Budget airline exchange rate profits: Ryanair responds

Profiting on a Ryanair flight

A week or so ago, I wrote about how I’d made a profit out of Ryanair by buying a Mars bar. I paid in euros, got my change in pounds, and came out a couple of euros and a Mars bar up.

Mistake on part of staff or bosses?

This, I thought, was brilliant. But was a mistake by the stewardess? Or have Ryanair bosses made an oversight as they roll around like Scrooge McDuck in their towers full of add-on charge money.

So I dropped a line to Stephen McNamara, the Ryanair spokesman who is increasingly taking on Michael O’Leary’s role as big bad, mouthy wolf.

Exchange rate for Ryanair customers

I asked him what exchange rate Ryanair use when customers pay in one currency and get change in another. His initial response was to deny this is possible.

He said: “If a passenger pays in Sterling they are provided with change in Sterling. The rumour you heard suggests that passengers can profit from paying in Sterling and getting change in euro – which is untrue!”

Personal experience

Oh, really? Well what about my own experience. It seemed perfectly possible to pay in one currency and get change in another – in fact, the stewardess suggested it to one passenger in front of me.

I told Mr McNamara this, and he then had a different answer. “The cabin crew may provide euro to a passenger paying with sterling (and vice versa) if they do not have the correct amount of change in the given currency. “

Worth a try?

And thus back to my original question: what exchange rate is used? “Current rate is 0.9 – but it is amended every month,” came the response.

So it seems as though Ryanair does have a policy on exchange rates for on-board purchases – just a very hazy one. It also appears as though it hasn’t been explained to staff very well, and thus the pay in euros, ask for change in pounds trick may well be worth trying.

Tags: budget airlines, cheap flights, exchange rate, Ryanair