Thai Airways R.o.c.gold Card

[Rinrada]

Thai Airways Gold and other Frequent Flyers Club cards.....Have you got any others and what do you recon?

Next trip should give wife and me a T.G.-R.O.C Gold Card but has anyone got one?

I have all the usual info about upgrade deals,priority bookings,lounge access etc but just wondered if there is anything else it can do.

Like prob.most regular wing dingers I managed to accumulate a load of other F.F.cards...China Air,KLM,BA,Lufthansia,Sing.Air C.P.BMI..etc. In fact my first one was the old Chieftian Club with British Caledonia Airways (Gatwick-Nigeria )but never kept them up.

In fact recently I found an old milage cert from 1990 with TG but as said...and.. out of date

[britmaveric]

Personalised Gold membership card and 2 luggage tags

5,000 threshold bonus miles on attaining or retaining Gold status

Exclusively on THAI

Dedicated Gold Member reservation helplines

One round-trip complimentary upgrade to the next class of service using a paid ticket

Guaranteed seating in Economy Class on international flights when contacting THAI more than 72 hours prior to the scheduled departure time.

( subject to booking class codes.)

Star Alliance airlines

Top priority reservation waitlisting and airport standby* on all fully booked flights

Priority check-in and boarding and baggage handling

An additional 20 kilograms baggage allowance, or 1 piece of luggage when the piece concept applies

Access to all airport lounges displaying the Star Alliance Gold symbol on presentation of same-day departing Star Alliance ticket and Gold card

Rinrada- to sum it up the new status basically gets you priority service, access to the lounge, extra luggage allowances.

[piet pompies]

Forget about the guaranteed seating, not really valid, (in our experience, see my previous posts) but here is something interesting.

Last week in Thailand a friend wanted to upgrade an economy seat to business to India using miles. TG in (Thailand)agent told him about a new rule, if you fly more than 50K miles a year you are allowed a one class R/T upgrade, internationally, from Economy to Business, or Business to First. On getting back to HKG I checked this with TG, sure, but little publicity. You can go up to 100K miles a year for two R/T upgrades, but not more than that. Sectors do not apply, only miles. I am waiting for a reply from TG to an e-mail.

[britmaveric]

Hmmm love to see that happen elsewhere. I have bulk of my miles on UAL.. upgrades are 30K per segment if you don't pay full fare. UAL keeps giving me upgrade coupons however they can only be used in Yankland, every 10K flown get 8 500mile coupons.

- UAL offers dbl miles for premier exec for every fare flow, triple for 100K club.

- UAL offers bigger seats (econonmy plus)

- Year end Bonus Miles

Pretty much only difference between Thai and UAL (both are Star Alliance Members)

[penelope]

My wife and I both have one.

Dont really use any of it's perks.

Usaully travel light therefore dont require extra baggage allowance.

Usually travel business class therefore get priority checkin and lounge access anyway and there are invariably always seats available so dont require the priority booking service.

It's just a marketing ploy to make you feel "special", so you keep flying with Thai.<deleted> really.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

My wife and I both have one.

Dont really use any of it's perks.

Usaully travel light therefore dont require extra baggage allowance.

Usually travel business class therefore get priority checkin and lounge access anyway and there are invariably always seats available so dont require the priority booking service.

It's just a marketing ploy to make you feel "special", so you keep flying with Thai.<deleted> really.

Not so. Gold card holders do get special service, and it doesn't cost to belong.

[penelope]

My wife and I both have one.

Dont really use any of it's perks.

Usaully travel light therefore dont require extra baggage allowance.

Usually travel business class therefore get priority checkin and lounge access anyway and there are invariably always seats available so dont require the priority booking service.

It's just a marketing ploy  to make you feel "special", so you keep flying with Thai.<deleted> really.

Not so. Gold card holders do get special service, and it doesn't cost to belong.

And my point was that as regular business class travellers we don't use any of the special services outside of what non-gold card holders travelling bussiness would be provided anyway.

It does(indirectly) cost to belong....thousands of dollars worth of airfares annually.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

My wife and I both have one.

Dont really use any of it's perks.

Usaully travel light therefore dont require extra baggage allowance.

Usually travel business class therefore get priority checkin and lounge access anyway and there are invariably always seats available so dont require the priority booking service.

It's just a marketing ploy  to make you feel "special", so you keep flying with Thai.<deleted> really.

Not so. Gold card holders do get special service, and it doesn't cost to belong.

And my point was that as regular business class travellers we don't use any of the special services outside of what non-gold card holders travelling bussiness would be provided anyway.

It does(indirectly) cost to belong....thousands of dollars worth of airfares annually.

Those indirect costs apply to pretty well all carriers. ROP Gold works for me, and I have had a gold card since mid 1995 or 96.

[britmaveric]

I'd have to agree if you are gold member, you'll be treated better than someone who just buys a Business Class ticket. You are deemed a repeat customer and extremely valued compared to someone who is one off.

[Axel]

Let's face it, these loyalty programs are good business for the airlines who as well 'push' you to upgrade from silver to gold to platinum, whatever the name is.

Was this last trip really necessary that you made, just before renewal of the criteria?

How often did you book with 'your' airline, although others (same quality, schedule) had a special action for cheaper price.

