Thailand Elite Superiority Extension application experience

[aMike]

On 1/23/2018 at 8:32 PM, mduras01 said:

Took me about 2 weeks. Process was way easier. I never looked at their website, nor did I make an online payment--which is where I think your problem originated from. Personally, I would never pay 1 million baht over a website, but to each their own. Glad it was all taken care of. Once you arrive in Suvarnabhumi, their service is stellar. I was driven straight from the gate in a gold buggy driven by two gorgeous ladies all the way to the Elite VIP immigration desk. They escorted me to my domestic connecting flight. It was a scene from a Bond movie. I don't even think the IO looked at me--stamp and go.

that sounds pretty good! Was this recently? What other perks did you use? E.g. can you have same VIP treatment for relatives/guests? Are their golf packages or other stuff worth it?

 

Would love more details on how this is handled when you arrive in Thailand, do you always pass through immigration without a queue? Is it only in Bangkok or in Chiang Mai too for example? 

 

Also the 3 months reporting thing - how is it handled, what if you're outside the country for prolonged periods..?

 

thanks, I've been considering whether getting the elite visa, or just get a yearly education visa to save up a bit.

Edited January 25, 2018 by aMike

[Seanbhoy]

what is a thai elite membership card? you paid a million baht for someone to pick up your suitcases and be driven around in a limo?

I think you could have 2 people fulltime waiting on you hand and foot for 3 years for a million baht.

[Seanbhoy]

there website is shit too - have a personal guide walk you through immigration? all you have to do is walk up to immigration, they check your passport, you get your suitcase and get in your car or a taxi - done.

golf? its really hot to play 4 hours of golf

spa? no thanks I'm not a 60yo man with crip hip

it just sounds really shit and what puts me off more well 1 the price and 2 its probably full of people like the original person who posted this - <deleted>

 

they have places where you can get everything done for you constantly 24/7 - retirement homes, go there instead

 

 

 

 

[ukrules]

7 minutes ago, Seanbhoy said:

what is a thai elite membership card? you paid a million baht for someone to pick up your suitcases and be driven around in a limo?

I think you could have 2 people fulltime waiting on you hand and foot for 3 years for a million baht.

It's all about the visa, the new 1 million Baht option grants you 4 x 5 year visas back to back and if you wanted to you could stay in the country non stop for the entire duration of your membership.

 

I don't know anyone who signed up to this for the limo rides.

[ukrules]

On 23/01/2018 at 7:24 PM, BritTim said:

I would be surprised if the bank would accept a 500k baht deposit in cash today without some documentation. Actually, I am quite surprised if you could do it even three years ago. Anti money laundering regulations usually make it tricky dealing with large wads of cash.

You must be surprised then

[Seanbhoy]

Just now, ukrules said:

It's all about the visa, the new 1 million Baht option grants you 4 x 5 year visas back to back and if you wanted to you could stay in the country non stop for the entire duration of your membership.

 

I don't know anyone who signed up to this for the limo rides.

 

erm, my work has an agent that does all of that for me, but he's such an old goat I just do it myself and take the receipt or whatever to my work and get reimburse.

[ukrules]

4 minutes ago, Seanbhoy said:

 

erm, my work has an agent that does all of that for me, but he's such an old goat I just do it myself and take the receipt or whatever to my work and get reimburse.

If you're over 50 there are various cheaper alternatives.

 

If you're under 50 and not married / don't work in Thailand like me then this option is the easiest and most efficient way.

 

Once I turn 50 things will change, however I will probably extend my current 5 year membership when it expires with the new 20 year option.

[galt67]

A friend and I, (I'm 50 and he's 65) over the past six months have both CHOSEN (and received) the 'TE 20 year visa'.

 

And our experiences, overall, have been excellent.

 

While initially, I did not receive a reply to my email (submitted through their website) 'calling' solved the issue. I was assigned a 'representative' who quickly emailed me the information and assisted me in the process. In all, took about two weeks.

 

As another commenter stated, 'this is Thailand'. Regardless of 'how much money you are paying', you must accept some (potential) speed bumps. Patience is a virtue here.

[john_bkk919]

No, this is common with them.  Personally I paid by bank deposit at their bank in-country but it still took 5 weeks and a last minute trip out of the country to get it done.  

 

There's a lot of bureaucracy in the way they do things - confirmations of confirmations, that sort of thing.  Compounded by getting different or half-answers from 4 or 5 people.  I think the email count was ~62 emails back and forth just trying to get a sticker in my passport. 

