Elite Card

[Maizefarmer]

Any forum member actually have one - and just what practical benefit have you exercised that has justified the Baht1mill investment you made?

I know there are lots of things that it offers, but just what have you used it for todate that has made it worth the money spent?

Tim

[Axel]

I never applied for one, as it does not (did not) allow for a work permit.

Anyway, from a customer of mine:

30 flights in 2 years = 60 x limo (home-airport-home) Baht 60K or 150K in 5 years if one trip Baht 1000.

30 flights with buy one get one free, mixture intra Asia and twice a year to Europe. Difficult to calculate as it is not 50 but about 30% saving. (To buy one you pay the full price not the market price)

But let's say save about Baht 160K for 2 Europe flights and Baht 130'000 intra-Asia on 13 flights p.a.

So the saving on 5 years flying is 290K x 5 = 1,45 million.

Two points must be considered

a) Will he keep going with 15 flights pa. for the next 3 years?

Does he need to take staff members on the trip, because only than can save these 30%.

Time cannot calculate. How much do you save by just getting through immigration i.o. lining up for 30-60 minutes each time?

[sriracha john]

A mind-numbing FIFTY-ONE threads on the Thai Elite Card are available here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...;highlite=elite

Pick one...

[jackr]

A mind-numbing FIFTY-ONE threads on the Thai Elite Card are available here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...;highlite=elite

Pick one...

[faxx]

I think about applying next week. Will let you guys know, how it goes.

It is value for money from my point of view.

I understand that others make jokes about it, but I am certain the Thai Gov. will keep up the promises they made in the past as they will not be able to afford loosing face to their rich friends.

[chuchok]

I think about applying next week. Will let you guys know, how it goes.

It is value for money from my point of view.

I understand that others make jokes about it, but I am certain the Thai Gov. will keep up the promises they made in the past as they will not be able to afford loosing face to their rich friends.

This has got to be the biggest wind up since the cuckoo clock....

[faxx]

I think about applying next week. Will let you guys know, how it goes.

It is value for money from my point of view.

I understand that others make jokes about it, but I am certain the Thai Gov. will keep up the promises they made in the past as they will not be able to afford loosing face to their rich friends.

This has got to be the biggest wind up since the cuckoo clock....

I am not sure what you expect from the Elite Card, but with the new visa laws in place it is very hard to stay in Thailand on a regular basis if underage (not retired). The Elite Card makes things more easy. If you play it right, just the special entry visa gives you a great benefit - and that is 90% of benefit for me. The limousine service, fast track VIP service and upgrades make up 9% and the other benefits are the remaining 1%. Not interested in golf or spas at all.

You might count the green fee at a special golf course 75% and the rest of the benefits 25%, but that is not my math. According to my math it is great value over aperiod of 10 to 15 years.

[chuchok]

I think about applying next week. Will let you guys know, how it goes.

It is value for money from my point of view.

I understand that others make jokes about it, but I am certain the Thai Gov. will keep up the promises they made in the past as they will not be able to afford loosing face to their rich friends.

This has got to be the biggest wind up since the cuckoo clock....

I am not sure what you expect from the Elite Card, but with the new visa laws in place it is very hard to stay in Thailand on a regular basis if underage (not retired). The Elite Card makes things more easy. If you play it right, just the special entry visa gives you a great benefit - and that is 90% of benefit for me. The limousine service, fast track VIP service and upgrades make up 9% and the other benefits are the remaining 1%. Not interested in golf or spas at all.

You might count the green fee at a special golf course 75% and the rest of the benefits 25%, but that is not my math. According to my math it is great value over aperiod of 10 to 15 years.

caveat emptor

[sriracha john]

*sigh*.... ok, here we go for thread number FIFTY-TWO :

in a previous post, Faxx mentions obtaining a non-B... why not convert to a one-year extension?

or, as you said in yet a different post you normally stay in Thailand for 10 days? Can't VOA or Tourist visas provide you entry?

but of course, if you wish to throw away a million... up to you.

[johnnyk]

Any forum member actually have one - and just what practical benefit have you exercised that has justified the Baht1mill investment you made?

I know there are lots of things that it offers, but just what have you used it for todate that has made it worth the money spent?

Tim

If you present the card along with a handling fee of 35 baht at 7-11 they will give you a free bottle of Leo beer.

[astral]

The card is good for scraping the ice off the windscreen during the British winters.

[Khun Bob]

So that is a discount of baht 3 per bottle - so to make it worth while all you need to do is buy 3333334 bottles of leo and you've made a saving of over 1M baht, plus got a few longer stay visa to drink all the beer bought ! Makes perfect sense to me and drinking baht 1M of beer I'm not too fond of should give me fellowship of the AA (Alcho's Always) as well.

Why dont Tescos sell Thai whisky in the UK ? Or do they all ready with Tesco value whisky ?

