Thai Elite 20-year Visa: Outlook & Process [2023]

[David Hoffman]

I've received the email too and I am now seriously considering upgrading to 20 years now before August 15th... Any insider info on pricing of the new packages ? I've got a bad feeling it's gonna get significantly more expensive than the 400K (I think) required to get 15 more years from the 5 years basic visa (maybe no 20y option going forward, only 5y at current 5y price ? just a guess).

[taylor1975]

4 minutes ago, David Hoffman said:

I've received the email too and I am now seriously considering upgrading to 20 years now before August 15th... Any insider info on pricing of the new packages ? I've got a bad feeling it's gonna get significantly more expensive than the 400K (I think) required to get 15 more years from the 5 years basic visa (maybe no 20y option going forward, only 5y at current 5y price ? just a guess).

Possible prices are mentioned above. 5m for 20 years? who knows for sure though.

I've only used 1 year of mine and luckily (debatable lol) i'll be over 50 when my 5 year ends. I don't appreciate 2 weeks notice so i'm keeping my 400k. 

[David Hoffman]

9 minutes ago, taylor1975 said:

Possible prices are mentioned above. 5m for 20 years? who knows for sure though.

Okay... Seems strange because 4 x 5 years would be cheaper than 20 years, when you'd expect to get a discount instead the longer you take (but then it's Thailand, Thai logic applies so who knows).

Also 1 year into mine but nowhere near 50... Don't like the 2 weeks notice either but I'll upgrade anyway...

Edited August 3, 2023 by David Hoffman

[Thomaz73]

4 hours ago, taylor1975 said:

Possible prices are mentioned above. 5m for 20 years? who knows for sure though.

I've only used 1 year of mine and luckily (debatable lol) i'll be over 50 when my 5 year ends. I don't appreciate 2 weeks notice so i'm keeping my 400k. 

Similar mindset here. However, along with these potential TE issues, there are equally disturbing talks floating around retirement visas (age to qualify and bank requirements.) But I've more or less chosen to see what happens. Might be the end of my Thai "career". 

[Jackie2013]

7 hours ago, Gonetothedogs said:

My Visa agent (Thai Visa Centre) assures me i won’t have an issue as the old volunteer extension was in a different passport, but I don’t believe her frankly. Immigration will have a record of it somewhere, they link all your passports together 

Personally, I would not risk it if I had a volunteer visa in my < 5year history. They are so extremely explicit, on pretty much all documents, that it will be rejected. Remember, having a ED isn't disallowed on the application-docs but we have several reports (reddit,facebook,expat-forums, etc.) that even they are being rejected left-and-right. 

If TPC told you it was OK, that's one thing - but if an agent with 10% commission told you, stay vigilant. 

Edited August 3, 2023 by Jackie2013

[Jackie2013]

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/chinese-influencer-praises-thailands-vip-experience-on-elite-visa-starting-at-600000-baht

[Calmdown]

This is bad news for me.

Planning for early retirement in about 1-2years, and was aiming for the 5yr Thai Elite.

Is there any rumours about perks and services included in the new visa schemes? or are they only gonna jack up the prices and remove or keep existing perks?

Sounds like a great plan to make Thai Elite that is finally after all these years making some money to show negative results again.

Only in Thailand.

[Tingtong4Thai]

3 hours ago, Calmdown said:

Is there any rumours about perks and services included in the new visa schemes? or are they only gonna jack up the prices and remove or keep existing perks?

I have the 5 year Elite.  Official correspondence from Thai Elite to me on Friday August 4th was as follows:

"Further to the new membership packages, we are afraid to inform you that the price of the new re-branding package has not been finalized by the board management yet. Please stay tuned for the announcement of this information."

There has been a lot of speculation regarding the nature of the new packages to come and the price.  I assume that the price is heading up since they shrunk the upgrade window for current holders down from years to days.  But it's conjecture at this point.