 

I'd say their customer service after 'the fact' is about the same as before, it's just that there's less that can go wrong.

 

In the end you get your visa and that's all that matters or should matter if you understand Thailand really.  The rest of it is a joke as you should expect from living here.

 

PS:  If you don't have a new passport and are not currently on a particular immi status or visa that causes arcane 'issues' getting this visa in-country, then you might have only about half the trouble.  The silver lining is money is the great driver here so things do eventually get done.

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2018 by john_bkk919
added postscript

[hstew]

What do you expect for 500,000 THB??

 

Can think of better ways to buy grief.

[bkk6060]

20 hours ago, Seanbhoy said:

what is a thai elite membership card? you paid a million baht for someone to pick up your suitcases and be driven around in a limo?

I think you could have 2 people fulltime waiting on you hand and foot for 3 years for a million baht.

Sure and one of them 21 and sexy.

This program seems very terrible.

Why not get METV?  

I hope the same people who bad mouth the Visa agencies don't come on here and say how great this program is.

 

[SicTransit]

Sure and one of them 21 and sexy.
This program seems very terrible.
Why not get METV?  
I hope the same people who bad mouth the Visa agencies don't come on here and say how great this program is.
 

Because METV is not valid for 5+ years and requires constant trips home plus gambling at the immigration.

[ubonjoe]

Some off topic posts meant to derail the topic and the expected replies to them have been removed.

[Seanbhoy]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Some off topic posts meant to derail the topic and the expected replies to them have been removed.

sorry - that was me I guess

[Tom9999]

The whole Process worked well for me.

I did have some problems to get some information using the Web Page prior to finally make my decision to join.

But once I had contacted them directly and had a return E-mail address all was fine.

Got a Status update nearly every day and the whole thing was done faster than what I had planned...

I did pay per Bank Transfer...

 

This is Thailand...so my expectations where in line with that.

If it would have been "Home" then I would have expected more...

 

As a Member I have no reason to complain....only that I need to inform them before I can use the Departure Lounge is a bit strange.

i only use the Lounge if my time allows...and I do not always know that...

[oneninetyeight]

On 1/26/2018 at 3:36 AM, john_bkk919 said:

PS:  If you don't have a new passport and are not currently on a particular immi status or visa that causes arcane 'issues' getting this visa in-country

Could you please elaborate on the particular immi status or visa? Which status/visa do you mean?

 

Thank you.

[ubonjoe]

10 hours ago, oneninetyeight said:

Could you please elaborate on the particular immi status or visa? Which status/visa do you mean?

 

Thank you.

If you are on an extension of stay issued by immigration that allows you to stay longer than 90 days you have to leave and re-enter the country to have the PE visa issued (at the airport when you return). 

No problem to have the PE visa issued at immigration if you are on a visa exempt or tourist visa entry.

[oneninetyeight]

Ok, so if I'm coming off a 6/12 month educational visa I'd need to then exit and re-enter correct?

[ukrules]

41 minutes ago, oneninetyeight said:

Ok, so if I'm coming off a 6/12 month educational visa I'd need to then exit and re-enter correct?

No need to leave the country, you can get a visa inserted at Chaeng Wattana.

[ubonjoe]

13 hours ago, oneninetyeight said:

Ok, so if I'm coming off a 6/12 month educational visa I'd need to then exit and re-enter correct?

Yes if you have extended your stay at immigration.

12 hours ago, ukrules said:

No need to leave the country, you can get a visa inserted at Chaeng Wattana.

They cannot do it since he apparently is on an extension of stay. Others have tried and they had to leave the country to get a new entry. Just fly out and back at BKK and get the PE visa on entry there.

[oneninetyeight]

Alright, thanks for the info guys!

[ukrules]

11 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Yes if you have extended your stay at immigration.

They cannot do it since he apparently is on an extension of stay. Others have tried and they had to leave the country to get a new entry. Just fly out and back at BKK and get the PE visa on entry there.

Interesting, when I had my visa inserted I was on a 30 day extension of stay from a recent 30 day visa exempt entry. That was nearly 4 years ago though.

Edited March 9, 2018 by ukrules

[ubonjoe]

27 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Interesting, when I had my visa inserted I was on a 30 day extension of stay from a recent 30 day visa exempt entry. That was nearly 4 years ago though.

You could do it since it was only 30 day extension of a visa exempt entry. Same for an extension of a tourist visa entry extension.

An extension of a non immigrant visa entry is not the same class of extension.