What card do you use to avoid the Visa/Mastercard fees ?

What card do you use to avoid the Visa/Mastercard fees ? Does it have any fees or taxes ?

Mastercard Prepaid from dec 2009.

I use the Wirecard, you can use this one for Ryanair bookings (as a Mastercard Prepaid)
www.mywirecard.com

See here the fees
https://secure.mywirecard.com/wirecard/ShowFees.html

I made a booking already

Can you positively confirm that it works with that Wirecard - I mean, without paying any credit card fee when booking an FR flight ?
When selecting your card at the end of the booking procedure, do you click straight on "Mastercard prepaid" ?

Yes I can confirm that this card is totality free and no creditcard cost at Ryanair bookings.
At the end I select Mastercard prepaid. And everything works fine.

Most interesting ! Thanks a lot for the info !

Following the info from kojadi (above), I have asked for a Wirecard.
It took two or three days for the money to go from my bank to Wirecard, and then they took 1 euro fee and gave me the "virtual" card.
I have just made a booking on Ryanair and it works fine, no problem (and of course no credit card fee !).
It's easy as everything is made on your computer (you need to have an internet bank account).

To avoid paying credit card charges on Ryanair you need to have a pre paid mastercard. Gift cards at many shopping centers are no more than a prepaid mastercard with the shopping centers logo on it. This works on gift cards in Ireland from Blanchardstown Shopping Center, Dundrum Shopping Center and Liffey Valley SC. http://wwww.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=64160746

I have used my Entropay prepay-card for the first time now. Works perfectly.

I use the net+ prepaid card from neteller. I already had a neteller account so was a no brainer for me.

I wish Ryanair had just kept the Visa Electron as the fee free payment card, as I don't know how much I'll spend on flights it's hard to decide how much to preload on a Mastercard prepaid card.

I've done some research and reckon that the FariFX Anywhere Mastercard prepaid debit card is best for me. I book several very cheap flights a years and estimated this would cost me £1.50 in transaction fees. You can read my research here:
http://www.europealacarte.co.uk/blog/2009/12/06/get-mastercard-prepaid-debit-card-avoid-ryanair-admin-fees-from-1-january-2010/

The Neteller Net+ card is my choice, and I've not paid a penny in fees since I started using it. I've actually profited by inviting others to join and getting a sign-up bonus.

Free to use, free to load (by online bank transfer)... perfect!

it does not work with the net+ virtual though...

it does not work with the net+ virtual though...

No, but the other one they offer, the Neteller Net+ Prepaid Mastercard does work.

I suppose that when too many customers are using prepaid Mastercards to pay their Ryanair fares without charge, Ryan will switch to another 'free payment' method.

Yes I think that Ryanair stopped the fee free Visa Electron once 30% of customers were paying by Visa Electron. However it's more hassle and expense to get and use a Mastercard prepaid debit card, so I wonder if anything like 30% of Ryanair customers will bother to get one?

Ryan are being investigated in Germany about the lack of an easily and widely available free payment method, as the prepaid Mastercard is virtually unheard of here. They might have to accept paymant by 'Lastschriftverfahren' (direct bank account debit) for German-based customers.

Dogmatix wrote:Ryan are being investigated in Germany about the lack of an easily and widely available free payment method, as the prepaid Mastercard is virtually unheard of here.

Bullshit !
Wirecard, for one, is easily and widely available in Germany, and is issued by a German bank, into the bargain !

Wirecard is a product of Wirecard Bank AG.
Wirecard Bank AG is a bank headquartered in Germany. It is regulated by the German Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).
Wirecard Bank AG is furthermore a member of the credit card associations MasterCard, VISA, and JCB and is licensed to issue credit cards.
Wirecard Bank AG is a subsidiary of Wirecard AG – one of the worldwide leading providers of payment services and risk management solutions. Wirecard AG is listed in the TecDax of the German stock exchange in Frankfurt (ISIN DE0007472060, IGP).
For further information about Wirecard AG and Wirecard Bank AG, please visit the websites http://ir.wirecard.com and http://www.wirecardbank.com.


I have one such card, and I have no problem with it, making a 5 euros saving per FR flight ...
I do not intend to make here any publicity for that card, it's just to show that an FR approved card is available in Germany.

One bank in a country of 81,000,000 people does not = widely available.

atoutprix wrote:Bull**** !

Well now, I'm kind of new around here... is it normal to use such foul language in this forum?

atoutprix wrote:Wirecard, for one, is easily and widely available in Germany, and is issued by a German bank, into the bargain !

Why, so it is! Funny how after 27 years of living in Germany I have never heard of it!

atoutprix wrote:I have one such card, and I have no problem with it, making a 5 euros saving per FR flight ...
I do not intend to make here any publicity for that card, it's just to show that an FR approved card is available in Germany.

Well, now that I am one of the undoubtedly very few people in Germany who has heard of Wirecard, I shall sign up and make use of it next time I have to fly Ryanair. Unless the German authorities succeed in making Ryanair accept a more widely known and accepted method of payment here (e.g. as I mentioned, the Lastschriftverfahren).

Dogmatix wrote:

atoutprix wrote:Bull**** !

Well now, I'm kind of new around here... is it normal to use such foul language in this forum?

That word is a favorite of Michael O'Leary, the CEO of Ryanair - he frequently says it and I use it as he would !
I am sorry if you find it too crude ... I mean no offence to you, for sure.
As a rule, this forum is a well-behaved one, and I surely have no wish to change it.

atoutprix wrote:That word is a favorite of Michael O'Leary, the CEO of Ryanair

Yes, he does like to use his 'favourite words' a lot...

Hello all,

My Wirecard worked properly for years but now it seems not to work!
Has somebody information about this issue? Alternatives?

Thx a lot,
oern

Hello all,

My Wirecard worked properly for years but now it seems not to work!
Has somebody information about this issue? Alternatives?

Thx a lot,
oern