News & views

18 December 2008

easyJet’s new online foreign exchange service takes off

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, has today announced the launch of its new online foreign exchange service, offering travellers easy access to the widest range of foreign currencies available from any UK airline, combined with the convenience of next day home delivery.

First Rate Exchange Services (First Rate) has been appointed as the service provider for easyJet’s travel money service. First Rate has developed a fully integrated online foreign exchange ordering and delivery service which allows easyJet customers to choose from over 70 currencies, notes and traveller’s cheques, as well as receiving currency advice and a secure online payment service. First Rate’s solution, called Travel Money Online, will also allow easyJet’s customers to select their required delivery date, with orders received before 3.00 p.m. delivered the next business day to any addresses across the UK.

Each year millions of UK travellers buy their travel cash online. The provision of an online currency purchasing service means that easyJet now offers an unrivalled online one stop shop within the UK airline industry.

Bill McKimm, easyJet’s Head of Ancillary Revenue, said: “As well as offering great value flights to over 383 destinations we want travellers to have easy access to the widest range of 0% commission currencies at the same time as booking their flights online. Whether it’s Croatian kuna for a holiday to Dubrovnik, or euros for a business trip to Amsterdam, our customers will get market leading rates combined with the added convenience of currency being delivered direct to their doors.”

David Thomas, Business Development Director, First Rate added: “Savvy travellers are now using the internet to seek out the most convenient and best value deals. Offering an online foreign exchange service not only enhances customer service, but also provides an additional revenue stream too. As the UK’s largest airline we’re delighted that easyJet have chosen First Rate’s Travel Money Online service to provide their customers even greater value and convenience when visiting their website.

Note to Editors:

The Travel Money Online service allows customers to order and pay online for over 70 currencies; however next business day delivery cannot be guaranteed for exotic currencies.

About easyJet:

easyJet is Europe's leading low-fares airline, currently operating 166 aircraft on 383 routes between 106 airports in 27 countries. easyJet carried 44 million passengers in the past 12 months. easyJet flies to:

Aberdeen, Ajaccio, Alicante, Almeria, Amsterdam, Asturias, Athens, Barcelona, Bari, Basel, Bastia, Belfast, Berlin, Biarritz, Bilbao, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Bournemouth, Brindisi, Bristol, Budapest, Brussels, Bucharest, Catania, Cagliari, Cologne, Copenhagen, Corfu, Casablanca, Dalaman, Dortmund, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Faro, Fuerteventura, Geneva, Gibraltar, Glasgow, Gran Canaria, Grenoble, Hamburg, Helsinki, Heraklion, Hurghada, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Inverness, Istanbul, Jersey, Krakow, Lamezia Terme, Lanzarote, La Rochelle, Lisbon, Liverpool, Ljubljana, London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted, Lyon, Madeira, Madrid, Mahon, Malaga, Malta, Manchester, Marrakech, Marseille, Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Montpellier, Munich, Murcia, Mykonos, Nantes, Naples, Newcastle, Nice, Olbia, Palermo, Palma, Paphos, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, Pisa, Porto, Prague, Rhodes, Rome, Salzburg, Sharm El Sheik, Sofia, Split, Stockholm, Tangier, Tallinn, Tenerife, Thessaloniki, Toulouse, Turin, Valencia, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich.

About First Rate Foreign Exchange Services:

First Rate is the UK’s leading provider of foreign currency services supplying over 12,000 retail outlets with a foreign currency service. It is the UK’s biggest foreign currency notes supplier and Europe’s major provider of traveller’s cheques and in the top five globally. First Rate sources currency through its associate business unit Bank of Ireland First Currency Services, one of the world’s leading wholesale currency operations.

First Rate can provide UK retailers and businesses with the following foreign currency services:

• Travel Money Online – a service enabling the ordering of foreign currency notes and traveller’s cheques securely via First Rate’s white label internet application
• Bulk provision of currency for currency retailers
• End-to-end consumer order processing – totally outsourced, white label currency solutions for phone, internet or retail outlet order placement

To find out more visit www.firstrate.co.uk.

For further information, please contact:

easyJet
Andrew McConnell
Tel: 01582 52 52 52
Email: press.office@easyjet.com

Four Countries Communications
Ruth Barker
Tel: 0207 749 9219
Mobile: 07814 571128
Email: ruth@fourcountries.co.uk

Bank of Ireland UK Financial Services
Sandra Grandison
Tel: 0207 634 3477
Mobile: 07912 298013
Email: sandra.grandison@boiuk.com

First Rate Exchange Services Ltd is registered in the UK and Supervised by HM Revenue & Customs for Money Service Business (MSB): License number 12133160. First Rate is a joint venture between The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland (Registered in Ireland and passported into the UK for regulatory purposes) and the Post Office^® Ltd. The Bank of Ireland is authorised by the Irish Financial Regulator and the Financial Services Authority for the conduct of business in the UK. Bank of Ireland First Currency Services is a division of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland.