Bits: Virgin redemptions with infants, Qatar increasing Scandi frequencies, Amex and Ryanair

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• Egg says:

  29 Nov29 November 07:24

  it can be difficult to spend £80 on a ryanair flight.
  I have no problem with the airline. Buses with Wings.
  The biggest issue with RyanAir is the passengers who do not understand their rules.
  Play by RyanAir rules & there is no problem.
  I love how I can choose what I want to pay for & what I do not.

  To keep prices low, they have to find new ways of charging for things.
  People will just huff & puff about it, but would also moan if the ticket went up £10 – instead, I can save the £10 & choose if I want to pay to be seated next to another travelling companion or not.

  • the real harry1 says:

    29 Nov29 November 07:42

    not for us – quite tricky to get under £80 EW (esp school hols) as they have a bit of a monopoly on our local airport/ route to place in the sun combo & don’t fly every day

    for some hols, I’d much rather fly them than BA tbh as it’s much less stressful going local-ish/ saving the journey up to LHR – unfortunately we can’t usually make the cost & convenient timing stack up against BA on points/ frequency

• filipino_chino says:

  29 Nov29 November 07:42

  If i got the offer for Ryanair i would use it…

  TBH If you just want to get from a to b and you follow their rules, you cannot do it cheaper… For short flights it’s fine.

  OT – this was targeted, but seems to work for anyone who has an amex card:

  americanexpress.co.uk/goldcomp

  Get the gold Credit Card from the above link, spend 500pounds and get 5000 membership reward points, no fee for the card. Offer was too good to pass up, card turned up yesterday for 3 members of my family.

  • Alan says:

    29 Nov29 November 08:16

    Thanks for that – it looks interesting. Might already have too many cards at the moment though!

  • TripRep says:

    29 Nov29 November 09:46

    Any links/offers for adding a supplementary card (had my account >3 months now)

    • Anna says:

      29 Nov29 November 09:55

      There’s onw which pops up on Facebook offering 3000 MR points for adding a card, however Amex now seem to charge £45 for this so it’s not such a good deal.

      • Genghis says:

        29 Nov29 November 10:06

        Only get one free supp on the MR cards. For a second supp on the Gold it’s £45, £170 on Plat but no such charges on BAPP.

  • JP says:

    29 Nov29 November 11:53

    Thanks for the reminder, I had forgotten about the companion credit cards. I have had them before, but I think it was only 3000 for £500 last time I had one.

    • Lawro says:

      29 Nov29 November 11:58

      @Genghis 10:06

      That’s not strictly true. You only get 1 free supp on the Gold card before being charged £45 for additional ones.

      On the Plat however, you get 5 free supp cards, but only one can be a Plat. Further Plats would incur the £170 charge. You can get an additional 4 Gold/Green supps for free.

      • Genghis says:

        29 Nov29 November 12:17

        Thanks for the clarity.

      • xcalx says:

        29 Nov29 November 19:28

        Re the Plat sups, after the 1st plat sup the gold card sups also get full plat insurance benefits.

• Alan says:

  29 Nov29 November 08:14

  WE are AMEX customers and we have flown Ryanair in the past. Not my favourite airline but they (usually) get the job done.

  I always try and pay with the method that has the lowest charges though, so I’ve never used my AMEX card with them. To be honest, as posted by someone else already, I didn’t realise they accepted AMEX

• Carl says:

  29 Nov29 November 08:28

  Didn’t get targeted for the offer. I try to avoid them if I can but do occasionally end up flying them as they can often just be a lot more convenient. I think my last flight for my OH and me came to just under £80 total so wouldn’t quite have qualified.

• Mikeact says:

  29 Nov29 November 08:28

  I guess from January there won’t be any more Credit Card fees applied thank goodness.

• Tom C says:

  29 Nov29 November 08:38

  I’m Platinum (was offered Centurion, but turned it down) and I’ve used RyanAir more than any other airline this year. Why? Because I live 25 minutes from Stansted. Getting the 6:30am flight to Marrakech last week involved leaving at 5, getting there before 5:30, straight through FastTrack, grab a bacon roll in the lounge and then head to the gate. The same at LGW with BA would have meant leaving around 2am for a worst experience.

