Why Ryanair's Prime subscription service probably won't save you money
Ryanair has launched a subscription service that it says can save frequent fliers up to £420, if they fly 12 times per year. And those that fly three times, £105.
Ryanair Prime claims to offer exclusive seat-sale access, free reserved seats and free travel insurance to customers who pay a yearly subscription fee.
But looking at the calculations Ryanair provides shows very few travellers would save money by subscribing – unless you always want to pick your seat, and even then the terms and conditions are full of caveats.
Get more unbiased advice on the best deals and destiantions with our free Travel newsletter
Ryanair Prime subscription free seat selection, and the crucial caveat
The most direct benefit of a Ryanair Prime subscription is that it includes free seat selection on up to 12 flights a year.
Ryanair says this amounts to a saving of £120. That assumes each seat costs £10, but the Ryanair fee page says standard seat selection costs from £4.50, depending on the route and travel dates.12 seats booked at £4.50 would cost just £54.
Typically, seats are more expensive than that and fees do go as high as £15.50 for a standard seat, so the savings could be higher.
Crucially, Ryanair says that when no Ryanair Prime seats are available customers will be subject to random allocation – essentially making the benefit useless. Nor does it say which rows Ryanair Prime members will have access to.
And remember, if you are buying a seat to sit next to friends or family then they will also need to take out a Ryanair Prime subscription.
Best and worst airlines in the UK – find out which Ryanair rival was rated the UK's best carrier.
Ryanair travel insurance offers poor cover
Ryanair Prime subscribers get travel insurance included. Ryanair says travel insurance for the same flights would cost £180. But there are far better policies available for less money.
Cancellation cover is essential with travel insurance, especially if you or someone in your party falls ill and can't travel. The Ryanair policy includes cancellation cover for your flight (minus a 10% excess), but won’t cover your accommodation, which is usually the greatest cost on a holiday. It won’t even reimburse additional fees, such as additional bags or seat selection. And it only covers Ryanair flights.
Ryanair also only includes €150,000 cover for emergency medical treatment. All the insurance policies that Which? recommends include £5m in medical cover for European travel.
Ryanair’s policy offers no medical cover if you are over 70, or for any pre-existing medical conditions.
The top-scoring Best Buy travel insurance Which? has rated is Barclays Travel Pack. It costs £174 for 12 months cover (you need a Barclay’s current account).
Other travel insurance policy costs vary, depending on your circumstances, but you can find excellent annual cover for under £100.
Ryanair Prime exclusive deals
The advertising for Prime also promises monthly email notifications with exclusive member sales.
There is no detail on what these savings are, or how they would differ from the offers and deals Ryanair regularly sends out to customers or runs on its website.
In short, it’s not clear what, if any, benefit these ‘exclusive discounts’ offer.
Should I take out a Ryanair Prime subscription?
No.
Get more travel advice and recommendations you can trust from the experts with our free Travel newsletter
