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EVER travelled with Ryanair and had to upgrade your fare to include more luggage? Well, you could be spending more than you need to.

Even though Ryanair is a budget airline, when it comes to booking a flight, if you want anything more than a small bag under the seat in front of you, you have to upgrade.

The same goes for if you are travelling as a group and want to sit together.

But, new findings by Which? have revealed you might actually be spending more money when you upgrade your fare, instead of just booking the most basic ticket and adding the extras on afterwards.

When you are booking a flight with Ryanair, a banner often appears stating that “Regular is ideal for your trip”.

This Regular fare is different to Basic, as it includes priority boarding, carry-on luggage and free standard seat selection.

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However, on around 30 checks over the last two years, Which? found that if they had followed Ryanair‘s advice – choosing its more expensive Regular fare rather than Basic – it would have actually only been cheaper in one instance.

Every other time it would have been cheaper to book Basic and add the extras individually.

Which? also looked at 15 flights to a range of locations for travel this month and again found that only once was the Regular ticket cheaper.

Often the Regular fare was more expensive by just a pound, but sometimes it was much more.

For example, for flights for a family of four from London Stansted to Alicante, it would have cost £61 more to choose Regular rather than Basic, for exactly the same priority boarding, cabin bags and seat selection.

Flights from Manchester to Marrakesh with a Regular fare were £45.50 more.

Instead, Which? found that if you choose Basic and just add bags and seat selection yourself later in the booking process, it works out cheaper.

If a family of four choose to book the airline’s Basic fare with four cabin bags – instead of eight with the Regular fare – then they could save £163.

It is worth noting though that the Basic fare (not with the add-ons) does have strict bag rules where your bag must fit under the seat in front and cannot measure more than 40cm x 30cm x 20cm.

If your bag is bigger than this and they spot it at the gate you could face an additional fee between £46 and £60.

If you do add cabin luggage, the same strict rules apply.

Cabin luggage must measure a maximum of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm – but if it is bigger than this, you could be charged an extra £70 to £75.

People have even been caught out in the past by a zip or handle, so it is worth being within the measurements.

And this isn’t the only way to save when booking with Ryanair…

Which? claims that passengers should also ignore Ryanair’s Plus fare, where passengers get a 20kg suitcase and seat selection.

On a summer London Stansted to Malaga route, Which? found it was actually £35 cheaper for a family of four to choose Basic and add the extras later.

Last year, the airline denied that it’s cheaper to buy the Basic fare with the extras, than use its Regular or Plus fares.

Which? asked again in February 2026 and the airline said it had nothing further to add.

And as for the Family Plus option – it isn’t needed for most families.

When Which? checked the price for two adults, a teenager and a four-year-old to travel to Alicante, they found that it would be £260 extra for the Family Plus option.

Instead, if they booked a Basic ticket and added seat selection, three 10kg cabin bags and a larger, 20kg suitcase to check-in, they would’ve paid £45
less.

Ryanair’s Flexi Plus offering has a similar story.

This fare allows you to change your flight without a fee as well as the option to choose your seat, more legroom, fast track through security and two cabin bags.

Which? found that this would cost an extra £354 for a couple flying from London to Alicante; the same extras (but without the flight change allowance) bought separately would cost £186 – a saving of £168.

Other advice Which? has for passengers travelling with Ryanair is to not add the airline’s travel insurance as it is unlikely to be tailored to your needs and could be more expensive.

Similarly, passengers should not let Ryanair do their currency conversion.

When you book a flight with Ryanair, the fare will be shown in the currency of the country you are departing from.

For example, if you were heading back from Spain it would be in euros.

The airline then converts the fare into pounds, but it is often charged at a terrible exchange rate, meaning you could be paying more for your flight.

You can opt out of Ryanair’s automatic conversion rate, but it isn’t the easiest process.

After you enter your card number, a figure will appear that shows the conversion rate.

There is then a small arrow downwards, with the question: “Want to
learn more about our guaranteed exchange rate?”

If you click on the arrow, another message appears: “If you do not wish to accept the exchange rate, you can pay in the currency of the flight and have the currency converted by your Payment Service Provider.

“However, bear in mind that the rate you receive from your bank is not guaranteed and is subject to daily fluctuations, which could result in a significantly different cost for you.”

There is then also a pre-ticked box, with the message: “We recommend you do not untick the checkbox so that you receive our guaranteed exchange rate.”

Which? recommends that travellers ignore this and untick the box, leaving the exchange rate to be calculated by your bank.

Since 2017, Which? has found that the bank rate has always been better.

However, Ryanair told Which? that this claim is false and said that its currency conversion is competitive.

Another piece of advice is to consider checking in a 20kg bag, instead of taking two 10kg bags.

If you are not bothered by priority boarding, it can work out cheaper to check in one 20kg suitcase than having two 10kg hand luggage bags and priority boarding.

Which? found that this method was £3.50 cheaper on a route to Alicante in 2026.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel said: “Ryanair’s low cost fares may look tempting, but make sure you have a calculator with you when you book.

“By the time you’ve paid extra for basics like cabin bags or simply sitting next to your own family, the headline price quickly unravels – and other airlines can work out cheaper.

“It pays to do your own research.”

In other aviation news, Skyscanner makes huge change to its website – offering package holidays for the first time ever.

Plus, cheap long-haul destinations to visit in 2026 with £119 flights and £8 hotels.

Jasmine Harman, who has been presenting Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun since 2004, has shared a top tip for holidaymakers who are looking to save money on their next trip

While it’s barely late January and summer appears distant, numerous Brits are seizing the chance to organise their getaways, as rates tend to be more affordable during this period.