  I always pay for 1F so have more legroom than any seat in Club Europe, except maybe 1A, which is often unavailable to book anyway. I used to avoid RyanAir like the plague and go to Heathrow, but after realising I was wasting half a day, I gave in, tried them and found them nowhere near as bad as I thought.

  • Tilly says:

    29 Nov29 November 11:56

    I’m also around 25 mins from Stansted but always avoided Ryan Air, especially since they seem to mess around flights for people i know including cancelling one of my husband’s return legs which was a nightmare for him to try and rebook into another. Easy Jet are ok.

    If i had the offer i may give them a go but would end up paying for so many extras that it would probably cost the same as flying BA.

• Czechoslovakia says:

  29 Nov29 November 08:42

  Re Ryanair, only ever had trouble with them. They cancelled 1st “leg” and refused to refund 2nd or even reschedule. Understaffed check-in, last minute schedule changes and i don’t have a good experience with punctuality with them either. Maybe I’ve been unlucky? But never had a problem with BMIbaby, easyJet, WiZZ, smartwings or SKYeurope over the years. And as for the recent crew holiday farce…. Afraid it would have to be 20,000 MR points on an £80 spend before I’d go on O’Learyjet again – seriously.

• vlcnc says:

  29 Nov29 November 08:48

  I really enjoy this blog and have found it incredibly useful – it’s changed the way I travel immeasurably for the better, but snobbish comments like this don’t do it any favour.

  Ryanair isn’t a good product and not something I like supporting, but yes I have and occasionally fly Ryanair and also us Amex (a lot). For a lot of people its their only choice for a holiday at all, especially from the regions. I think Vueling is a far worse animal, and doesn’t get the criticism or scrutiny it should.

  • Nick_C says:

    29 Nov29 November 08:54

    I don’t see anything snobbish about wanting a quality service and being happy to pay more for it.

    Unfortunately, the majority seem happy to put up with anything in order to get the cheapest possible ticket, and sadly paying more for a quality product is becoming very difficult for short haul flights.

    • vlcnc says:

      29 Nov29 November 09:04

      I think there is room for choice, although I certainly don’t condone the levels Ryanair go to or how they treat their staff. But then again look at the contempt BA have for theirs?

      Anyway this wasn’t about the quality of service, it was the sneering smirking tone at the ‘type of people who fly Ryanair’ – poor people basically. There are these comments every now and then that are dropped into articles, other people have called them ou before and I am doing it now as I don’t think they come across a nice or pleasant.

    • Rob says:

      29 Nov29 November 09:05

      Which makes no sense, but I agree. I can get to Heathrow via bus, chauffered Merc or 10 options inbetween. I can stay in a hostel, a 5-star or many options inbetween when I land. So why is my flight reduced to the lowest common denominator?

      • vlcnc says:

        29 Nov29 November 09:19

        My point Rob was not about the airline product – I agree with you in terms of BA, I don’t want BA to be racing to the lowest common denominator for example and I think it is mistake – I want to fly them precisely to avoid that experience and that choice is now removed as it is no better than easyJet (I disagree with you on the value of Club Europe when you have status). Also this makes no sense from you as I have also said above, you seem to have issue with Ryanair when I think Vueling are far worse and it is frequently promoted on here?

        My point was about teh sneering smirking tone at the ‘type of people who fly Ryanair’ – poor people basically. There are these comments every now and then that are dropped into articles, other people have called them out before and I am doing it now as I don’t think they come across a nice or pleasant. For some people that is all they can afford, and whilst I don’t like using them they have opened up travel to people who otherwise would not be able to – I choose not to most of the time but characterising people by their income or class is quite low.

        • Rob says:

          29 Nov29 November 09:32

          Vueling is an Avios earn and burn partner which is why they are on here, as FR would be if it had a loyalty scheme.

          Poor targetting of Amex promotions has been a long running theme on here. Anyway, all I am doing is pointing out that no-one wants the Ryanair promo. The numbers don’t lie

          We have a €500 Vueling voucher to give away at the Christmas party too 🙂

      • vlcnc says:

        29 Nov29 November 09:44

        But you are pointing to the product here, and if Ryanair are getting such criticism because of of a bad product – so why are you so easy on Vueling? I mean to be fair that is why BA are becoming so bad, thanks to your friend Mr Cruz! 😛

        You are right about the numbers, that is fair enough – I suspect more would use it if there wasn’t a penalty for using it with the surcharge for using it – but I don’t have the figures so that would be be just speculation.