Any forum member actually have one - and just what practical benefit have you exercised that has justified the Baht1mill investment you made?

I know there are lots of things that it offers, but just what have you used it for todate that has made it worth the money spent?

Tim

If you present the card along with a handling fee of 35 baht at 7-11 they will give you a free bottle of Leo beer.

[faxx]

*sigh*.... ok, here we go for thread number FIFTY-TWO :

in a previous post, Faxx mentions obtaining a non-B... why not convert to a one-year extension?

or, as you said in yet a different post you normally stay in Thailand for 10 days? Can't VOA or Tourist visas provide you entry?

but of course, if you wish to throw away a million... up to you.

The 10 days per stay in average is correct. As I travel a lot, 10 days in LOS, 10 days in the Philippines, 10 days back in LOS then 10 days somewhere else and so on. That's the way I like to live and I enjoy it.

With the NON B I have to stay in Thailand for all the time (up to 3 months) until I set up a biz and as soon as I leave the country my NON B is void. So I am confined to stay in Thailand if I want to set up a biz on one side, on the other side I am hurried to make a investment decision within 3 months.

The 3 months are certainly enough time to set up an employment and get a work permit if someone wants fo get a 9/5 job, but it is to short to make an investment and it does not allow me to travel outside of the country in the meantime (i.e. to transfer funds into Thailand).

That's why I see the Elite Card as a good alternative in my situation.

[Axel]

With the non-imm B you do not have to stay in Thailand. Just get a re-entry permit the keep the permission to stay on course.

Mind, once you apply for extention of stay any previous unused re-entry permit becomes void.

The usual way would be to arrive under non-imm B, get 90 days, apply for extension for business-reason and get a stamp "under consideration... come back by date ..."

That date is your latest permissionto stay until....

After 2-3 months your permission might be granted, 1 year from the original entry and time to get a multiple re-entry permit that allows to go in and out all the time.

The Elite card is not the one to get a work permit and to do business.

[tt61]

I agree with Mr. Faxxx that the Elite card has some relevance for many people. I see that there are a lot of people who discredit the card and don't give it the benefit of doubt. It seems to me they all fall into different categories:

1. 50+ with their visa problems already sorted out and just want to have some fun on this board.

2. People who can't afford to buy it and for that reason believe that nobody else should either.

I'm not a fortune teller and I can not predict what will happen to the scheme in the future. But neither can any of you who equal it to crap.

To all you who hold retirement visas, I don't see the rest of us giving you the shits and posting thousands of posts here telling you that the visa you hold is crap and it will be scrapped anytime. I don't say that because I don't know. Same way you don't know what's going to happen with the Elite program.

I can understand that you might argue that your visas don't cost a fraction of the Elite card, and that is true. But who are you to tell Mr. Faxxx and others who have a genuine interest in the Elite program how to spend their money? Furthermore, the very reason that the Elite card is so expensive, and that it is owned by the the kind of clientel Thailand is trying to attract, might also prove a safeguard against change, a potential protection the regular retirement visa (and other "standard" visas) does not have.

I am an Elite card member and I have so far been satified with their services and they have kept their promises. As is true for investments in Thailand in general, do not invest more than you are prepared to lose, I still think this investment is one of the sounder ones I have made in Thailand.

Let's just hope it continues, but then again, nobody knows, not I and certainly not all of you doomsday prophets out there...

[piet pompies]

I agree with previous post. Elite has been worth it, if only for immigration and transfers. Also for other things, saved time, bank accounts, driver licence, etc. etc. If you can afford it go for it.

[Meerkat]

I agree with Mr. Faxxx that the Elite card has some relevance for many people... ...prophets out there...

Good post. If the scheme folds, there'll no doubt be another 52 threads of schadenfreude from the usual suspects.

Back on-topic, I've only been a member for a few months. When I originally joined, I was commuting between HK and BKK weekly, so the biggest advantage to me was expedited airport service (yes, some people really will pay not to have to queue up). Since joining, and for totally different reasons, I decided to quit the job in HK and move to BKK pretty-much full time, so now derive most benefit from the visa (a lucky coincidence with the new regs).

Whilst I play golf almost every day, I only play on TE courses perhaps once a week on average (my local course is only minutes from home so happy to pay for the convenience - if that course were to be added to TE's portfolio, I'd be an even happier man).

Travel is down to about one trip a month, but the limos and quick immigration still rank high for me.

Oh, I once used the card to get the 10% discount at King Power, but that was more an experiment to see if they accepted it rather than a conscious effort to save 50 baht on a box of smokes.

So in all, no way I'm saving money with the card, but as I've stated in another thread on the issue, I don't think a potential subscriber should see it as a discount card as many others have tried to say, but as a suite of services one pays for. I've always disagreed with SriRachaJohn's notion that it's "throwing away" a million baht, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone for whom the loss of such an amount would result in sleepless nights if it all implodes.

