CCPC concern leads Ryanair to change currency option
RYANAIR has made changes to its website following the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) raising concerns about how it presents currency conversions to consumers.
Last year, Ryanair’s use of dynamic currency conversion was criticised by Which?, a UK consumer watchdog, for the high conversion rate it charged customers. The watchdog highlighted that, where the customer was buying a fare advertised in another currency, the airline automatically converted fares to the home currency of the purchaser, at an exchange rate that compared unfavourably against market rates.
Which? examined several flights in its investigation, which included other airlines, and found Ryanair’s exchange rate inflated prices by 6pc on average.
The CCPC detected changes to Ryanair’s website relating to its use of dynamic currency conversion in the second quarter of 2019.
Changes to the website included the insertion of two tick-boxes at the bottom part of the payment screen, which gave consumers the option to pay in either euro or sterling.
The consumer watchdog contacted Ryanair regarding concerns over the visibility of these options.
The agency asked Ryanair to place the option to select the preferred currency for payment in a more “prominent and clearly visible place”.
A spokeswoman for the CCPC confirmed that Ryanair had made changes to its website.
Ryanair, which is headed up by Michael O’Leary, said its currency conversion presentation is transparent and complies with consumer protection laws.