Bangkok Airways has brought back their Elite & Elite Plus cards which offer cardholders unlimited flights with the carrier for one year, throughout 2023.
Interested customers have to apply for the product until November 30, 2022 and Bangkok Airways will then process the purchase and payment.
Both cards differ in flight availability in so far as the Elite Card includes all domestic routes within Thailand while the Elite Plus Card also has all of Bangkok Airways’ international destinations included.
The international routes currently served by PG are: Bangkok-Maldives, Bangkok-Danang, Singapore-Samui, Bangkok-Phnom Penh, Bangkok-Siem Reap, Bangkok-Yangon, Bangkok-Luang Prabang.
Cost for the two card products is as follows:
- ELITE CARD (Domestic): 120,000 Thai Baht + 7% VAT = 128,400 THB
- ELITE PLUS CARD (Add Routes): 190,000 Thai Baht + 7% VAT = 203.300 THB
You can access the website for the Elite & Elite Plus Card products here.
Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited launches the Elite Card and the Elite Plus card offering its card holders unlimited journeys on all Bangkok Airways flights throughout 2023 as well as offering amazing privileges exclusively for card members only. Application period for enrollment is available from 1 – 30 November 2022 at https://www.bangkokair.com/theelite. The card can be used for travels from 1 January – 31 December 2023. (Terms and conditions apply)
Bangkok Airways Elite Card is considered a “one-of-a-kind” product that the airline has never offered before. It is an amazing opportunity for Bangkok Airways frequent-flyers who are seeking top value-for-money products. Bangkok Airways Elite Card will be offered in two categories which are: Elite category and Elite Plus category. The Elite card will allow its members to enjoy unlimited travel on all domestic flights, while the Elite Plus card will allow its members to enjoy unlimited journeys on domestic and international flights with Bangkok Airways throughout 2023. (1 January – 31 December 2023)
Bangkok Airways Elite Card holders will be entitled to great benefits including preferred seat assignments, priority status (boarding and baggage delivery, premier check-in counter at available airports), and free unlimited reservation modifications including travel date and flight changes. In addition to that, members will get Blue Ribbon Club lounge access (BRC), extra baggage allowance of 10 kilograms over the normal 20 kilograms, and discount privileges on offers with our Beyond Flying Privileges partners.
• THE ELITE CARD, a perfect card for domestic frequent-travelers. The card is priced at 120,000 Baht (excluding VAT), allowing members unlimited travel on all Bangkok Airways domestic flights such as Bangkok-Samui, Bangkok-Phuket, Phuket-Samui, Phuket-U-Tapao, Phuket-Hat Yai, Bangkok-Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai-Samui, Chiang Mai-Phuket, Chiang Mai-Krabi, Bangkok-Sukhothai, Bangkok-Lampang, Bangkok-Trat, Hat Yai-Samui, Bangkok-Krabi, Bangkok-Hat Yai, including future domestic routes in 2023. Members can travel either one-way or roundtrip on these routes. In addition, members will also receive Blue Ribbon Club lounge vouchers for companions (5 vouchers) valued at 4,750 Baht.
• THE ELITE PLUS CARD, a perfect card for those who travel often throughout the Bangkok Airways route network. The card is priced at 190,000 Baht (excluding VAT), allowing members ulimited travel on all Bangkok Airways domestic and international flights such as Bangkok-Maldives, Bangkok-Danang, Singapore-Samui, Bangkok-Phnom Penh, Bangkok-Siem Reap, Bangkok-Yangon, Bangkok-Luang Prabang, Bangkok-Samui, Bangkok-Phuket, Phuket-Samui, Phuket-U-Tapao, Phuket-Hat Yai, Bangkok-Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai-Samui, Chiang Mai-Phuket, Chiang Mai-Krabi, Bangkok-Sukhothai, including future domestic and international routes in 2023. Members can travel either one-way or roundtrip on these routes. In addition, members will also receive Blue Ribbon Club lounge vouchers for companions (10 vouchers) valued at 9,500 Baht as well as a complimentary stay voucher (one-night) at SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton.
It’s hard to say if this product has a good value. It was available before (in 2020) for 100,000 Baht and has now increased to 128,000 Baht incl VAT which is US$3430.
Yes, these are unlimited flights, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to how often someone is actually able to use them. The only worthwhile case I can make for this is for commuters who live in one part of Thailand but work, for example, in Bangkok.
Another choice, especially for the international Elite Plus Card, is for business travelers with projects and frequent appointments at international destinations.
For leisure travelers, this is going to be an investment that’s hard to justify. Just break it down to a weekly amount:
- ELITE: 2,469 THB per week
- ELITE PLUS: 3,909 THB per week
The definition of “Unlimited travel” is only valid for the base fare and does not include ancillaries, add-ons, airport charges, taxes and regulatory fees, or other applicable charges.
You would have to fly every single week in order to maintain this value considering the pricing for pretty much any other domestic destination other than Samui, you can buy a round trip for less than this. And as soon as you miss one week the ratio moves up, making it even harder to benefit.
A one-way ticket on Bangkok Airways (or Thai Smile) domestic network can be obtained from anywhere between 900-1500 Baht with the exception of Samui, which is usually 2200-3000 Baht. You can obviously get it a lot cheaper when using low-cost carriers such as Air Asia and VietJet.
For international routes, it could indeed be interesting from a value perspective but again, how often would one take an international trip, let alone to the most expensive destination, the Maldives?
The Elite PLUS cardholders receive a complimentary SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton one-night voucher. That being said, you need to get to the hotel and who will do that for just one night?
Members who purchase this product will receive an upgrade to FlyerBonus Premier membership status throughout 2023 with the associated benefits. The reservations can be changed on an unlimited basis. Cardholders will also receive benefits with the 1SIAM Shopping Loyalty scheme.
When flying on these tickets, passengers will collect miles with Flyer Bonus. Theoretically, one could also swap the FFP and collect miles with a partner carrier but keep in mind that the entire Elite Card in contingent upon a Flyer Bonus membership which you’d then have to manually swap out against another loyalty card (and lose the benefits in the process unless you wait until the last minute for changing the number).
Conclusion
Bangkok Airways has returned the option to purchase an unlimited pass for flights in the 2023 calendar year. This time it will come in two versions, one for domestic flights and the other that includes the carrier’s international destinations as well.
I’m a bit skeptical about this product because I think the price is a bit too high so that it could be considered a sweet spot. Mind you in 2020 Bangkok Airways sold the same domestic pass for 100,000 Baht, which was slightly better.
One really needs to be a very frequent traveler on Bangkok Airways and commute pretty much weekly in order to make this product worthwhile the investment. Otherwise, you might be better off and more flexible just purchasing tickets on an individual basis.
These are the Terms & Conditions for both card products:
Benefits and Privileges
Terms and Conditions