[Steph1012]

Nice to see some things hold true.

There really are people with more money than sense.

Faxx with his 10 days LOS 10 days Phillipines, 10 days somewhere else, is only spending 60 odd days per 6 month period in Thailand. The VOA (free at port of entry) therefore represents a saving of 1 Million Baht.

Why would somebody not want to save themselves 1 million baht?

[faxx]

Nice to see some things hold true.

There really are people with more money than sense.

Faxx with his 10 days LOS 10 days Phillipines, 10 days somewhere else, is only spending 60 odd days per 6 month period in Thailand. The VOA (free at port of entry) therefore represents a saving of 1 Million Baht.

Why would somebody not want to save themselves 1 million baht?

I am so happy some guys step up to say they are happy with their TE card. Hope I will be as happy as you guys once I decide to apply for it. As you see, I love the word 'happy' :-)

Steph .... I enjoy freedom. I think I like to spend more time in the Kingdom in the future and I certainly don't want to be told upon arriving in BKK airport that I can only stay for 7 more days and then need to leave for a minimum of 3 months because I did stay there a bit to long in the past 6 months while I still need to pay for the rent of my apartment here.

While I am genuinly interested in investing in the country, I might opt not to do so if I have no appropriate offer or biz idea. It would kill any idea of company foundation or work permit and the NON B visa, but I would still love to spend extensive time in Thailand - even without a biz. Even if I decide to invest a reasonable amount in the country it still does not mean, I need to work here .... so the TE card is a great alternative for me (and a few others).

About the one million Baht: It is a considerable amount of money! But I know a lot of guys that spend 5 million Baht on a small Mercedes and they just use it to be stuck in traffic. They could be stuck in traffic with a 1 or 2 million Toyota .... but they are prepared to spend more for the Merc. In my book those guys waste millions .... but in their mind it seems to be ok.

[lukamar]

With a few changes they could have easily sold a million of Elite cards even raising the price. They could have put into effect better visa stipulations with some sort of temporary multi entry PR that was renewable every 5 years with some usable perks for everyone, not just golf and spa's, something like the Malaysia's second home program. Then they would have something.

Even at 2 or 3 million, I would be very tempted and I would guess many others would be as well.

[johnnyk]

What's the difference between the TE card offering discounts at "selected" spas and golf courses and the tour bus driver/company who offer discounts at "selected" shops and restaurants owned by cousins/brothers-in-law etc?

Steers money to those who are connected is what it does.

Seems urine-poor value to me.

[jackr]

I think about applying next week. Will let you guys know, how it goes.

It is value for money from my point of view.

I understand that others make jokes about it, but I am certain the Thai Gov. will keep up the promises they made in the past as they will not be able to afford loosing face to their rich friends.

This has got to be the biggest wind up since the cuckoo clock....

I am not sure what you expect from the Elite Card, but with the new visa laws in place it is very hard to stay in Thailand on a regular basis if underage (not retired). The Elite Card makes things more easy. If you play it right, just the special entry visa gives you a great benefit - and that is 90% of benefit for me. The limousine service, fast track VIP service and upgrades make up 9% and the other benefits are the remaining 1%. Not interested in golf or spas at all.

You might count the green fee at a special golf course 75% and the rest of the benefits 25%, but that is not my math. According to my math it is great value over aperiod of 10 to 15 years.

caveat emptor

Sorry, just doing 'The Doc' and keeping the post-rate up.

[sriracha john]

The truth behind the scams.... errr... I mean, schemes:

'Pet projects' need to be re-studied

It seems to be a move in the right direction for the government of Surayud Chulanont to put under the microscope the various high-profile economic stimulus schemes initiated during Thaksin Shinawatra's era. Some of these pet projects look fantastic on paper but have so far failed to deliver the lofty results outlined, while wasting a considerable amount of taxpayers' money. The Thaksin administration had stubbornly allowed these failed projects to continue without due regard to the huge costs and resources involved with little or no prospect of success, not to mention the chance to recoup investment. Projects like the Thailand Elite Card, Thailand Longstay, Bangkok Fashion City, Kitchen of the World, are among those that have proved to be a liability for the country and need to be thoroughly re-examined by the current government. The Thailand Elite Card project perhaps serves as the best illustration. It was launched at the whim of Mr Thaksin and advisers, without a proper feasibility study. Ever since its launch in 2003 as a strategic tool to promote tourism, Thailand Privilege Card Co (TPC), a firm owned by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) with one billion baht in funding from the national coffers, has suffered a loss of over 550 million baht. Mr Thaksin had set an ambitious target to sell one million memberships _ each at one million baht and entitling the holder to a range of privileges, including fast-track immigration clearance and multiple entry visa _ within the first five years of its introduction. To date, only 1,700 memberships have been issued. Management of the TPC project has never been in good professional hands, has been marred by inconsistent corporate strategy and poor product image, while many of the TPC board members had links to Mr Thaksin or his Thai Rak Thai party. Thailand Longstay, another grand tourism promotion scheme led by the TAT and launched in 2002, has also suffered a similar fate. With some 60 million baht in taxpayers' money thrown into the operating firm Thailand Longstay Co, it has shown no sign of producing results. Like the Elite Card, the viability of the Thailand Longstay project _ which offers foreigners and tourists a chance to stay in the country over an extended period at company-operated properties _ has been questioned by the private tourism industry. The Surayud administration should be courageous enough to axe non-performing, poorly conceived and implemented projects like the Elite Card, to stop draining taxpayers' money.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/25Oct2006_news19.php