They also pointed out that they can change anything at any time, so it's kinda hard to decide whether to hand over another 400,000 baht to extend to 20 years.  Now that they've pulled the rug out from under us, it's evident that they can and will do it again if it suits them and we'll have no recourse.

[stacksreg123]

3 hours ago, Calmdown said:

This is bad news for me.

Planning for early retirement in about 1-2years, and was aiming for the 5yr Thai Elite.

Is there any rumours about perks and services included in the new visa schemes? or are they only gonna jack up the prices and remove or keep existing perks?

Sounds like a great plan to make Thai Elite that is finally after all these years making some money to show negative results again.

Only in Thailand.

Price increase will be significant. I didn't want to get the elite at the moment either, but given the situation I applied for the 20y.

I know I'd regret it if I didn't get it now and payed way more for it later.

[Tingtong4Thai]

2 minutes ago, stacksreg123 said:

Price increase will be significant. I didn't want to get the elite at the moment either, but given the situation I applied for the 20y.

I know I'd regret it if I didn't get it now and payed way more for it later.

Yeah, I'm leaning toward upgrading.  Not sure what to make of them forcing current holders to make a quick upgrade decision without the benefit of knowing the cost and structure of future offerings.  Guess it means that what's on offer now is as good as it gets and they're hoping most won't upgrade before the deadline.

[Jackie2013]

2 hours ago, Tingtong4Thai said:

 

They also pointed out that they can change anything at any time, so it's kinda hard to decide whether to hand over another 400,000 baht to extend to 20 years.  Now that they've pulled the rug out from under us, it's evident that they can and will do it again if it suits them and we'll have no recourse.

I can't really defend the short notice of upgrade - but I would like to point out two things.

1) The legal text that TPC "reserves the right to change..." isn't anything new, and is pretty much a standard in all legal docs and has been with TPC since starting. It's almost a ctrl+c / ctrl+v by lawyers when finalizing a doc. 

2) TPC has never rug-pulled existing members benefits, even the highly unprofitable ones, for 20 years - so I'd like to make a small push-back there as well. 
 

[Tingtong4Thai]

14 minutes ago, Jackie2013 said:

2) TPC has never rug-pulled existing members benefits, even the highly unprofitable ones, for 20 years - so I'd like to make a small push-back there as well. 

Maybe they haven't, but they definitely can and IMO with the upgrade change I feel that they have.

It was a benefit to have the life of the visa to choose when to upgrade.  Presumably, one's investments could grow over those years before the funds would be needed. Now those who want to upgrade must scramble to apply on short notice and if finding is an issue, they're out of luck.

It's been awhile, but I remember a previous thread where it was suggested that it might be good to consider just going for the 20 year Elite from the start in case they changed their mind on the upgrade before the five years were up and the comeback was that it wasn't a concern because it was in the contract...

I'm looking at the upgrade application now and it says, "*All terms and conditions are subject to change. The Company reserves the rights to change any benefits and/or Privileges without prior notice."

That said, who knows what changes are in store for the retirement visa?   I felt from the start that the Elite was a better way to go for me and still do.  We'll see.

Sorry if I come across as a complainer, but this upgrade situation doesn't set well with me.  Guess I just need to vent a little. 

[Jackie2013]

31 minutes ago, Tingtong4Thai said:

 

I'm looking at the upgrade application now and it says, "*All terms and conditions are subject to change. The Company reserves the rights to change any benefits and/or Privileges without prior notice."

That said, who knows what changes are in store for the retirement visa?   I felt from the start that the Elite was a better way to go for me and still do.  We'll see.

Sorry if I come across as a complainer, but this upgrade situation doesn't set well with me.  Guess I just need to vent a little. 

You're most welcome to vent, and the short upgrade time doesn't sit well with me either. It will be a loss on their side - as you're certainly not alone in feeling a loss of trust. 
 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Jackie2013

[Calmdown]

Yeah, i'm in a tricky situation now.. do I believe the rumours about insane price jacking or will it not be that severe..

