Summary by Brendan 19 November 2009
Warning: Many people advise against using Ryanair Gift Vouchers as there are so many catches, however...
Ryanair charges €5 per leg for booking with a Credit Card. However, if you purchase a gift voucher from Ryanair with a Laser/CC for €XXX you do not pay said levy. You can then go back into the website and use the gift voucher to pay for your flight, rather than using your credit card, thereby saving the cost of the levy.
(Note you can avoid all the hassle by using Entropay to pay for the flights)
The main person on the flight must be the same as the name on the voucher. But you can use the voucer to book for others if the main person is the name on the voucher.
If the vouchers are worth more than the flight, you lose the unused portion.
If the vouchers are worth less than the flight, you have to pay the Credit Card charges anyway, so it works out more expensive.
Ryanair vouchers are sold in units of €25 and you should use them only if the flights come in just under a multiple of €25.
Example
I just booked flights for two people last night costing €96. The CC handling fee was €20 (4 flights x €5), making the total €116 for booking with a Credit Card.
Instead, I bought €100 of vouchers which cost €105 and applied them to the cost of the flight, thereby saving €11 on the total cost. Its not much but it feels so much better than paying the full amount!
Warning - if you make mistakes you are in trouble
They expire after 6 months
They are non-transferrable
Some people find them difficult to use
You must get the name right
You can only use them online - you can't book by phone
Warning: Many people advise against using Ryanair Gift Vouchers as there are so many catches, however...
Ryanair charges €5 per leg for booking with a Credit Card. However, if you purchase a gift voucher from Ryanair with a Laser/CC for €XXX you do not pay said levy. You can then go back into the website and use the gift voucher to pay for your flight, rather than using your credit card, thereby saving the cost of the levy.
(Note you can avoid all the hassle by using Entropay to pay for the flights)
The main person on the flight must be the same as the name on the voucher. But you can use the voucer to book for others if the main person is the name on the voucher.
If the vouchers are worth more than the flight, you lose the unused portion.
If the vouchers are worth less than the flight, you have to pay the Credit Card charges anyway, so it works out more expensive.
Ryanair vouchers are sold in units of €25 and you should use them only if the flights come in just under a multiple of €25.
Example
I just booked flights for two people last night costing €96. The CC handling fee was €20 (4 flights x €5), making the total €116 for booking with a Credit Card.
Instead, I bought €100 of vouchers which cost €105 and applied them to the cost of the flight, thereby saving €11 on the total cost. Its not much but it feels so much better than paying the full amount!
Warning - if you make mistakes you are in trouble
They expire after 6 months
They are non-transferrable
Some people find them difficult to use
You must get the name right
You can only use them online - you can't book by phone