        Again my point is your tone, I don’t think I am the only one who reads this who is often blindsided by these rather off remarks – people have commented on this before. I don’t think it does your or the blog any favours and is a beneath the behaviour I would expect from someone I would hope I respect.

  • Rob says:

    29 Nov29 November 09:06

    The numbers, to be fair, speak for themselves on this one ….

    We used to use them a decade ago when they flew to Lubeck, where my parents in law live. That said, going via Hamburg on BA is a hugely improved experience even if door to door it is a bit longer. Lubeck is basically a shed. Once our flight was badly delayed, the one airport cafe shut on schedule and everyone was sat in, basically, a deserted and closed up shed – airport is too strong a word – waiting with virtually no staff of any sort around.

    I read an interesting line on Ryanair recently ‘people are loyal to the price, not the brand’. That is not a great place as a company to be, although at least Ryanair knows it will always be the lowest cost operator. BA can never be the lowest cost operator and if they lose brand loyalty then there is trouble.

    • vlcnc says:

      29 Nov29 November 09:23

      I absolutely agree with you about the better experience, and especially everything about your last paragraph.

      But as said above my comment wasn’t about product, it was the tone of your question ‘Do American Express customers fly Ryanair?’ and the rather smirking text beneath it.

      • LB says:

        29 Nov29 November 10:09

        Will you two please get a room ;).

      • vlcnc says:

        29 Nov29 November 11:27

        I am not sure I would wish to be inflicted on Rob or anyone like that haha… 😉

    • RussellH says:

      29 Nov29 November 15:41

      Lübeck sounds like my sort of airport – at least for arrivals. No long trek from the gate to immigration, or from there to the bus stop. But your description of a delayed departure reminds me of the time we waited … and waited … and waited at Schönefeld for a flight back to Liverpool (EZ, not FR) anxiously watching as departures to most other destinations were getting cancelled because of snow, and the cafes and bars clsoing at the same time.

    • xcalx says:

      29 Nov29 November 19:45

      “The numbers, to be fair, speak for themselves on this one …”

      True, if the offers were loaded at the same time. However these offers are not always loaded together so a fair comparison can’t be formed. The Eurostar offer could have been on weeks yet the Ryanair offer only days.

      Just my angle on this .

  • Czechoslovakia says:

    29 Nov29 November 09:13

    Ryanair beats walking…. just. But I read Robs comments more as a critical view on Amex, rather than Ryanair. As in, why does the world’s premium credit card provider actively promote offers with bargain basement product? If you’re paying £450 for plat, it’s fair to assume 100 MR points when you buy some Lidl value beans, isn’t going to be as interesting as a statement credit at Harrod’s. I also don’t get why Amex offers promotions on companies that surcharge use of Amex cards? Looking at you, appleyard!

    • vlcnc says:

      29 Nov29 November 09:57

      I think you’d be surprised – I know a fair few middle class people who do shop at Lidl! The number of ABC1 customers is actually one of their primary targets and their fastest growing customer base!

      I do get the alignment with brand values – if I were Amex I would really think about service. I have sometimes taken advantage of offers or tried to and ended up with a frustrating experience, which was then often sorted out effortlessly by Amex CS even when it wasn’t their issue. So I guess from that point of view, if I were Amex would I want to associate myself with Ryanair as a company – probably not…

      • Toby says:

        29 Nov29 November 10:20

        I’m middle class and do most my shopping at Lidl and do most my flying with Ryanair. Being on an average salary and wanting to go on holiday relatively often yet still save every month, means using these services and to be honest, I rate them both as highly if not better than their competitors.
        I do my short break holidays with Ryanair and save airmiles for anything long haul. Having flown Club Europe once (on avios), I would most definitely rather pay Ryanair for short haul than pay BA. Also living in “the regions” means a short £1 bus trip to Bristol is easier than a drive to Heathrow.

        I’ve checked all 6 of our AmEx and not got the offer so I wonder if it is so targeted that few people have actually even got it to claim it?

