Ryanair have to be praised for helping bring cheaper flights to Europe – but many people still  tend to get annoyed with their “extra”  fees such as the €6 booking fee or “administration” fee.  (They are not alone in this – most airlines do it.)
The only way for Irish passengers to avoid paying  this booking fee on Ryanair is to pay with a Prepaid Mastercard .

Update – Since November 1st 2011 UK and Italian customers can only avoid the Ryanair admin fee if they pay with the new Ryanair pre-paid Mastercard  (known as a Cash Passport). Find out more about the Ryanair Cash Passport here. This is not available for Irish residents.

But – Passengers booking flights in Ireland or other European countries will still be able to use any prepaid Mastercard to avoid the admin fee. (This may change in the future)

For  frequent flyers on Ryanair or for large families – the €6 per person per one way flight admin fee can soon mount up.
For example – for a family  booking  five return flights on Ryanair – the administration or booking fees would  amount  to €60. (Enough for a meal out on holiday)
A person working in the UK who makes a return trip from Dublin to the UK  on Ryanair every week -  would end up paying €624 a year in “administration charges”  if they used a Visa or normal Mastercard Credit Card.

Where can you get a Prepaid Mastercard in Ireland?

There are a few places  for Irish residents to obtain a Prepaid Mastercard .

1. Moneybookers - is the best option for Prepaid Mastercard in our opinion . The card has a €10 annual fee  – but there are no usage fees or no top up fees when using laser cards or when topping up by bank transfer. (There is a 1.9% fee for top ups from a credit card) . There are no inactivity charges. Irish residents can set up an account online  at Moneybookers  and  apply for a  Prepaid MasterCard .

2. Swirl do a prepaid mastercard – it costs €5.95 to get the card and then you are also  charged a minimum of €2.99 to load the card with money. (€3.99 for amounts over €350). Swirl also charge a further  fee of 2.95%  when you spend online  with a a minimum fee of  75c an a maximum fee of  2.95 or 2.95%.
So – buying €300 worth of Ryanair tickets with a Swirl card will cost you  €5.94 – made up of a €2.99 loading fee and €2.95 purchase fee.  Also – beware the inactivity fees on Swirl -if your account is inactive for over 2 months you will be charged a fee of €3.50 for every month it is inactive !  Probably one to avoid in our opinion.

3.  Entropay also offer Prepaid Mastercards. See here.  Entropay charge 4.95% whenever  you load the card but there is no charge when you use it to purchase something. It is free to join.(The fee for loading €300 would be  €14.85 )

4.Payzone also offer prepaid Mastercard with a loading fee of €3.50 on amounts up to €350 . It also costs €6 to apply for one online. Using the card for online purchases will also cost you 2.95% of the spend every time. So – Buying 6 return tickets on Ryanair with a value of €300 will cost you €12.35 including the loading fee.  NB- Beware – Payzone will also charge you €3.50 a month if you don’t use the account for 3 months !   Again – not a recommended option in our opinion.

5  You could buy yourself a giftcard at Dundrum shopping centre   – see more at  http://www.perfectcard.ie . These cards are prepaid  Mastercards too. There is a €1 fee but no reloads.  It lasts 12 months and if there is a balance remaining after 12 months you have to pay €7.50 to get the balance back.  Probably only useful if you live in Dublin because you have to buy them from the shopping centre. Not really useful for those last minute bookings though.

If you are looking for a prepaid Visa Debit card – you should look into the O2 Money Card.
They have fairly low loading fees (lower than Swirl and Payzone) and no charges for using the card for purchases. You can order one online at O2 Money