Thai Privilege Card

[gerry1011]

I remember when this first came out and the main benefit was not the visa but the supposed land ownership. Then that was diluted to ownership through some quasi government backed company, then it was or appears to have been dropped altogether.

What happens when you get some high ranking Thais around a table ? plans are formed which would be knocked back in any western company or government but they are not in Thailand because those who are in a position to dissent want their turn at the head of the trough and as such are not going to say anything to threaten that possibility. QED, the Elite Card was born.

Now at Bt1m there are various arguments which either make it a bargain or a rip off. The seriously wealthy or ostentacious state that XYZ this and that at mega prices means that the card is good value even if only for a few years. The more sensible who do not need private jets for a one hour flight make arguments which state the exact opposite. My feeling is that the truth was somewhere in between.

Raise the bar to Bt1.5m and reduce benefits substancially and the arguments about the validity must move to the side of those who detract from the scheme. Any other argument is pure justification to oneself that the money paid is worth it. Note also that those who have paid never accrue the interest or return they would get on their investment but they tend to write it off in one go. Strange in the extreme.

I did not purchase a card. I could afford one and write it off. I did not because there was no compelling reason to do so. Perhaps if I flew in and out 30 times a year then those benefits would be worthwhile as perhaps would they if I spent more time in Bangkok.

Quite rightly their are comments that the scheme could collapse at any time. Surely a reduction in services and the raising of a fee that so few were willing to pay in the beginning marks the next step in the withdrawal process ?

At last a sensible comment (I mean it)

There have been many sensible comments about this subject in the past.

I guess that sensible persons are just tired of spending time writing sensible comments about it now.

TE is a very nice product in my opinion. Pity the company that runs it does not use all its potential to turn it into a great product.

I love TE, it fits my own needs perfectly and it is a cheap option for a (much) easier life in Thailand.

I never used any privileges. I only take advantage of the visa, tranfers, and the services at the airport... for which 1 million ( I am an early member) appears to me as a bargain.

I say often that if I 'had to work', I would love to run TE, make the Elite Card better and... much more expensive to get

I love TE

[Rockefeller]

I clearly remember Elite card defenders claiming they didnt have to attend, that the Elite card people would do this proicess for you ??

Let me tell you this. The Elite office informs us we must go in person to extend our visa. Furthermore, the official form they give us to fill out says APPLICATION MUST BE MADE IN PERSON, emphasized in capital letters like that. So if someone says differently, they have some explaining to do.

Elite is aware extending their visa is more complicated and time consuming than other types of visas. They confided in me that their hands are tied and they are unable to do anything about this indefinitely, though they wish they could. The fundamental problem is the architects of the Elite program designed it for tourists rather than residents. If you stay for short periods, the visa works great. If you reside in Thailand, there are a number of disadvantages the Elite visa creates relative to other kinds of visas, extensions being one of them. I can outline some of the other problems if there is interest.

On a positive note, the Elite visa comes with a 5 year validity. That gives us the confidence we can stay 5 years in the kingdom consecutively if we choose to. Even if Elite were to go under, there would seem to be no reason for the government to go to the extent of cancelling our visas and sending us home. Other visa schemes may carry greater risk for the 5 year horizon.

I hope this information is unbiased and useful.

[LivinLOS]

So now we are looking at actual costs about 30k per annum at a min up to maybe 80k per annum at a max, plus a nice vacation on top.. Versus 1.5 million and the loss of 150k per annum at only 10% returns. Smooth move fellas !! Making my assets meant I needed smarts, having money doesnt mean I have lost them.

LivinLOS what amazes me even more with people like EmptyMind is they cant possibly refute the

possibility this whole scam could just collapse tommorow. We all know the reason he needs to inflate

his figures ...................whatever it takes to make him feel better

Midas, How can something that works be called a scam ? You get what you pay for, please enlighten us to which part of that is what you call a scam ?

Yes it could fall apart tomorrow but so can anything, people have been saying for years that it wont work, but it does.

Also if you check the prices of business class flights and nice hotels, you will find my figures quite accurate thank you !

Advertising you could own land.. and then withdrawing that illegal option after people had purchased them.

[LivinLOS]

I used to fly with my partner every three months to bordering countries on either a hunt for a new Single entry tourist visa that was becoming silly as I physically live in Thailand, Or, using a Business Visa I would do the same 3 monthly border runs for the new 90day stamp.

The thing for me was that this was tiresome and expensive and also getting to be a worry constantly asking for tourist visas or business visas that in theory I wasn't entitled to, I was neither a tourist or a businessman.

I don't like to do land border runs and flying economy just makes life miserable, so, Lets say I did this on 3 month Tourist Visas.

Flight Business Class for 2, Approx 49,850.00 in flights - Say 20,000 for a decent hotel + A few other expenses your talking about 70,000 Baht a trip.

4 trips a year 280,000, say I do this for 10 years. 2,800,000 Baht

Say I use the Elite card for 10 years and the economy never changes

Cost = 1,000,000 Baht

90 Day Stamps = 4 x 1900 x 10 = 76000 Baht

So 2,800,000 - 1,076,000 = A total saving of 1,724,000 Baht (or if I use it for 30 years, thats a saving of millions of Baht)

Also as well as saving the money I have the clear mind that I don't have to bother with border runs / planes / visas / hotels etc and of course peace of mind is priceless.

