richard_smith237

Following a revamp of the Thailand Elite program last year, the minimum membership is now 900,000 baht (5 years) Daaaamn... thats a brutal increase... they must be loosing membership on that. At 500,000 baht for 5 years I think they had a 'sweet spot' and attracted many members, but that 900,000 baht is going to cost them I suspect.

Absolute bargain, said nobody A 900,000 baht for 5 years, I'd agree... That said... as an 'early adopter... I've been a member for about 16 years... 1 Million baht for life.. (and can I sell it on / 30 years transfers) In that time, I've had about (reasonable estimates) - 200 Airport Transfers (approximately) - (worth about 200,000 baht) - 200 Games of Golf (about 25 games per year for the 1st 8 years) (worth about 500,000 baht) - 100's of Massages (no idea of cost, about 500 baht each - worth about 50,000 baht) - 15 yearly Medical Check-ups (worth about 225,000) - 16 years of trouble free Visa... priceless. Adding up the above services... 925,000 baht of value (give or take)... So.. the Visa has cost about 130 baht per month. Absolute Bargain, says I... !!! and the above guesses are conservative... I'd previously worked out that membership had pretty much paid for itself at the 8 year mark.

There is, electrronic gates. WRONG... E-Gates on departure can be used for both Foreigners and Thai's... so they are not a 'dedicated Thai lane'...

100% agree.... A more 'restrained' and less cynical version of me wouldn't question if the 12,000 baht fine was because this guy was a non-Thai, would a Thai have received the same fine ? So... what charge & fine did this Thai guy doing something similar back in September '23 receive ? (not quite drifting but going in circles at a junction) https://www.newsflare.com/video/589640/bizarre-moment-driver-goes-round-in-circles-at-intersection-in-thailand?origin=sedan That said: the Lithuanian should have the book thrown at him... for his reckless endangerment. https://www.newsflare.com/video/620409/lithuanian-man-arrested-for-drifting-luxury-sports-car-at-junction-to-spite-his-thai-girlfriend

No need to wait until Monday... Mobile Banking works 24/7....

Valid point - if all the dangerous driving on the roads in Thailand was dealt with in the same manner they'd be fewer incidents. Instead we see extremely dangerous driving right under the noses of those tasked with enforcement who do nothing... How many times do we see red light jumping in-front of policemen at major junctions ??? Its easier to ask, how many times do we 'not see someone jumping a red light at a major junction'..... Heck, even when I'm thinking I'm pushing the 'amber gambler limits' I'm shocked at the amount of vehicles that follow me through.... SO... Yes, while its agreeable that such idiots face strong fines and charges, more still need to be done to ensure consistency across the board and not just levy these 'higher fines' at non Thai's (which I've wondering if this happened here).

No longer with the UK though... (post brexit).... so the Framework to have something similar between Thailand and other countries is likely to be so complicated the probability of that happening is miniscule... Additionally, the cost of treatment throughout the EU is fairly similar... but there is an extreme difference in comparison cost of treatment in the US and Thailand (for example) - thus any attempts to push through reciprocal agreements are unlikely to ever materialise. The only viable routes are: - Systems in place to ensure all have insraunce cover (that covers everything - even pished up incidents)... OR... - Write the burden cost off (as 'cost of doing business' as Lopburi3 put it)

As others have pointed out - a Manual Snapshot is not permitted... But, after the transaction is executed a pop-up message will appear asking if you want to save the receipt (usually asking if you want to save the receipt to the camera roll)... you have to execute the transaction first. But, if that doesn't work, you can still go back to the transaction afterwards and get a transaction receipt - so its nothing to worry about. Additionally, with SCB (if your e-mail address is also registered with them), you'll also get a email notification of the log in and the transaction.

IF the amount is more then 49,999 baht - SCB will not permit the transfer unless you are registered with NDID. (facial recognition) - Unfortunately, SCB system doesn't allow facial recognition system for foreigners. So.. The first question is - is the amount more than 49,999 baht ???

if they did that and was made known to the public/tourists the numbers will rise sharply as people will stop obtaining insurance. If a tourist is unable to pay their bill (and the governments covers it) that person should be blacklisted for 5 years. Would it.. ??... no one gets in an accident deliberately... Also, would those who take out travel insurance not continue to do so because they want to ensure good treatment in a private facility ? Additionally, as per a lot of the 'stories' we read, many have insurance and the claim is rejected because the injured party was under the influence, or rejected due to some other clause. That said: Perhaps this is what Thailand is already doing... they're 'writing off the burden costs'... but not advertising they do so...

