✈️ Ryanair Prime: Travel Game-Changer or Just Hype?

Ryanair recently launched its new subscription service, Ryanair Prime, and at first glance, it looks like a pretty solid deal for frequent flyers. For £79 a year, it includes free seat reservations, complimentary travel insurance, and access to exclusive monthly seat sales.

Naturally, we had to check it out for ourselves—and yep, we even signed up. But after a closer look, we ended up cancelling within the 14-day grace period. Here's why.

💡 What’s Included in Ryanair Prime?

🪑 Free Reserved Seats

You can reserve up to 12 seats per year for free—but only in specific rows. Handy if you like an aisle seat or want to sit with your travel buddy without paying extra (assuming there's still availability).

🧳 Complimentary Travel Insurance

Every flight booked while your Prime membership is active comes with insurance. It covers trip cancellations (due to injury or illness), emergency medical issues abroad, delayed flights, and stolen baggage. A solid perk—especially if you’re booking multiple trips.

🔥 Members-Only Monthly Sales

Subscribers get access to exclusive flight deals every month (12 per year). If you book regularly, the savings could seriously stack up.

💶 Potential Savings

Ryanair estimates members could save up to £420 a year—and even travellers taking 2–3 flights might save over £100, covering the cost of the subscription.

🚨 Why We Cancelled Our Ryanair Prime Subscription

When we first signed up, we were excited to start saving on our already-planned trips. But then we hit a snag: you can only use the reserved seat perk on flights booked after you join Prime.

Since we’d already booked several flights this year, none of them qualified for the free seats—which was one of the main reasons we signed up.

Thankfully, Ryanair offers a 14-day cooling-off period, so we cancelled and got a full refund. No harm done—but definitely something to be aware of before jumping in.

⚠️ A Few Other Things to Consider

🎂 Insurance Age Limit

If you’re over 70, the included travel insurance doesn’t cover medical treatment abroad. Other elements—like cancellation or lost baggage—still apply, but medical is a no-go.

🪑 Seat Choice Is Limited

Free reserved seats are only available in selected rows. If they’re full when you book, you’ll either get a random seat or have to pay extra.

⏳ Timing Really Matters

You only get the perks if your flights are booked and flown during your Prime subscription period. If your subscription ends before you fly, no benefits—regardless of when you booked.

🚫 Limited Membership

Ryanair has capped the number of Prime members at 250,000. Once it’s full, it’s full—so if you’re interested, it might be worth deciding soon.

✅ So… Is It Worth It?

That depends. If you're just starting to plan your travel year and you fly Ryanair often, Prime could definitely help you save—especially with the seat sales and included insurance.

But if you've already booked a bunch of flights (like we had), the biggest benefits don’t apply, and it might not be worth it just yet.

🧭 Final Thoughts from The Holiday Hackers

We’re all about testing travel hacks so you don’t have to. Ryanair Prime can be a money-saver—but only if it aligns with your booking habits.

Thinking of signing up? Already tried it? Drop us a comment below—we’d love to hear your experience.

✈️ Until next time, happy travels and happy hacking!