Chiclanagir

So it looks like the debit card surcharges by such players as Ryanair will be stopped. However, from what I heard it could take two years unless they decide to play ball. How likely is that?

frigilianafreddy

I don't see the problem. Anyone can get a pre-paid caxton card (avoid ryanair charges) or an electron card from halifax (avoid the others). Very easy. Very simple. And yes, there are solutions for spanish residents.

Anyone who can't be ar*ed to do that deserves to be hit with a charge.

I guess they'll stop taking payment by debit card and use paypal or something instead.

Chiclanagir

That is not really the point though.

frigilianafreddy

Yes it is the point.

The "charge" is purely voluntary.

If you want to donate £s to Ryanair et al pay with a debit or credit card. If you don't want to, get yourself a pre-pay or electron card.

Pricing of goods and services is not based on the cost of providing them but what the market can bear. So it costs 20p to process a debit card and Ryanair charge £10. So what? That's how you make money

People are obviously prepared to pay that fee. Otherwise they would get a pre-paid currency card or an electron card.

licinius

Who wants to mess around with prepaid cards? Some people obviously have too much time on their hands if they can spend all day trabnsferring funds between accounts just to book a flight.

The bigger issue IMO is why my Spanish mastercard debit card is not recognised as a debit card so incurs additional charges as a credit card?????????

frigilianafreddy

Precisely my bloody point!

For you it's worth paying, instead of making a couple of clicks and getting another card.

That's why capitalism functions so well. I hate to bung £40 to Ryannair and I love my cheap flights. You value your time more highly so bung £40 to ryannair and that gets me cheap flights.

Chiclanagir

I have a La Caixa debit card but it is looked on as an electron card by Ryanair so I don´t pay. The whole point of the OFT issue is that it costs the company pence to use a debit card therefore they shouldn´t be charging extortionate amounts per passenger for the use of. If they need that money then it should be in the up front fare.

jay01

We have previously paid for a flight with an Halifax Elecron card and we were charged the fees but have managed to get one over on Ryan air this time, my daughter has paid for the flight but put my maiden surname not my married surname on it.

She called the call centre to have it changed and they wanted to charge £10 better than the £100 the website was quoting as well as having a stack of paperwork faxed to them and then wait 7 days.

I called their head office number (normal call rate) and was told by a very nice lady that all the documents can be taken to the airport and they can do it there and then, did that and it was duly changed their and then and at no charge.

Have even checked my booking and it is showing the right name.

EsuriJohn

We have just found a new twist that Michael is pulling to increase profits. Wanted to book 3 return flights from Liverpool to Cork. We live in Spain and have a Solbank pre-paid mastercard so knock off the admin fee which would have been £36 (3x£6x2). Card is denominated in EURO.

The ryanair website tells you the flight must be paid in the currency of the originating leg ie. GBP

Now follow this carefully until you have completed the booking there is no indication of the exchange rate they will apply to the purchase.

Today I have bought euro through our FX company and it was £1 : €1.11.

Michael is giving £1 : €1.20 so he is charging 10% to change my money.

Still the extra was about £6 so thats better than £36. On the Easyjet site you can change the currency at will and no surcharges for Electron Barclays Debit Card.

frigilianafreddy

That's stupid!

It cost microsoft about £2 for the disks, packaging and transport for each copy of Office. They charge upwards of £60 for it.

In fact you can get OpenOffice for free and it does much the same and is completely compatible.

That's my point: some people don't mind paying stupid charges as it saves them time. Others don't mind a couple of clicks, getting different cards and avoiding the charges.

Just like some people will spend almost £100 on Microsoft Office when it costs them diddly squat to produce, and they could get Openoffice for free.

COST HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PRICE CHARGED

Price is determined by supply and demand.

licinius

Fraid I can't bring myself to fly cattleclass but other airlines have similar issues, such as recognising my debit card as a credit card.

licinius

The discs cost little to produce but the program devolopment costs would make you cry

Fred James

Just like the cost of drugs - nothing to produce but millions to develop and test.

Trouble is that once they have generated enough to cover the costs they don't reduce the price and the profits can be obscene - but that's business!

If they didn't have the opportunity to make wonder profits they wouldn't develop wonder drugs.

The same applies to Microsoft. Ryanair is a minnow compared to these guys!

agoreira

Agree, it's a nonsense to suggest a copy of MS Office simply costs the price of the disc. Do the people at MS work for nothing? Rather a silly analogy.

Mama_Carol

When a client once asked why we were charging so much for a process on the computer that only took us a couple of hours.

Our answer "£5 to knock in the nail, £95 for knowing which nail to knock in"