Ryanair is notorious for its cheap flight fares, but it's also infamous for its fees on add-ons from baggage to seat reservations.

However, being aware of the types of extras you could be charged for makes it easier to navigate through the booking process – and avoid issues further down the line.

For example, checking in online is free while if you leave it until you get to the airport, you may have to pay a fee.

Made a minor error on your booking, such as misspelling a name? There's a 48-hour grace period where you can correct it for free – but after that, you could face a hefty charge.

To give you a helping hand, we've put together a guide with Ryanair booking tips, from the rules that you need to be aware of.

Oh, and we've also shared some hacks for bagging deals and saving some extra cash.

Check out the guide below…

Looking for more flight deals? We've also got booking guides for airlines including easyJet and British Airways.

Ryanair rules to watch out for

When booking your Ryanair flight, there are a few policies that are worth making sure you know about – here are the top ones to have on your radar.

1. Baggage allowance

Want to bring a second piece of luggage? You'll need to either opt for priority boarding, or make use of the 10kg check-in option – and don't think about chancing it, as Ryanair is notorious for checking that passengers have adhered to the cabin bag regulations (and if you don't meet them, you may need to pay a fee to place your bag in the hold).

Non priority passengers can bring one free small personal bag which can't be bigger than 40cm x 20cm x 25cm. (Aka a handbag, laptop bag or small backpack). You can bring duty free bags in the cabin along with your cabin baggage.

If you paid for priority boarding you can also bring a free small personal bag, as well as a cabin bag that must not weigh more than 10kg and must fit in the overhead locker.

2. Seat reservations

If you're travelling in a group or with children, then you may want to pay to reserve your seats – otherwise, you will be randomly allocated seats on the flights and there's no guarantee that you'll be put next to the people you're travelling with.

The Ryanair website states: "In the unlikely event that there are no available seats together on your flight, you must accept that you won’t be sitting together to proceed with your booking, alternatively you can select a different flight."

You can find out more about reserving seats here.

3. Correct errors in 48 hours

You'll want to triple check your booking details – as you book and straight after.

Made a minor error on your booking, such as incorrectly spelling a name?

Ryanair has a 48 hour grace period from the time of the original booking to make these corrections, free of charge.

After that, fees for correcting errors start from €115 online. You can find out more here.

4. Online check-in

Check in online and make sure to print or download your boarding pass, as this is free. However, if you forget and have to check in at the airport, it could set you back £55 per passenger. Checked in but forgot your boarding pass? The boarding pass reissue fee at the airport is £20.

(The exception is if you booked a Flexi Plus ticket, where airport check-in is included in the price).

Ryanair offers some temptingly cheap fares – and in sales, it's been know to have flights from £4.99 each way (not counting the extras).

However, there are ways to bag bargains and save that little bit extra cash no matter what time of the year you're booking.

We take a look at some easy ways you could make your holiday budget stretch a little further…

• Need to bring a small suitcase but don't need a 20kg luggage allowance? Make use of Ryanair's 10kg check-in bags which can be cheaper with prices at £8. Click here for more information.
• Consider booking your extras separately – there's a handy hack which could save families up to £100 on extras, depending on your needs.
• Ryanair has a handy deals page where it often flags new sales and discounts, as well as some of the cheapest fares currently on offer.
• Make use of Ryanair's Fare Finder which often highlights the cheapest rates for your chosen destination.
• Sign up to Ryanair's emails through the website and you'll get early access to discounts, sales and more offers.

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