New Thailand Elite Visa packages from September 15th ?

[ukrules]

Just now, redwood1 said:

I hope they dont get too greedy with the new price...

I'm sure they will.

 

They will destroy themselves with greed if given even half a chance.

[JBChiangRai]

As a business founder I can see problems with the TPC business model.

 

It’s revenue is mostly upfront on sales but it’s cost are continuous and post-sale loaded.

 

It would be standard practice in the West, to amortise the sales revenue across the anticipated remaining years of the customer and/or accrue costs against the sale for anticipated future costs from the customer using their after-sale services.  
 

This is Thailand, my money is on them taking all the revenue in each year and deducting only their costs in that year to produce a profit statement.

 

It leads to increasing costs and a kind of Ponzi scheme of ever increasing required sales to achieve the same previous %age margin.

 

The end result is that a new broom will want to remove costs (ie expensive services) and increase revenue. I think that is where we are probably at.

Edited August 5, 2023 by JBChiangRai
Shpelling

[Tuvoc]

4 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

As a business founder I can see problems with the TPC business model.

 

It’s revenue is mostly upfront on sales but it’s cost are continuous and post-sale loaded.

 

It would be standard practice in the West, to amortise the sales revenue across the anticipated remaining years of the customer and/or accrue costs against the sale for anticipated future costs from the customer using their after-sale services.  
 

This is Thailand, my money is on them taking all the revenue in each year and deducting only their costs in that year to produce a profit statement.

 

It leads to increasing costs and a kind of Ponzi scheme of ever increasing required sales to achieve the same previous %age margin.

 

The end result is that a new broom will want to remove costs (ie expensive services) and increase revenue. I think that is where we are probably at.

 

Probably cashflow more than reported profits. If the Thai government takes out all the cash as it is generated, then yes they have to continue to sell to survive.

 

 

[JBChiangRai]

I would expect the new Elite packages to be

- more expensive

- have less services involving external costs

- annual fees

- some services charged for

[K2938]

[freeman01]

my thought was they got a bit overwhelmed with low class Chinese and Russians since the end of covid and want to up the standard a bit, was told Phuket is a bit dreadful in that regard these days.

 

Lots of news about bad tourists behavior past year, specially with sudden mass influx of Russians everywhere in SEA, Bali and Indonesia is rethinking visa rules in a similar way if I am not mistaken.

 

 

[K2938]

6 hours ago, freeman01 said:

my thought was they got a bit overwhelmed with low class Chinese and Russians since the end of covid and want to up the standard a bit, was told Phuket is a bit dreadful in that regard these days.

The vast majority of the Russians and Chinese who have enough money to pay the current prices will also have enough money to pay any reasonably increased prices.  These are not the poor.  So price increases would not really solve this problem very much

[El Matador]

Saw a tiktok video form a Chinese influencer about the Thai Elite visa : 

 

Seems all about lifestyle and how good you look in others eyes in a typical Asian way.

They might try to market the new TE visas towards those people.

The more rational Western way about lenght of visa/Price might be outdated.

[Celsius]

On 8/9/2023 at 4:54 PM, El Matador said:

Seems all about lifestyle and how good you look in others eyes in a typical Asian way.

They might try to market the new TE visas towards those people.

The more rational Western way about lenght of visa/Price might be outdated.

 

Chinese are not as stupid as Thai

[redwood1]

On 8/9/2023 at 4:54 PM, El Matador said:

Saw a tiktok video form a Chinese influencer about the Thai Elite visa : 

 

Seems all about lifestyle and how good you look in others eyes in a typical Asian way.

They might try to market the new TE visas towards those people.

The more rational Western way about lenght of visa/Price might be outdated.

Money divided by days....Is 99.999% of the value of this piece of paper....

 

Anyone who buys this for the golfing,health checks, status and other such rubish would be better off posting on tic-tok and paying people to like them...

Edited August 11, 2023 by redwood1

[Karma80]

On 8/8/2023 at 4:52 PM, freeman01 said:

 

my thought was they got a bit overwhelmed with low class Chinese and Russians since the end of covid and want to up the standard a bit, was told Phuket is a bit dreadful in that regard these days.

 

Low-class Chinese? Have you been to China?  I think you underestimate what wealth many Chinese can wield.

[Celsius]

12 hours ago, Karma80 said:

Low-class Chinese? Have you been to China?  I think you underestimate what wealth many Chinese can wield.

 

Japan population 125 million - 3.3 million millionaires.

 

China population 1.4 billion - 780,000 millionaires.

 

And those millionaires do not come to Thailand.

 

You must also think Thailand is also filled with ultra rich when you pass by Thonglor.

 

Too funny.

 

 

[BritTim]

24 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

Japan population 125 million - 3.3 million millionaires.

 

China population 1.4 billion - 780,000 millionaires.

 

And those millionaires do not come to Thailand.

 

You must also think Thailand is also filled with ultra rich when you pass by Thonglor.

 

Too funny.

