Ryanair Prime Promises £420 in Savings With Conditions

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Ryanair launched Prime membership for £79/year, promising free seats and travel insurance—but Which? warns it's full of hidden catches.

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Members get 12 "free" seat reservations, but only in designated rows—run out and you're stuck with random seats.

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Travel insurance excluded medical coverage for over-70s and pre-existing conditions aren't covered at all.

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Flying 12 times could save £420, but frequent flyers already pay for extras anyway—is it worth it?

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Only 250,000 memberships available across 12 European countries, creating artificial scarcity.

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Children can't get discounted fares since membership requires being 18+, making family bookings expensive.

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"The service is full of caveats when it comes to seat selection," warns Which? Travel editor Rory Boland.

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Members get "exclusive" monthly sales, but details on how they differ from regular Ryanair deals remain unclear.

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Ryanair historically avoided loyalty programs—Prime represents a major strategy shift for the no-frills carrier.

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Competitors like Wizz Air and EasyJet already offer similar schemes ranging from €60 to £385 annually.

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Once you use 12 free seats, you're stuck paying regular prices for the rest of your membership year.

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Early adopters testing whether the math works—casual flyers might lose money on the £79 subscription fee.

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