My Final Thoughts on The Thailand Pass

[JomtienEats]

My experience with TP was that it was key to make contact on the phone after submitting the application. My applications were stalled, and I waited days with the same uncertainty and frustration as others, but once I had someone on the phone, they were able to sign off on the application in less than 30 seconds. This was not easy, as all the phone numbers officially provided were not operational.

 

The advice to contact an agent is likely pragmatic but also problematic - I doubt they do more than submit your documents and then know the right person to contact to have it processed in a timely fashion. It's essentially an application fee on a process that is supposed to be free of cost.

 

I don't say any of this to apologize for the process - it was broken and wrong and a callous way to treat visitors. My main complaint is that all the risk is loaded onto the visitor - many items you must pay for in advance with no guarantee of success or a fair process, or a refund if things go wrong. So all the power and responsibility to get things right is with TP, but all the stress and costs are borne by the visitor. If the application is stalled for some reason, it may just be ignored. If you don't have your TP 24hrs before departure, you don't even know whether to incur the additional expense of a PCR test.

 

I endured the process as a returning expat, but I don't think I would do it again. I would certainly recommend against it to any holidaymakers.

[setbkk]

Excellent summary of situation. I was in same situation with my wife's TP. Waited on phone long time, gave up. Sent pleading email, no response. But did get approval next day with little time to spare. Not sure if email helped.

 

I submitted application on 3 Jan without Covid test payment. Covid test website would not accept US credit card. Borrowed a friend's THAI c/c and payment went through. Reapplied for TP on 5 Jan. Today, 8 Jan BOTH applications were approved.

 

Many anxious days of waiting because of dsyfunctional websites.

 

They have built a system designed to discourage tourists from coming. Sad.

[setbkk]

Unfortunately, for the applicants all the processes that cost money have to be done first.  Fairly easy to do as no involvement with Thai government websites.  The real hassle occurs with the Thai Pass application and the Thailandpsas.com (Covid test payment).  I do not know how US citizens (and possibly other countries) can make payment on that website.  I spent hours screwing around with Thailandpsas.com - try different browsers, try with/without VPN,  try on laptop and on mobile phone, try different credit cards - no success.  Finally called Thailandpsas.com, actually spoke to someone.  Her response is the problem is with the bank that processes the credit - call that bank and complain.  Good luck with.  Clearly the people at Thailandpsas.com know there is a serious problem with their website.

 

Now the latest zinger on the Thai Pass website is:

"URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT !  Starting 4 January 2022  Please be advised to avoid making hotel reservations through Booking.com as they do not fully comply with Thailand’s entry regulations and may result in delayed consideration"

 

How many people have already made hotel reservations on Booking.com and find this little turd buried in the Thai Pass website.  Or worse, do not find it and have application delayed because of Booking.com reservation.

[JomtienEats]

27 minutes ago, setbkk said:

Unfortunately, for the applicants all the processes that cost money have to be done first. 

Yes, this is really the crux of it.

 

None of the businesses are really invested in you having a successful experience either.

 

The airline is happy to take your money for not flying you, the insurance is happy to insure you for a trip you never take and the hotel really makes bank, they're happy for you not to stay in a room and pay them for PCR tests that are never taken.

 

 

[Albert Zweistein]

3 hours ago, JomtienEats said:

Yes, this is really the crux of it.

 

None of the businesses are really invested in you having a successful experience either.

 

The airline is happy to take your money for not flying you, the insurance is happy to insure you for a trip you never take and the hotel really makes bank, they're happy for you not to stay in a room and pay them for PCR tests that are never taken.

 

 

In other words, stay at home or go to another country.

[The Hammer2021]

A Good  explanation  and analysis....

[daveAustin]

If they really want visitors, the least that pathetic excuse for a gov could do is take the having-to-book-and-pay-for-testing off the table. Make it free you tightwads!

[JomtienEats]

On 1/8/2022 at 9:05 PM, daveAustin said:

If they really want visitors, the least that pathetic excuse for a gov could do is take the having-to-book-and-pay-for-testing off the table. Make it free you tightwads!

 

I wonder how much each visitor is worth to the economy. Maybe not even 1 covid test.

I do think its OK to ask visitors to bear the burden of the increased costs of travel in a pandemic, but with Omicron, all this is likely to be moot. I suspect the covid panic will soon be over, but I do wonder how long before entry restrictions will reflect it. 

[internationalism]

between 0.1 to 1% are turning positive (with omicron can expect much more) and hospital, hospitel is minimum 10k per night.

Private international and top thai private charge 2x that.

Cost of pcr with super fast 20 minutes results in dubai airport is only $50. So at thai government hospitals real price is below that. Yet when paying for pcr at TP some 2200b goes to hospital.

I would think phuket charges more