone know what Spanish banks give out visa electron?
[...] I’ve been avoiding paying this Ryanair £5 fee until now by paying for my flights with a Visa Electron card. Ryanair did always state that this fee free payment option was a limited offer (although [...]
[...] be as high as £5 per person per flight with Ryanair. With many of the low cost airlines this is a Visa Electron card. However with Ryanair, it’s now a Mastercard prepaid debit [...]