The Chinese buying Thailand Elite memberships are, in general dollar millionaires or close to it. In the main, they are business people who want to avoid visa hassles during visits, and who in general travel first class. By the way, your figures for the number of millionaires in China is way out of date. There are currently, at least, six million millionaires in China (second only to the US). See, for instance, https://www.statista.com/topics/5788/millionaires-in-china/. It is true that, per capita, this is still much lower than in some advanced economies. However, no one looking at the huge investments by Chinese in Cambodia, Myanmar and elsewhere in the region could possibly come to the conclusion that rich Chinese are not quite numerous, or that they do not spend time in Asia.

[Willy333]

Reminder: the cutoff date to upgrade is in 3 days.
 

If you are unsure about upgrading, do it now. The process takes 6 weeks and you can back out at the end before paying.

At that point, we should know all the details about the new packages.

[K2938]

34 minutes ago, Willy333 said:

The process takes 6 weeks and you can back out at the end before paying.

Where does it say this?

[Willy333]

7 minutes ago, K2938 said:

Where does it say this?

I was told directly by Thai elite by email and talking with them on the phone.

They do a criminal record check which takes 1-2 months, 6 weeks on average.

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, K2938 said:

Where does it say this?

This is true for all Thailand Elite applications. You do not need to make a final decision and pay until the application has been approved.

[lamyai3]

3 hours ago, Willy333 said:

They do a criminal record check which takes 1-2 months, 6 weeks on average.

Is this a one time only check for the 20 year upgrades (and new 20 year plans)? Or are similar checks done at the 5 year intervals when new approval is required? 

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, lamyai3 said:

Is this a one time only check for the 20 year upgrades (and new 20 year plans)? Or are similar checks done at the 5 year intervals when new approval is required? 

For Thailand Elite memberships, there is no requalification at the end of each five year period. Under Thai Immigration law, the maximum possible length of a visa is five years. Placing the new five year visa in your passport is an automatic procedure for Thailand Elite, unlike with the LTR process.

[Tuvoc]

Yes I saw that you don't have to pay until approved, and you can just back out at that point if you change your mind. So I think I'll apply next week for the 20 yr one, nothing to lose.

 

[sathornlover]

When does the 20 year period 4x5 years start? With the sending of the welcome letter or with the receipt of the visa?

[Tuvoc]

As I understand it, the welcome letter to the scheme. So if you get it earlier than needed then you're wasting some of the 20 years - which will certainly be the case for me.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Tuvoc

[qqqqqqqq]

Can anybody confirm if there will be an extension/upgrade path for 5 year elite holders to one of the new packages after the transition period?

[Willy333]

4 minutes ago, qqqqqqqq said:

Can anybody confirm if there will be an extension/upgrade path for 5 year elite holders to one of the new packages after the transition period?

If there is, it will be a lot more expensive.

[JAFO]

I always laugh about this Thailand Elite Visa.  I almost drank the Kool-Aid thinking it was really going to make things transparent and one can come and go as they want, have a list of special perks and but its the farthest from the truth quite frankly.  Sure there are some perks but most I would never use.  

 

Now, I live and work in Thailand and have the VIP express Immigration so its a cake walk when I land, but even that said, the immigration upon arrival has improved dramatically and you zip through without issues.  I guess maybe for some who live in areas where immigration is always crowded or live far from it, this Visa might be upside but what a steep price. I prefer being here on my marriage VISA extension. Keep 400K bht in the bank is simple. 90 day check ins are always easy, in fact my wife does them for me when she heads off to see her aunt. I really only go in once a year for the annual extension. 

 

I would really like to hear from people that have the Elite Visa and what they feel they really get from it and of course their decision to sign up.

[qqqqqqqq]

How about the cost of marriage (wedding, dowry(?), support, potential divorce & split assets etc)?

 

Maybe the Elite visa is still cheaper and less hassle ????

[K2938]

19 hours ago, BritTim said:

This is true for all Thailand Elite applications. You do not need to make a final decision and pay until the application has been approved.

I in no way doubt that what you are saying is right, but since we are talking about big amounts of money is there somewhere where this is actually stated in writing?

[BritTim]

3 minutes ago, K2938 said:

I in no way doubt that what you are saying is right, but since we are talking about big amounts of money is there somewhere where this is actually stated in writing?

Just do not maker a bank transfer until you are ready. I assume they do not have the ability to remove money from your bank account without your consent.

[K2938]

25 minutes ago, BritTim said:

Just do not maker a bank transfer until you are ready. I assume they do not have the ability to remove money from your bank account without your consent.

Well, they could theoretically sue the applicant for breach of contract as the applicant needs to sign the agreement at the time of submission of documents, i.e. at point zero, way in advance of approval.  And with this they would then also have an enforceable claim regarding the applicant's bank account, depending on the country involved maybe also even abroad

Edited August 13, 2023 by K2938

[ukrules]

5 hours ago, JAFO said:

I would really like to hear from people that have the Elite Visa and what they feel they really get from it and of course their decision to sign up.

Being unmarried, aged under 50 and not working in Thailand

 

You get a hassle free long term visa with 1 year entry stamps and some largely irrelevant 'window dressing' 'benefits' and never need to leave the country if you don't want to.

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by ukrules