Your number are just silly.. A airplane visa run can be done in a day for 5k return from my location (Phuket) to KL or last time looked sing (tiger jetstar have changed a bit so its been a while, Even silk air to Sing with hotel package is about 8 or 9k last time I looked at thier specials. Of course driving to a border is a hassle, but could be about 2k all in and not really much longer than going to the gov office for me (7 - 8 hours round trip).

Thing is I tend to vacation and take short hops out of the country anyway, so rarely do I have to visa run, these cost vanish in my travel plans for fun. The grand Prix coming soon, A weekend city break, Bali for a month, etc.

Once a year I need to make sure I vacation for a month out of Thailand, DHL one of my passports, and pay 110GBP for a visa. They used to DHL it back to me globally but had some problems and wont now take that responsibility. So lets say something like 20k baht once every year or 15 months. Plus the cost of a vacation I need to get away from here anyway.

So now we are looking at actual costs about 30k per annum at a min up to maybe 80k per annum at a max, plus a nice vacation on top.. Versus 1.5 million and the loss of 150k per annum at only 10% returns. Smooth move fellas !! Making my assets meant I needed smarts, having money doesnt mean I have lost them.

I quoted the figures based on ME not based on YOU. I dont like sitting on the back of a Jetstar plane or staying at hotel backpack. If it would cost you money and not save you money, then dont buy it.

You clearly didnt read what I wrote..

I dont need to stay overnight in a backpacker hotel.. Or any hotel.. Once a year I get a visa, and 3 or 4 more times I leave the country.. In my case I rarely have to consider the forced leaving of the country as I have my little trips anyway, so they happen by default.

In my case the cost of being on a one year visa outside of my normal travel falls down to the visa price and some DHL. But unlike you i didnt use extreme numbers that fit only me, I used realistic ones to replace the visa part of the service (nothing else about it interests me, I have access to lounges, I dont play golf, I dont do spas)..

If you cant replace an annual visa under 100k your a mug.. If you cant get 100k return out of 1.5m assets your also a mug..

[LivinLOS]

Yes but the point your missing here is that the card was and still is aimed at people who will pay the fee so that the Government makes money from them in one way or another. That point never was hidden and again you say scam.

Any system that requires current member privs to be paid from new member signups has to have an ever increasing exponential number of people signing up to cover the rising member base, in the end any system that relies on this for of finance is a pyramid system AKA robbing petter to pay paul. Both of which are terms commonly associated with scams.

I could quite easily buy a card, I could buy a hundred cards, but theres no value proposition in it for me.

[midas]

If they took the money and then refused to answer e-mails or give you membership, then yes, that would be a scam. However since you get what they advertise for the advertised price, I think you need to do some Googling to see what the word scam really means.

I wish that you people who hate the card just because you can't afford it or don't want it would stop hijacking every post that mentions the card with your naive notions of a scam. Who cares where the bank is, Many agents for the card have bank accounts in their own countries. These crazy comments are totally unjustified as usual.

Do you call everything a scam back in your home Country ? It's getting tiring listening to you people with no interest in the card what so ever rambling on about it.

I think there are some purchasers that bought one at the beginning who would disagree they

" got what was advertised ". As LivinLOS correctly pointed out it was offered on the basis

you would be able to own land.............then it was discovered it would all be implemented

through a Thailand Elite Management Company

yes i checked on the definition and I have not changed my mind and no i do not call

everything a scam - only where you are promised something which you are subsequently cheated out of !

scam (skam)

noun

Slang a swindle or fraud; esp. a confidence game

Etymology: prob. altered < scheme

transitive verb scammed, scam′·ming

Slang to cheat or swindle, as in a confidence game

In the case of of the Elite Card it is not the just the land fiasco it all the subsequent

" benefits " that have also vanished.

[gerry1011]

Yes but the point your missing here is that the card was and still is aimed at people who will pay the fee so that the Government makes money from them in one way or another. That point never was hidden and again you say scam.

I could quite easily buy a card, I could buy a hundred cards, but theres no value proposition in it for me.

Some members bought a card, they could buy a few billion cards...

For this kind of people the 'value proposition' is very good, compared to a price that is negligible

[beano2274]

I have never seen an Elite member in Suan Phlu, and if they tried to jump the queue all hel_l would break loose.

So many people waiting for 90 day reports or other things would not be interested how much you paid for your card, they are just interested in getting served before you as they might have been there longer.

I certainly don't have the money for such a card, and have 2 condos here in Nonthaburi, am happily married to a Thai lady, and also don't mind the yearly running to the immigration office for extensions, I take my wife and all the documentation with me and Bob's your uncle, no Elite staff holding my hand.

About the Bank in Singapore, that seems a bit shady, isn't that the place Thaksin's money went? Maybe you

Elite members have lined his pockets.

[humbug]

I have never seen an Elite member in Suan Phlu, and if they tried to jump the queue all hel_l would break loose.

So many people waiting for 90 day reports or other things would not be interested how much you paid for your card, they are just interested in getting served before you as they might have been there longer.

I certainly don't have the money for such a card, and have 2 condos here in Nonthaburi, am happily married to a Thai lady, and also don't mind the yearly running to the immigration office for extensions, I take my wife and all the documentation with me and Bob's your uncle, no Elite staff holding my hand.

About the Bank in Singapore, that seems a bit shady, isn't that the place Thaksin's money went? Maybe you

Elite members have lined his pockets.

as close to 60 billion baht of taksins money is sitting in a siam commercial bank account in thailand from that transaction wouldnt that money be lining the pockets of the owners of that bank?

so if you have any info on that money being sent to singapore please tell!!