Thai Elite Card & 5 Year Visa

[Hampstead]

One outstanding worry is the rumour of an annual fee. If that were perhaps 50k or 100k then the very reason to have the card goes out of the window. No-one seems to know whether this would apply retrospectively.

However, I recall a story of a retired German doctor who had a pension of 300k a month or something plus loads of cash who was refused a retirement visa extension because he was too sick.

Any annual fee would apply to NEW members only.

If true, must be more to the German story...if he had that much monthly income and was sick...he would have been a great customer for all the hospitals in Thailand. He must have been on death's door...like many I see in Pattaya and they still seem to get extensions. Maybe he was one of those HIV+ Germans who expressed a wish to take revenge on the working lasses of the Kingdom and was therefore denied an extension for this purpose.

Well the simple fact is, with the Elite being a private company, thats already stiffed CNN for 300 million, that already lied many times (property ownership, remember that old chestnut), thats already cut down membership advantages to current members, that already put caps on spa and golf, that already stopped the unofficial perk of allowing some privileges to family members (I mean, do you really walk through fast track and make your missus go through the plebs route ??) etc etc etc.. Well you never really know what they will or wont do ?!?! I mean, say someone bought that card to go golfing 2 times a week, now he cant can he ?? what rights does he have ??

Plus I just feel leary about handing over a million to a company that racks up millions in advertising and then refuses to pay.. Shows their true colors doesnt it.

As to the possible German, tho I find the story a little unusual, there are laws stating you cannot renew a visa if you have some diseases, not only HIV etc but IIRC TB (which is getting more common in Asia) and others (maybe even Hep?).. Maybe the Elite could have helped him.

Oh My God

Are you ready to jump from that balcony, you have some serious negative thinking on this program

You state that living in thailand on a multi o or b visa is the way

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND

these multi o and b visas's were never designed to become a lifestyle choice, there are designed for ONLY visiting for up to 90 days at any time in a 12 month period, and that is the reason you guys have to leave the country every 90 days

there are only 4 options for a lifestyle program to live in thailand

PR, Citizenship, Retirement and the Elite

Marriage, work permit, these are subject to keeping a job or the business succeeding which can never be a long term lifestyle choice in thailand and the marriage visa which is subject to keeping that lovely thai women from running off with somebody else

Not too many choices currently for people to choose thailand as a suitable long term country to live

[ovenman]

degenerate

Yes some people seem incapable of discussing different viewpoint or perceptions without insulting the other party..

Easy to be a keyboard warrior..

SJohn

You mean your key board warrior wars against this program

Funny, I thought LivinLOS was referring to you brazil Hampstead, but he can correct me if I'm wrong.

[LivinLOS]

degenerate

Yes some people seem incapable of discussing different viewpoint or perceptions without insulting the other party..

Easy to be a keyboard warrior..

SJohn

You mean your key board warrior wars against this program

Funny, I thought LivinLOS was referring to you brazil Hampstead, but he can correct me if I'm wrong.

I was referring to anyone who has to imply that a poster is a degenerate simply because they use a non imm multi instead of an Elite card.

I havent really bothered with the elite card threads before (and now I am understanding why).. However this thread started with an OP who seemed to have made a good clear assessment, who had looked at the numbers dispassionately and come to a conclusion. I thought there might be value in just commenting how I can see the same numbers yet have a different conclusion. Yet somehow that becomes some kind of hot button topic.

I still feel that 1m spent looses me the return / income I get on that 1m, which in turn is far higher than the relatively easy (currently) replacement cost I have to get a multi entry (superior in many ways to an Elites semi tourist visa) and for me I tend to be out of the country often enough that visa running is not something I need to think of much, maybe once a year or so am I forced to do one outside of my normal travel plans.

Each to their own, if I played golf a lot, or if I went to the spa a lot, or if their visa lead into PR, or if etc etc my view might change. I am certainly not firmly against the system just dont see much need for it myself or trust the service to remain truly lifetime like they claim. It seems to me many of thier claims have already been broken and or reduced and also find that any service (especially in Thailand) you pay for before receiving the service tends to disappoint. Thats just my assessment.

[Firefan]

For the under 50 with money enough and long stay plans I think the Elite card is a good solution. There really is no other truely "by the book" way of staying long term besides PR.

People that talk about easy 1 year non-o/b visas based on "visiting friends", "looking for investments" Etc. are lucky to have access to these, typically in their home country consulate. But no way would I get such a visa at my Scandinavien home country without real proof of work/contract Etc. Hull(uk) and a few other places are famous for being "friendly". One day they might not accept your "looking for investments/work" the 100th time you stand there.....

If I did not have the investment visa, I would seriously consider the card. Just doing the nos (13 years left till reach retirement visa possibility/ Baht 1M/13 years = 76k/year ) it is a resonable price to pay for peace of mind, convinience Etc. even BEFORE looking at the (ever dwindling) perks.

An increase to 1.5M changes the nos a bit, but not that much.

I do understand that paying 1M/1.5M have some lost "opportunity costs" as the money could be invested and earn a return (calling 10% a "safe" return is for another thread I think, but if we talk long term equity averages, then ok ).

Cheers!