Editorial by:

Boonsong Kositchotethana, Deputy Assignment Editor (Business), Bangkok Post

[The Coder]

To date, only 1,700 memberships have been issued... The Surayud administration should be courageous enough to axe non-performing, poorly conceived and implemented projects like the Elite Card

Wow, that's 1700 down and only 998,300 to go to reach their goal. Interesting word choice "issued" because an unknown number of these cards have been given away, bartered, or were otherwise kick backs. How many have really sold? Doesn't it raise any alarm bells to people considering buying that if it's such a good deal, why aren't people buying them? Would you really pay a million for something others get for free?

The elite card company had said the new government will have no impact on them. Clearly they are either misleading buyers or in denial. They may survive and they may not.

[brazil]

wow maybe the above 2 posts are from planet mars

the last 2 articles on the elite card in the thai press are that the new tourism minister thinks its a very good scheme along with the longstay program.

added to that the boss of the elite card stated that it has a cashflow of 400 million baht and with 1700 members thats 1.7 billion baht a pretty good earner for any government.

and when you consider that most of the members are mad golf addicts like the japanese and koreans who think nothing of paying 2 million baht a year for memberships in their own country and love all the limo services and fast track immigration treating them like royalty then thailand has everything to gain from this card.

[sriracha john]

Bangkok Post says the company lost 550 million plus.

You say that the Elite boss (the boss for this month, anyway) says they made 400 million.

Someone is wrong.

The thing is... there are MANY, MANY articles from a whole slew of numerous sources documenting Elite's huge losses of taxpayer's money.

*** edit ***

...but hey, good first post anyway...

:D

[Noel]

added to that the boss of the elite card stated that it has a cashflow of 400 million baht and with 1700 members thats 1.7 billion baht a pretty good earner for any government.

Hmmm, the above is somewhat in conflict with:

The Thailand Elite Card project perhaps serves as the best illustration. It was launched at the whim of Mr Thaksin and advisers, without a proper feasibility study. Ever since its launch in 2003 as a strategic tool to promote tourism, Thailand Privilege Card Co (TPC), a firm owned by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) with one billion baht in funding from the national coffers, has suffered a loss of over 550 million baht.

As an unknown number of the cards were given away, I know which version I believe...

[johnnyk]

The set-up of the Elite Card and Longstay is so-o-o obvious.

Get the gov't to pour tax dollars into a Toxin crony's private enrichment scheme under the guise of a gov't "investment".

Taxpayers' money funnelled from gov't into the insider's scheme/scam so no risk to him and if there is profit, well you know where it will land.

My guess is the original gov't funding was a fat enough payoff, so no need to actually make money on the fiddle but if by accident enough falang rubes buy into it then that's just icing on the cake.

Whatever revenues came would have long disappeared through creative accounting and any costs were borne by... guess who?

<deleted>, Donald Duck figured that one out a long time ago.

Even a cartoon character wouldn't give any Toxin brainwave the benefit of the doubt.

[brazil]

400 million baht is the cash flow of the elite card currently

the 550 million baht is money spent on advertising in the first couple of years. even if you are somehat slow or old there is no way that any of you can say that they have spent more than 1.7 billion baht on promoting the card in 3 years

the income of 1.7 billion baht far outways the expenditure

and i am sure the new tourism minister is not a complete fool when he chooses to say the elite card is a good program.

as for the funds there are paid to the elite card company which is owned by the tourism authority of thailand.thats right owned by the new government and the new tot boss. so all funds go to these people not to someone is no longer the prime minister.

as for the cut and paste of the article from todays bkk post, it seems like a crass attempt for some newbie spotty journalist trying to make waves, whereas the reality is the the new government like it, it makes easy money and it helps bring the quality wealthy tourists to thailand

[MiG16]

i thought I read sometime last year the govt (Thaksin's) saying the programme wasnt doing too well, and that they would have to reconsider the scheme. didnt quite follow what went on afterwards...but apparently seems like it is still running?

and yes to those that have that kind of money....1million baht is probably nothing! funny world huh.....but then thats not what we are here to discuss.....