With that in mind, travel guru and Channel 4‘s A Place in the Sun presenter Jasmine Harman has revealed a savvy money-saving tip for holidaymakers to consider.

Chatting to The Sun’s TV Mag, the telly favourite disclosed that selecting a particular device for booking could massively enhance the bargains available.

She revealed: “The device you book flights on also has an effect on the prices you can get. If you’re using a laptop compared to a phone, you’ll get a different price.

“It’s so much easier to do it on your laptop, but you’ll get a better price on your phone! I think a lot of people will be impressed by the destination dupes too – where if you want one type of holiday but don’t have the budget, there are alternative places to try.”

Jasmine’s guidance might catch some off guard, however, last year, a Which? travel specialist also clarified why opting for the compact gadget in your pocket beats the larger one sat on your desk.

Speaking on Which?‘s official TikTok page, the expert said: “I would never book a hotel on a computer without checking the price on my mobile phone first.

“We slashed £270 off the price of an apartment in Amsterdam on Booking.com, and we saved almost £100 on a weekend in Florence with Expedia, just by booking a mobile exclusive.”

Additionally, the travel expert advised against booking flights through online travel agents without first comparing prices directly with the airline.

She stated: “Although online travel agents appear to be cheaper, they tend to whack up the prices of extras, such as bags and seats. If you need those, it might be cheaper just to go with the airline directly.”

However, whilst booking holidays via mobile phone might seem convenient, Which? has warned this approach could catch people out.

On Which?’s website, senior researcher and writer Trevor Baker cautioned: “However, beware when trying to book other kinds of travel by phone, such as flights and some cottage stays – as you could be hit with an unexpected fee of up to £50. It’s a charge that’s likely to particularly affect people who are less able to book online, such as blind or older travellers.

“If there is a fee for booking by phone, then always ask the call handler if that can be removed. In the case of a disabled person who’s not able to book online, we think removing the fee should be a legal obligation.”

SPAIN has always been a top holiday destination for Brits – but is quickly being taken over by a number of other destinations.

According to Jet2 CEO Steve Heapy, Spain has lost its appeal to holidaymakers with other destinations coming for its crown thanks to rising costs.

In an interview with Hosteltur, Mr Heapy predicted that Brits are ditching Spain for other destinations, all in North Africa.

The reason being? Money.

Mr Heapy explained: “Price is critical; inflation has affected Spain more than other emerging markets, making the destination more expensive.

“Tourist taxes don’t help either; paying an additional five euros per person per night on top of the trip cost represents a significant expense.”

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In places like Barcelona, the surcharge for overnight stays is rising to €5 £4.34) per night.

In the Balearic Islands like Majorca and Ibiza, there’s an eco-tax added to accommodation which ranges between €1 (87p) to €4 (£3.47)pppn.

It will soon also be more expensive to fly to Spain, as previously reported, Aena, which operates the majority of airports in Spain, is increasing its airport charges by 6.44 per cent in 2026.

With the increase in cost, Mr Heapy said that Brits are heading to other locations instead – which are still just a few hours away from the UK.

He said: “North Africa is performing well, with Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt standing out.”

Morocco is a great option for Brits, especially those seeking winter sun – and some destinations are less than an hour from the UK.

A flight from the UK to the vibrant city of Marrakesh takes just three hours and 40 minutes.

In February there are highs of 21C – much warmer than being in the UK at that time of year.

It’s cheap too, according to Skyscanner you can fly with Ryanair from London Stansted from just £15 on February 23, 2026.

On that same day, it’s more expensive to fly to Madrid which is £17 – and the journey is one hour less.

Head of Sun Travel Lisa Minot recently visited the Moroccan city where she discovered desert landscapes, colourful streets and new bars, restaurants and hotels.

Other popular destinations in Morocco include Agadir which has beautiful golden beaches, the country’s capital Rabat, Essaouira on the southern coast, Fez and Tangier.

Tunisia is also back in the game according to Jet2’s Mr Heapy.

The number of Brits heading on holiday there has risen significantly with around 350,000 British visiting in 2024 – 65 per cent more than the previous year.

And numbers are rising thanks to its great weather, short flights and beautiful beaches.

And according to TravelSupermarket, Tunisia offers some of the very cheapest 5-star holidays on the market, averaging at £614pp.

Egypt has plenty of beautiful beachside resorts that will appeal to Brits seeking a fly and flop holiday.

You’ve got beach resorts like Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada, or if you want more of the city life, head to Cairo of Luxor & Aswan.

With loveholidays, breaks to Sharm El Sheikh including breakfast and flights start from as little as £219pp.

There were other Mediterranean destinations that Mr Heapy said are keeping a good level of tourism – like Greece.

There you get the best of both worlds from ancient cities to beautiful islands.

It’s also home to the world’s best island for 2025 – Paros, where travellers will find secret beach clubs and incredible restaurants where holidaymakers dance on tables.

Spain’s neighbour, Portugal, is also continuing to be popular especially in places like Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve region.

One writer who relocated from London to Lisbon still can’t believe how cheap it is.

You can pick up booze for less than £5 – from local beer to wine, she said “you can still purchase a top-quality house white or red for just a few euros.”

Coffee can be bought up for around 80p if you like an espresso – or coffee with milk – called a ‘galão’ – will usually come in at under two euros.

For more on Portugal, here’s the secret side of the country crowned one of the best places in Europe to visit.

And hear from one Greece expert who names four better value islands where locals go on holiday with Santorini-like houses and secluded beaches.