Exactly.... the cost of 'doing business' in this case is 0.085% of the income from the foreign Tourist industry.

Somewhat of a dumbed down simplification of a complicated issue... "let computers deal with it"... So how would you let the 'computers deal with it' exactly ??? First reciprocal agreements have to be set up with all other countries ? (or many of them) - any idea what that involves ??? And why would Thailand set up a reciprocal agreement with Schengen countries which insist on travel insurance to obtain a visa ? And how to they check each person ?... At Immigration on entry ??? Who checks the insurance and validity of that insurance ? If there is no reciprocal agreement - where do they buy an insurance package ? from the Immigration desk, or they get sent back to another desk to purchase insurance ??... Airports are already under criticism for the excessive queues... you want to add more ?? IMO - there are only two solutions: - Add a flat rate to Air-tickets (everyone pays.. i.e. 300 baht) or, better still... - Accept that this issue has no simple solution and accept that the burden is only 1% of Medical income from tourists, better still accept that the burden cost is actually 0.085% of the total income from tourists.... i.e. its a drop in the ocean, so stop complaining Thailand and start valuing tourists, promote how Thailand looks after tourists, attract more tourists by showing how Thailand values them.

Watching this space for your thread.... "rejected entry at airport".... its only a matter of time I suspect.

True but many do That then becomes a nightmare attempting to single out those tourist from countries with reciprocal agreements and those who don't.... The simplest solution would be to include insurance in landing costs (taxes) - of course, this is unfair on Thai's and those who already have insurance... There are a lot of what ifs and no one size fits all solution here...

That 'would' make sense and is exactly what used to happen in the EU pre-Brexit... but no more. The issue of course is that people do not take responsibility for themselves. When I first came over to Thailand in my early 20's - I didn't take out medical insurance... I was naïve and ignorant to such issues, as many young people are... Then there others who just do not care or think something could happen to them. IMO - as Thailand already makes so much money from Tourism, they should write off the burden costs which only falls at 1% of the income to the medical industry - which is pretty much what they already do... but then there are the constant announcements complaining about the burden of tourists which is not exactly welcoming for a country which relies so heavily on tourism.

Correct... I was very slightly off.... 300,000,000 of 24,000,000,000 is actually 1.25% not 1.5%... And I used the estimate for 2022... If using the estimate for 2024, then the Burden of unpaid medical bills of foreign tourist to Thailand is actually 1% of the value to the medical industry of Tourism to Thailand. https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/30365540 https://www.statista.com/statistics/1311335/thailand-market-value-of-medical-tourism/

Speed boat, boats, busses, mini-vans, truck and lorry drivers... these all seem to be jobs that Thai's just pick-up through no other reason that they were there, in the area, knowing the people etc and just 'picking things up as they go along' without any specific and dedicated training training and certification.... ... the result of this fill the news... no one bothers or cares... as much as I love Thailand, this '3rd world attitude' towards safety really lets it down.

Very much so... Drunk and unlicenced tourists getting into a motorcycle accident is one of the common ones. I can completely understand the insurance companies rejecting the claim in these examples... BUT, there also needs to be a solution. A 'National insurance' system for emergencies (non-elective treatment) that covers foreigners would make good sense. - Pay 'insurance cover' on entry if visa exempt. - Prove 'insurance cover' when applying for a visa (or buy it at that point). There will of course be gaps, but most issues will be covered this way.

Regarding the payment issue... I had in-patient treatment pre-authorised by April International (I was in hospital over night - the Bill was 130,000 baht). About a month later I received a letter from Bumrungrad telling me April refused to pay the claim. I contacted April who informed me that it was due to a 'pre-existing condition' - they sent me scanned copies of my Dr's notes. I'd had a kidney stone about 7 years earlier, and then about 4.5 years before the treatment there was a Dr's comment in my medical noes after I'd had routine medical stating that a previous kidney stone was no longer present and must have passed. April had a moratorium of 5 years on pre-existing conditions and classified this as a pre-existing condition because there was a comment about a kidney stone it in my notes, even though the comment was referring to the absence rather than the presence of a stone. I objected, pushed back against April who simply continued to reject the claim. Meanwhile I was receiving letters from Bumrungrad stating they'd start legal action if I didn't pay. Ultimately, I paid because I have to travel regularly to work and didn't want any potential travel complications. I cancelled April Insurance for my family and I and have never considered them since. An additional facet of this: IF April had rejected the claim from the onset, I would have sought cheaper treatment (lithotripsy - which didn't work anyway and I still have the stone years later, its now bigger).

