RyanAir refund exchange rate shenanigans
Aug 21, 2018, 1:32 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
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RyanAir refund exchange rate shenanigans
Bought a one-way ticket on RyanAir for BGY-STN. Fare was quoted in Euros but actually charged to my card in USD using an unfavorable exchange rate (I am in the USA and using a US credit card). I am an experienced traveler and know to reject dynamic currency conversion in a situation like this but I don’t recall that ever being an option.
Flight was delayed by over three hours and RyanAir promised a full refund if I wanted it. I took them up on it and found that they refunded in Euros directly. So the conversion to USD therefore took place at the market rate.
Basically RyanAir has scammed me out of $30. I get that rates fluctuate but I’m crying foul here. Of course dealing with RyanAir directly has gone nowhere and so I’m disputing the difference in charge vs refund with CapitalOne. I have full documentation of the entire sorry chain of events.
Juat venting I guess. Never even flown this airline and they’ve managed to vex me!
Flight was delayed by over three hours and RyanAir promised a full refund if I wanted it. I took them up on it and found that they refunded in Euros directly. So the conversion to USD therefore took place at the market rate.
Basically RyanAir has scammed me out of $30. I get that rates fluctuate but I’m crying foul here. Of course dealing with RyanAir directly has gone nowhere and so I’m disputing the difference in charge vs refund with CapitalOne. I have full documentation of the entire sorry chain of events.
Juat venting I guess. Never even flown this airline and they’ve managed to vex me!
Aug 21, 2018, 6:16 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,307
If the exchange rate had moved in your favour and you had received more back than you paid, would you have sent the difference to Ryanair?
Aug 21, 2018, 5:50 pm
#3
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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It is an option for GBP cards when purchasing in Euro, just not easy to spot. You may have missed it, but I don't have a USD card to try.
If the exchange rate had moved in your favour and you had received more back than you paid, would you have sent the difference to Ryanair?
If the exchange rate had moved in your favour and you had received more back than you paid, would you have sent the difference to Ryanair?
This wasn’t an issue with a fluctuation in exchange rate — which I would have accepted. It is an issue of the airline stacking the deck to ensure they profit even in a refund situation.
CapitalOne has already settled the dispute in my favor, for the difference.
Aug 21, 2018, 7:07 pm
#4
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
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Posts: 50,262
This has nothing to do FR. It was paid for the ticket in EUR and issued a refund in EUR. The conversion profits went to various institutions along the way in the banking system.
Complaints such as yours are common. Not just with air tickets but with other purchases which go sideways. You paid EUR X for the ticket and that is the refund due.
For a piddling sum such as $30, most card issuers will simply eat the dispute, especially when they are not out any hard cash themselves.
Complaints such as yours are common. Not just with air tickets but with other purchases which go sideways. You paid EUR X for the ticket and that is the refund due.
For a piddling sum such as $30, most card issuers will simply eat the dispute, especially when they are not out any hard cash themselves.
Aug 22, 2018, 12:39 am
#5
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,307
My understanding is that vendors get a cut of the DCC money.
Aug 22, 2018, 9:08 am
#6
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Programs: AA Platinum for Life (2MM), BR Gold, AS MVP Gold, Marriott Lifetime Gold
Posts: 978
The ticket was not charged in Euros. It was charged in dollars but refunded in Euros.
I agree that I may have missed the DCC opt-out during purchase.
I agree that I may have missed the DCC opt-out during purchase.