I don't really understand, for me the elite is expensive already yeah, but I could fit it into my overall budget just to get around the otherwise pretty annoying process to renew, go border run and all them hurdles that comes with a normal visa.

I mean there are alot of wealthy people in the world, but how can this make sense?

I hope they will have an option without perks altogether, i dont care about a golf carts at the airport, 5minutes more quickly trough immigration, and some free taxi for 80km or whatever.. i'm not royalty, those things are irrelevant.

I just want an easy way to be able to stay in Thailand and spend my money in their economy.

[Thomaz73]

2 hours ago, Tingtong4Thai said:

Sorry if I come across as a complainer, but this upgrade situation doesn't set well with me.  Guess I just need to vent a little

Can't blame you, mate. I'm in the same situation and not liking it

[Mr_wimpy]

It’s a bit of a piss take really.  2 weeks notice.  Could at least tell you what the new deal is if you wanted to extend rather than leave it a guessing game.  
 

I just hope there is still an option to do so.  Not really bothered if it’s slightly more expensive.  Just want to know the options really

Edited August 8, 2023 by Mr_wimpy

[Thomaz73]

17 minutes ago, Mr_wimpy said:

It’s a bit of a piss take really.  2 weeks notice.  Could at least tell you what the new deal is if you wanted to extend rather than leave it a guessing game.  
 

I just hope there is still an option to do so.  Not really bothered if it’s slightly more expensive.  Just want to know the options really

Couldn't agree more. I contacted TE about upgrading. And to their credit the response was close to instant and included the form I need to fill. My main stumbling block might be not enough passport space and not enough time to handle that. We'll see. 

[James99x]

14 hours ago, Mr_wimpy said:

It’s a bit of a piss take really.  2 weeks notice.  Could at least tell you what the new deal is if you wanted to extend rather than leave it a guessing game.  
 

I just hope there is still an option to do so.  Not really bothered if it’s slightly more expensive.  Just want to know the options really

Not 100% on this but since the application takes 1-2 months to approve anyway, and based on the first time I applied it was not compulsory to proceed after approval had been granted, then I am presuming that the same applies here.   By that time it should be pretty clear if the new ones will go up to 900,000 for just 5 years or if they (highly unlikely) offer something that is just the visa without any of the bells and whistles for half the current price.

[Mr_wimpy]

1 minute ago, James99x said:

Not 100% on this but since the application takes 1-2 months to approve anyway, and based on the first time I applied it was not compulsory to proceed after approval had been granted, then I am presuming that the same applies here.   By that time it should be pretty clear if the new ones will go up to 900,000 for just 5 years or if they (highly unlikely) offer something that is just the visa without any of the bells and whistles for half the current price.

I just hope there is still an option to extend the existing ones and we don’t get shafted.  

[Ohyesuare]

4 minutes ago, Mr_wimpy said:

I just hope there is still an option to extend the existing ones and we don’t get shafted.  

From the email they sent: "Meanwhile, members can still enjoy the current membership privileges and are able to upgrade to new packages and privileges from January 2024 onwards. The upgrade information will be provided to you in due course."

On 07/08/2023 at 01:04, Calmdown said:

I hope they will have an option without perks altogether, i dont care about a golf carts at the airport, 5minutes more quickly trough immigration, and some free taxi for 80km or whatever.. i'm not royalty, those things are irrelevant.

The golf cart and personal assistant to walk you through immigration are paid perks, something like 2000 baht I believe and has to be reserved at least 24 hours in advance. Taxi is free though but with a limit. I agree that I could do without those and the main benefit I paid for was the hassle free one year extensions.

[James99x]

So I sent them an email with the application form so they could check it (as per their request) and this was the response:

"Due to the overwhelming number of membership upgrade applications, our CRM will get back to you within 3-5 business days. If you get no response forward you can email [email protected] directly.
We do apologize for the inconvenience this may cause."
 

