Thinking Money Investigates the MBNA and Ryanair Re-Launch of 'Bonus Flights' Credit Card

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, September 21, 2010 (Press-News.org) To much fanfare, Ryanair re-launched the Ryanair MBNA credit card with the focus squarely on the perks for those who use it.

Card holders do indeed have reason to pay attention to the re-launch as all those who use the card for a purchase or a transfer will receive bonus flights on flights throughout the Ryanair network, all they have to cover is taxes, fees and related charges.

The Ryanair MBNA card was originally launched in February 2003 and attracted much attention with eager bargain hunters looking to get an even cheaper credit card deal on that short-haul hop to the continent. Since its launch, over 400,000 people have signed up and taken advantage of the free flights offer and the affinity deal has become one of the most successful in Europe.

Speaking about the re-launch of the card, Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said: "Ryanair Credit Card customers can take advantage of our new bonus flights programme on more routes, more flights and more often than ever before. Switching is easy and new and existing customers can now see more, for less, with Ryanair and MBNA."

At its height, MBNA was receiving around 2,500 applications a week for the Ryanair credit card and those days are set to return with the re-launch and increased availability of bonus flights. As is expected from anything that involves Ryanair, qualifying for the bonus flights is simple, users just have to purchase or perform a credit card balance transfer within 90 days of receiving it.

Speaking about the re-launch and the benefits for card-holders, Suzanne Holmes, Head of Communications at MBNA said: "The right rewards credit cards is important in the current environment when, more than ever, customers are looking for more choice and benefits. Now with the enhanced bonus flight programme coupled with a market leading rate of 0% on balance transfers for 10 months this offer meets that need."

The extended benefits programme developed for the re-launch allows customers to earn bonus flights to and from any of Ryanair's 155 airports across Europe and even non European destinations such as Agidir in Moroco. All very well, but what many people will be asking is can you avoid the much agonized over card fee by using the Ryanair MBNA credit card? No you can't but seeing as the flight could be free, it's a small price to pay.

The partnership between MBNA and Ryanair is just one of the many highly successful affinity deals offered by the Bank of America Subsidiary. Veritable specialists in this are of the industry the UK's largest credit card provider has partnerships with many reputable organisations including Virgin Atlantic, Manchester United Football Club and the National Trust.

If the success of the Ryanair MBNA credit card the first time around is anything to go by, the re-launch will prove to be yet another beneficial partnership between two industry leading companies. And the card-holders don't come off bad either, with free flights to ever increasing destinations, ash permitting of course.

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