      • Tilly says:

        29 Nov29 November 12:06

        Does Lidl take Amex? Last time i was in there they didn’t accept it ……. do like Lidl but don’t go often as it’s not very convenient for me but when i get the opportunity i pop in.

      • RussellH says:

        29 Nov29 November 15:25

        Re Lidl (and Aldi). I never get the feeling that either of these, whether in the UK, Germany, France, Switzerland or Italy are frequented by anything other than ABC1 customers. Our recently opened nearest Lidl looks and feels far more upmarket than Tesco.

        Neither take Amex and have only taken Visa/MC since the interchange cap came in (except Scotland, where Aldi took credit cards for some years before).

    • the real harry1 says:

      29 Nov29 November 10:31

      nothing wrong with Lidl! – UK’s greatest European deli @ discount prices, it keeps winning prizes for top quality & is growing fast for a reason – though I must admit my Lidl shopping experience in London was pretty grim a couple of years ago when we took the kids up & needed a sandwich – full of jostling hobos which might explain why Londoners aren’t so keen – but out in the sticks a much more civil experience, you just need to buy the quality stuff

      re: Amex & Ryanair – don’t forget Amex is pushing hard to expand its customer base, advertising on TV etc – & with a reported household income threshold of just £20K, they clearly want to recruit more from a lower income demographic than you might think – and therefore working with Ryanair is entirely appropriate (not that higher income households don’t fly Ryanair, see the comments)

      also, Ryanair will be an increasingly important customer of theirs and doing ‘joint’ promos helps keep the relationship sweet

      anyway, nobody has pointed out that if the person who sent the 311 number to Raffles was amongst the first to open his email, of course it would be a low sign-up figure – what is it now, a day later?

      • vlcnc says:

        29 Nov29 November 11:09

        Also Amex have taken a stake in iZettle so are really working hard to get greater acceptance among small businesses which correlates with their yearly shop small promo.

        Also demographics are not so clear-cut anymore. You get wealthy people wearing Zara,, middle class people shopping at Lidl – people are more magpie like as consumers in the UK now so it’s a lot more nuanced.

      • Michael Jennings says:

        29 Nov29 November 13:58

        I like Aldi a little more than Lidl, but I love the German discount supermarket model. Stores that are not fancily fitted and which are in non-premium but accessible locations. The range of individual product lines is much smaller than in other supermarkets, but the quality is mostly excellent. (Also, there are interesting continental European products which are otherwise hard to find in the UK).

      • Alan says:

        3 Dec3 December 15:44

        @vlcnc interesting re iZettle stake – I’ve been very impressed by them and they had a clean sweep of the food vans at the Edinburgh Festival! Nice clear proposition for card acceptance/fees too.

    • Cate says:

      29 Nov29 November 13:37

      Not sure if Ryanair beats walking. If I rightly recall Ryanair earlier this year tested this theory by cancelling a lot of flights and customers surveyed said that next time they would rather walk than book with Ryan air again 🙂

    • Erico1875 says:

      29 Nov29 November 17:53

      At 20p a tin for Lidl beans. 100MR points! Id be emtying the shelf. Farting a lot mind you lol

  • pauldb says:

    29 Nov29 November 10:56

    Weirdly, I take complete the opposite issues on this. The article makes no judgement at all about Ryanair or its customers: what are you seeing that I’m not.
    On the other hand, I wouldn’t agree that the numbers don’t lie. The Eurostar offer could have been open for sign-up for a fortnight, and the Ryanair one 2 hours???

  • Leo says:

    29 Nov29 November 11:01

    I don’t detect a snobbish tone here at all. I accept “tone” can be subjective but it’s simply not here. It’s factual info. Unless you are commenting on the use of an exclamation mark.

    • vlcnc says:

      29 Nov29 November 11:26

      It’s cumulative – there has been snarky elitist condescending comments before as well, I am not the first to point this out. Someone has said before on something else Rob said if I remember “its comments like these that make me realise I don’t belong here” – that makes me quite sad. It comes across as pompous and snobbish. I think Rob could take a leaf out of Anika’s book in coming across as a bit more down to earth… 😉 Ooooh burn I went there… 😛

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