Selling my Permanent Visa from EliteCard

[JumpingJim]

34 minutes ago, wordchild said:

I have limited use for it anyway. I was offered 1.5 million a few years ago which seems like a more realistic price.

Keep in mind that a few years ago the DTV didn't exist.  I doubt you could get half that now.  The primary value now seems to be the golf and transportation perks.  Or perhaps more if you can find someone who is willing to pay up for the certainty of 30 years.

[wordchild]

52 minutes ago, JumpingJim said:

Keep in mind that a few years ago the DTV didn't exist.  I doubt you could get half that now.  The primary value now seems to be the golf and transportation perks.  Or perhaps more if you can find someone who is willing to pay up for the certainty of 30 years.

You are almost certainly correct re the value of TE.
 I don’t need the visa for my residency in Thailand, but some of the perks are nice and I hang on to  it for that reason.
In my own mind I had written the value of it down to zero anyway which is why I was surprised to see such large values mentioned at the start of this discussion.

i travel a lot in and out of Bangkok , probably 2/3x per month, and I do value having a car waiting just the other side of customs to whisk me straight home after I get off the plane. That is why I referenced the new limo policy from TE above. If , in the future, there is a significant wait involved , then the card loses a  chunk of it’s value for me.

[Presnock]

On 3/11/2025 at 5:34 PM, richard_smith237 said:

 

The 'O2' levels where the 'air' is clear enough to see the investment. 

 

Having owned LifeTime Elite Membership for over 15 years its already paid for itself... 

- AOT Transport (approx 16x per year) with fast Track through Airport: 16,000 baht per year

- Golf (20 to 50x per year at 2000-4000 Baht per round) - Av approx 120,000 baht per year 

- Massage: Weekly: *26,000 baht per year 

- Yearly Medical: 20,000 per year

 

- Rough workings: about 180,000 baht of perks per year...   

 

At a cost of 1MB - mine paid for itself quite quickly... 

 

*using the argument that you'll only pay 500 baht for a cheap massage, in reality these are high end massage places that usually cost anywhere from 1500 to 2000 baht. 

 

 

For someone who plays Golf 3x per week and likes decent / top courses

(4000 baht per round) - consider that to be around 642,400 baht per year...   OK, so its unrealistic to play 3x per week every week...  so half that: and you're still looking at 300,000 to 400,000 per year on golf alone... 

 

For those in that sort of target demographic - the cost of membership is not an extreme proposition at all. 

 

When the membership first came out we had all the same comments - the nay sayers etc... 

Years later - there are Thai Elite Members (Life timers  and 20 year members) whose membership has more than paid for itself. 

Actually if oneis a gofer, membership in some great courses here are cheaper.  I was a member earlier for many years, had lights so I could play evenings too which I did faithfully almost every day for years.  I walked mostly, lost a lot of weight and wondered if I could bore myself of playing - tried 3 times a day for over a month and still did not tire of playing - caddies had to be replaced though as they couldn't make it walking 3 rounds continuously every day.  Just saying, as I too feel the cost/benefits of elite are overpriced...I have an LTR and after dropoing 50% of cost is even better than it was in my opinion and for me the best visa going based on my finances too.  But to each his own use for his money!

 

 

 

 

 

[MrBanks]

On 3/7/2025 at 8:21 PM, richard_smith237 said:

 

Someone who uses the services... 

 

I now have a free life time Visa....    because I've already used so much Golf, Massage, AOT Transfers, airport fast tracks, and health checkups....   

 

 

 

Nope... its not like that at all.. Its like that to you. 

 

To those truly interested, its not just about the Visa, but the perks that come with membership to.

 

I don't have to ever prepare a load of Paperwork to submit for my Marriage or Retirement extension.... I simply go to Immigration, give them a card, sing something an its done.

 

The annoyance of course is the frequency which which I have do do this (theoretically 4x per year) though in over 15 years of TE membership I've only had to do this twice as I travel so much.

What do you sing?

I usually do “Catch a falling star”, or if I am particularly happy “What a wonderful world”

Thanks for the typo, I don’t know you, but a vision of a mature farang, standing in immigration and singing, gave me a good chuckle! 😂

[richard_smith237]

5 hours ago, MrBanks said:

What do you sing?

I usually do “Catch a falling star”, or if I am particularly happy “What a wonderful world”

Thanks for the typo, I don’t know you, but a vision of a mature farang, standing in immigration and singing, gave me a good chuckle! 😂

 

haha...  good spot on the typo - gave me a good chuckle too !!!