Passengers with Ryanair can save money on flights in the latest money-saving travel hack, and it's all down to the order in which tickets are booked.
It's not unusual to find flights for as little as £9.99 with Ryanair and the airline has become well-known for offering 'budget-friendly' tickets to various European locations. Its flight prices are influenced by dates and events but current low-cost destinations include Prague, Fuerteventura and Copenhagen, all of which are available for less than £20.
However, there's nothing more frustrating than finding what looks like an affordable flight deal and then realising the price does not include luggage or the luxury of choosing where you want to sit. Ryanair is one of many airlines that charges passengers for bringing on personal belongings that don't fit into a backpack-sized bag.
READ MORE: easyJet, Ryanair and more launch February 2023 holiday deals at Liverpool Airport
Only bringing a backpack for a two to three-day city break is doable for some, especially as many retailers sell travel bags that fit in Ryanair's 'if it fits - it flies' sizer including Amazon and the luggage brand, Antler. But passengers who are off on a longer break, or those flying with kids, may find this harder to get around.
However, we've found a hack that saves flyers money when booking an extra bag, be it an extra carry-on or one to check into the hold, and it's all down to when passengers select the item on the Ryanair website or app.
To save money, passengers can select a destination as normal, adding in the desired dates and the number of travellers. Once passengers have selected their desired flight departure and return dates (or a single departure if only booking one-way) the different 'fare types' will then pop up.
This is where passengers can save money without making a difference in what they book. Passengers are then asked to choose between value, regular, plus and flexi-plus fares, all of which offer a different 'advantage' including priority boarding and inclusive luggage.
The different fare types rise in price depending on the flight route and time of booking, to show how much money customers can save we've chosen the Liverpool to Faro in Portugal route where the 'regular fare' starts from £25.25 for each flight.
How to save money when booking a Ryanair flight
The cheapest is 'value fare', travellers who book this option essentially only pay for the plane seat as there's only one small bag (40x20x25) included. The 'regular fare' costs £25.25 more compared to the 'value fare' and includes a ticket, two cabin bags and priority boarding, this is a popular choice for passengers who want to bring a 'cabin-sized' suitcase.
The 'plus fare' also includes priority boarding, two cabin bags and a 20KG hold bag but it costs an extra £38.24 on top of the ticket price. To save money passengers should click the 'value fare' option and 'continue with value fare option' on the next page.
The next page pops up with the option to buy seats (from £10 per standard seat up to £19 for extra legroom) and the 'extra luggage' option. Instead of paying £25.25 each way for two cabin bags and priority boarding under the 'regular' fare type travellers booking the value fare can add the same two cabin bags and priority boarding for £11 each way instead, saving £14.25 each flight.
Some customers may feel this option won't suit them as they like to choose where they want to sit and may swing towards the regular fare option instead (to include picking seats next to each other) but you still end up paying more. If customers chose a standard seat as an extra for £10 (each way) and an extra bag for £11 on the 'value fare' type they would still make a £4.25 saving on each flight or £8.50 return (per passenger).
To the average solo traveller an added £4.50 per flight may not be significant but if travelling as a family of four (for example) this is a saving of £18 per flight or £36 for the round trip.
The same can be done on checked-in luggage, which is normally included in the 'plus fare' option, which costs an extra £41.99 on this route (per each flight and passenger). Instead, customers can click the 'value fare' option and as an extra after the initial booking details, for £28.99 per 20kg bag.
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