Of course 5 business days would take it to 16th August and past the deadline date.   Consider me shocked that such short notice would lead to an overwhelming number of applications. 

[taylor1975]

8 minutes ago, James99x said:

So I sent them an email with the application form so they could check it (as per their request) and this was the response:

"Due to the overwhelming number of membership upgrade applications, our CRM will get back to you within 3-5 business days. If you get no response forward you can email [email protected] directly.
We do apologize for the inconvenience this may cause."
 

Of course 5 business days would take it to 16th August and past the deadline date.   Consider me shocked that such short notice would lead to an overwhelming number of applications. 

Did you send the application to that crm email address? ...thats what the instructions said.

I sent mine off yesterday.

[Ohyesuare]

52 minutes ago, James99x said:

So I sent them an email with the application form so they could check it (as per their request) and this was the response:

"Due to the overwhelming number of membership upgrade applications, our CRM will get back to you within 3-5 business days. If you get no response forward you can email [email protected] directly.
We do apologize for the inconvenience this may cause."
 

Of course 5 business days would take it to 16th August and past the deadline date.   Consider me shocked that such short notice would lead to an overwhelming number of applications. 

As long as the application is emailed before the deadline, I think you're ok. Note that they also want you to mail in the application and passport copies etc.. by post as well.

[Ohyesuare]

 

Glad I didn't rush to meet the deadline now. This is the much smarter, customer friendly way to do things.

Topic: Elite Easy Access membership upgrade period extension   Dear Valued Member, Greetings from Thailand Privilege, Regarding our recent announcement on the membership upgrade deadline on August 15th, 2023, and in response to requests for deadline extension as well as our principle in maximizing members' satisfaction, we are pleased to announce that Elite Easy Access members will be able to upgrade to Elite Superiority Extension (ESE), Elite Ultimate Privilege (EUP) or equivalent membership type until 3 months before the expiry date of your membership. As we will launch the new cards with additional benefits and privileges on October 1st, 2023, members can decide to upgrade to ESE / EUP equivalent scheme or new card schemes to enjoy new benefits that fit their preferences and lifestyles. Details of the new packages will be available by the end of September 2023. Members who submitted the upgrade application earlier, please fill in the online form to confirm if you would like to proceed with the upgrade now OR will consider it in the future since the deadline has been postponed. Please kindly be informed that the upgrade process will take up to 1-2 months. If you’ve already submitted your application to , please be reassured that we have received your documents and we will be in touch with you soon.   We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you very much for your kind support.

[taylor1975]

11 minutes ago, Ohyesuare said:

 

Glad I didn't rush to meet the deadline now. This is the much smarter, customer friendly way to do things.

Topic: Elite Easy Access membership upgrade period extension   Dear Valued Member, Greetings from Thailand Privilege, Regarding our recent announcement on the membership upgrade deadline on August 15th, 2023, and in response to requests for deadline extension as well as our principle in maximizing members' satisfaction, we are pleased to announce that Elite Easy Access members will be able to upgrade to Elite Superiority Extension (ESE), Elite Ultimate Privilege (EUP) or equivalent membership type until 3 months before the expiry date of your membership. As we will launch the new cards with additional benefits and privileges on October 1st, 2023, members can decide to upgrade to ESE / EUP equivalent scheme or new card schemes to enjoy new benefits that fit their preferences and lifestyles. Details of the new packages will be available by the end of September 2023. Members who submitted the upgrade application earlier, please fill in the online form to confirm if you would like to proceed with the upgrade now OR will consider it in the future since the deadline has been postponed. Please kindly be informed that the upgrade process will take up to 1-2 months. If you’ve already submitted your application to , please be reassured that we have received your documents and we will be in touch with you soon.   We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you very much for your kind support.

Better, yes ...but your upgrade cost from 5 to 20 will be the differential between the new 20 year price or the existing 1m price?