How often did you take a longer trip with connecting flights to get your mileage i.o. a direct route with another (comparable) carrier?

I used to have cards from 5 carriers incl. 1 gold on CX.

Downgraded myself to two silver, one TG, to cover Staralliance and one CX for oneworld/Asiamiles. Especially on oneworld the difference between Silver and Gold in minimal after they changed the program 2-3 years ago. Silver does not give me the highest priority, if CX does not have a seat I am sure to get one on a Staralliance member and v.v.

Most use I make is for free tickets or upgradings.

Same time I collect points on credit cards, (which is not allowed in many European countries) and transfer to the airline just when I need it.

Rough rule: Baht 25 spent by credit card gives you 1 km free flight in economy.

In other words, one beer gives you 3 km, "one more beer please"

or should I change to wine for more mileage?

[grahamb]

I read on a Frequent Flyer forum that one of the unpublished benefits of getting to Royal Orchid Plus Gold is that they frequently upgrade Gold card members when the flight is 90% full. I've not (yet) experienced this but hopefully I've just been unlucky up to now. If this is true, it's quite unusual and is a nice perk. I've been a top-tier frequent flyer with Star Alliance and OneWorld for a few years now and have had very few upgrades so I'm hoping I get more from Thai!

Admittedly, if you travel business class anyway, the additional perks of ROP Gold are not great but for us Economy class travellers, they are definitely better than standard Economy class travel! Depending on the airline, I have found some airlines where I do get better service as a Gold/Plat card holder than a 'regular' Biz class passenger so I don't think it harms to have the card...

[Axel]

grahamb, I agree to the extra perks you can get. Myself ended up often a class higher than booked. Last month got even an upgrading while already in my seat.

It is just a matter of comparing. These days I would not take the extra flight to get from silver to gold, unless I really have to travel.

[Rinrada]

Just got the latest newsletter with a bit of info for October-Nov-Dec.

www.thaiairways.com/rop and click on Members Only

Welcome to eNews, a concise summary of print issues of Royal Orchid Plus News, with links to full newsletter details.

Also included are special partner offers to give you more miles and Awards faster. Browse through and make your frequent travels more rewarding.

Discounted Upgrades on THAI Star Alliance News

Exclusively for Royal Orchid Plus members, upgraded travel with THAI is once again smoother than silk with exceptional savings.

Discounted paid upgrades also earn full mileage accrual, in Royal Executive Class 125% and in Royal First Class 150% of miles flown. All are qualifying miles that count towards Silver or Gold status.

Until November 30, 2004 enjoy great savings and more miles.

Paid travel on the world’s largest airline network gives you miles that you can redeem for free travel to almost any destination on the planet. In this issue see details on Visit Japan fares, Double Miles with US Airways and mileage accrual updates with Star Alliance airlines.

Music, Dance and Tennis A New Card Partner in Thailand

Bangkok comes alive in September with dance, music and world-class tennis. Tickets for the Bangkok International Festival of Dance and Music and the Thailand Open can be redeemed with miles. Catch some of the world’s best on the stage, and on the courts.

GE Krungsri cards issued in Thailand now feature point to mile conversion, and until October 31, 1 point = 1 mile. If you are a Thailand resident, spending is more rewarding with our newest partner.

Award Travel Instantly Economy Deluxe Award Travel

Instant Award ticketing and more is great news for members throughout Australia and also in Sweden.

More comfort and attentive service awaits you when redeeming in Economy Deluxe Class between Bangkok and Copenhagen or Stockholm, beginning October 31.

Buy One Get One Travel Smarter in Asia

Available for purchase in Thailand only, this special offer gives you the equivalent of 2 Royal Executive Class or Royal First Class tickets for the price of one until October 31.

If you travel in Asia, www.SmartTravelAsia.com has it all, with a zest! In October, the 3rd Faces of Asia mega draw offers complimentary rooms at some of Asia’s best resorts. The place to browse when in the air, or on the road, in Asia.

Partner Offers

More Miles with Travel Partners

Boost you account with partner bonus mile offers, take advantage of special rates and much more designed to make your frequent travels more rewarding.

Hertz

Double Miles in France, Switzerland and the UK

SRS-WorldHotels

Each Suite Night Earns 5,000 Bonus Miles

Le Meridien

Double Miles with

Le Meridien Breaks

InterContinental Hotels Group

1,000 Bonus Miles per Night

Hyatt Hotels and Resorts

1,000 Bonus Miles per Night

............................................ Selected Offers

These offers are available to members residing in specific countries and are designed to provide additional benefits and bonus miles.

In Thailand CitiGold Deposits Can Earn Up to 65,000 Bonus Miles

In Japan With a JCB/Royal Orchid Plus Card Earn Up to 3,000 Bonus Miles with Your Spending and 2,000 Bonus Miles For New Cardholders

............................................

More Miles & Great Savings

Banyan Tree, Bangkok

Best Western

Central Hotel &Resorts

Hyatt Hotel & Resorts

Imperial Hotels

Mandarin Oriental Hotels

Shangri - La Hotel & Resorts

Travel Thailand Phuket Vegetarian Festival

On-line Account Access

Access your account at anytime at www.thaiairways.com/rop

and click on Members Only

You may view activities in your last statement period, or up to the past 6 months. All are printer friendly.

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www.thaiairways.com