Ryanair Prime will offer flyers potential savings on flights as well as other benefits.
Between Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Spotify, Audible, YouTube Premium, iCloud, Tinder, and many more, it’s safe to say subscription fatigue is beginning to creep in for many consumers.
Despite this, Ryanair now wants to add to the list!
For €79 a year, flyers can now sign up to Ryanair Prime, which offers several benefits for you as well as an extra member who you can add to your account, which Ryanair calls your “Prime Companion”.
Here’s a look at what you get and whether it’s worth it…
Ryanair Prime membership benefits
Discounted flights
Ryanair promises members exclusive access to monthly flight sales, delivered straight to your inbox.
You can book a flight to use yourself, to use together with your Ryanair Prime Companion, or for your Companion to travel by themselves.
Free seat reservation
Members of Ryanair Prime also get up to 12 free seat reservations on flights. So whether you prefer the window, aisle or even the middle seat, you can reserve your desired spot for yourself and your Companion at no extra cost.
Travel insurance
Prime members also get free annual travel insurance that provides coverage for all your Ryanair flights throughout the year. The policy includes cover for trip cancellations caused by injury or illness (except for Covid-19 and pre-existing medical issues) and various events such as medical emergencies, delayed departures and stolen baggage.
Is Ryanair Prime worth it?
As always, the devil is in the details. And you need to weigh up whether forking out another €79 a year on yet another subscription is really worth it.
The free seat allocation is only available on designated rows, meaning you’ll still need to pay to sit in certain seats. And on busy flights, there’s no guarantee you’ll get any of the seats you want. There’s also no guarantee that you and your Prime Companion will be able to select seats together.
And the travel insurance will only apply to Ryanair flights. If you fly with anyone else, you’ll need to take out separate cover. And of course, you may already have travel insurance. Some credit card providers and online banks like Revolut include it for free with some of their cards so this may be a product you don’t even need in the first place.
So a lot will come down to how valuable the extra discounts for members on flights will be.
However, Ryanair regularly runs promotions and flight sales as standard. Perhaps these won't continue. But at the moment we don’t know how much better the discounts for Prime members will be. Or when they will be offered. It's unlikely Ryanair will offer member discounts during the peak Easter break and summer holiday periods for example.
What's more, any discounted fares will only apply to flights that depart within your current membership period, which may limit your ability to get the best deals on flights by booking far in advance.
Ryanair is unsurprisingly hugely positive about the new service. It says a customer who books 12 flights a year could potentially save up to five times the subscription cost while even those booking just three flights a year can more than cover the €79 annual fee.
But it's hard not to feel a bit sceptical about the service for now at least.