Sounds like a rant... I recently was hospitalized in Bangkok Hospital in Chiang Mai... when I was admitted I gave them my insurance info (Thai insurance) and signed a paper saying that I would be responsible for paying if insurance did not... no prepayment... no credit card needed. 'Sounds like' an 'its never happened to me comment'... Well done...

Whats wrong with you ??? you've been given examples and there are numerous others to draw from in this thread - I've opened a bank account with the Yellow Book (Kasikorn 6 months ago) - Used my Pink ID for counter transactions at Kasikorn, - Used my Pink ID for counter transactions at Bangkok Bank. - Used my Pink ID for counter transactions at SCB Bank - I used the Pink ID for a flight (they may have accepted DL. I didn't try because I'd tried about 10 years ago and they didn't accept it). - I used the Pink ID to check into a hotel (no passport with me - didn't try DL, but as above) - I carry the Pink ID as Government issue photo ID (instead of having to carry my passport around). - I used the Pink ID to deal with my phone contract (was already out and didn't have my passport with me). - I used the ID number (from Yellow Book) to register for the Covid vaccine and received that early on when so many other posters were complaining that 'foreigner could not get vaccinated in Thailand'. - I have used the Pink ID numerous times to get the Thai Driving and Motorcycle License (thats saved a fair bit so far - and saved a lot of time messing about with embassy appointments etc... and now embassy no longer issues Affirmation of Address, which I can't also get from Immigration as I do not submit 90 day reports as never here long enough) Thats yet to be decised - your credibility in this thread is somewhat diminished (and your below comment highlights why) ... again, whats wrong with you??... Serious asset ???? why the ridiculous exaggeration ? The Yellow House Book and Pink ID has proven useful and adds a layer of convenience... its not essential, critical, necessary or a 'serious asset'...

It was reported that Chonburi was the one DLT's where the Yellow Book was not accepted (possible one other too) seems there are many mixed reports... How long ago was this.... I think this point is of interest to many of us with a license as getting the Address letters can be a real headache for some us.

I doubt it. @DrJack54 lacks credibility. Some of his thinking has been quite muddled. Agreed... his a very useful resource on the Visa threads as he's done his best to walk in Ubon's footprints and help others with visa issues, so he still has my respect for his efforts there. However, in a topic such as this he's clearly waded out of his depth, has failed to read the thread, his credibility on the merits of this individual topic is pretty rubbish... I worded the above question very carefully to prevent 'wiggle room'... but suspect he's really over egged his involvement with assisting people with driving licences. I read a lot of his comments and never heard that he helps people with driving licenses - he could of course be correct and the policies at Bangkok DLT have altered. If he is certain... then I guess we have to go with that until we can prove otherwise - because I an not 100% certain as it was just over 3 years ago when I renewed my License and it could have changed.

You're making more of a fool of yourself, learn the difference between necessity and convenience, or at least read more of the thread than you have before blurting with such rubbish... ....the reason the thread is so long is because people such as yourself have joined the discussion late in the thread, failed read the thread first and are making the same flawed comments already discussed..... Your points in the last few pages are nothing new and have already been addressed, numerous times. The difference between necessity and convenience has been highlighted numerous times through the thread... no one has said the Pink ID and Yellow House book is a necessity... In other words the 'card' of very little use to YOU, but so what ??? The combined convenience of the Yellow House Book and Pink ID has made the effort of getting it worthwhile for the majority of those of us who have them - and any argument you want to present against that is just daft.

So you can't post one. Ridiculous. Reading difficulty ???... There are examples throughout the thread posted by myself and many contributors of how the Yellow House Book and Pink ID has proven useful in both time saving and cost saving, thus adding a layer of convenience to our lives. I can't post one that is relevant to your individual situation, you'll have to evaluate that yourself, or not because you're already closed to the possibility that you could be wrong. No it won't. I assist with license renewal.. Upcountry maybe. Bangkok no. Years ago perhaps. You assist with People renewing their Driving Licenses in Bangkok DLT Area 3 and confirm unequivocally that people who have attempted to use their Yellow House Book as proof of address have been rejected because the DLT in Bangkok Area 3 (or even other area's of Bangkok) no longer accept the Yellow House Book as proof of address. I thought you were in Pattaya... But anyway, if that is the case, I'll find out in 20 months. Finally a correct post. Which highlights that you have not bothered to read the thread before blurting in both feet in mouth. You've just made a fool of yourself - this comment has been made repeatedly throughout the thread.. The very first page of the thread in fact..