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Thai Airways is known as one of the top airlines in the world, particularly for its first class. As a Star Alliance airline member, there’s no shortage of ways to fly on Thai Airways. Not so obvious, however, is how to earn Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus miles.
There aren’t too many ways to earn these miles, but there are still a variety of opportunities for us to explore. Let’s get started.
Signing up for a Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus account is made easy by the online website.
Here’s how to register:
You’ll be able to earn Thai Airways miles from any sort of qualifying activity, whether it’s on flights or shopping with its partners.
Now that you’re set up with a Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus account, let’s get into the best ways to earn Thai Airways miles.
Earning Thai Airways miles is made easier by the transfer partners it has. Redeeming Thai Airways miles for first or business class will take a lot of miles, especially when redeeming for multiple people or a family.
The best way to accrue Thai Airways miles is through the methodical use of point-earning credit cards.
We have quite a few options here, and although we’re focusing on the options for U.S. credit card holders, there are actually a lot of options for international card holders, too!
Without a doubt, the best way to earn Thai Airways miles quickly is by transferring points from Citi ThankYou Rewards. Citi ThankYou Rewards Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000.
Frequent flyers will enjoy 3x ThankYou Points at restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, air travel, and hotels.
The Citi Premier® Card is an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-around travel rewards credit card. The card helps you earn points fast with great 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. Plus, it offers access to airline and hotel transfer partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a reasonable annual fee!
This no annual fee card rewards cardholders for everyday purchases. Earn bonus points at supermarkets and gas stations, plus your points are rounded up on every purchase.
Great card for the average spender with no specific focus category; worry-free cash-back earning on everything!
The Citi® Double Cash Card has long been one of the top cash-back credit cards on the market, and the card now has the ability to earn Citi ThankYou Points!
This means that cardholders of the Double Cash card will now earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou Points. This means each billing cycle, you will earn 1 ThankYou point per $1 spent on purchases and an additional ThankYou point for every $1 paid on your purchase balance as long as there is a corresponding balance in your Purchase Tracker.
Citi has turned the Double Cash card into a top choice for those who are looking for an everyday, no-fuss credit card.
Earn big on purchases in your top eligible spend category, up to the first $500 each billing cycle, with no annual fee!
The Citi Custom Cash® Card is inventive when it comes to cash-back credit cards. Instead of earning a set amount of cash-back on predetermined bonus categories, the Citi Custom Cash card earns 5% cash-back on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle, without an annual fee.
Thanks to that unique perk, you’ll never need to worry about whether you’re using the right card for the right purchase, as your Citi Custom Cash card will always pay you 5% back on whichever category you end up spending the most on each month.
In order to transfer points from Citi ThankYou Rewards, you’ll need to have a credit card that not only earns ThankYou Rewards Points but also has the points transfer functionality for all partners. For example, the Citi Premier card is eligible to transfer ThankYou Points to all airline partners, while the Citi Rewards+ card has reduced partners and ratios. You must have a Citi Premier card or Citi Prestige® Card to transfer points to Thai Airways.
Hot Tip: Want to know how to earn more Citi ThankYou Rewards Points than you thought possible? Check out our complete guide on how to earn 100,000+ ThankYou Points in 90 days!
When it comes to points flexibility, Marriott Bonvoy takes the cake. Marriott Bonvoy has traditionally been known as a hotel currency, but there are, arguably, better ways to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for flights than hotels.
With 40+ transfer partners to choose from, there’s no shortage of ways to creatively use your points.
The main difference between Citi and Marriott Bonvoy points is the transfer ratio. Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to most of its partners at a 3:1 ratio, with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer, meaning you’ll receive 25,000 Thai Airways miles for transferring 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
Yes, you’ll need more Marriott Bonvoy points since the ratio is 3:1, but the ways to earn Marriott Bonvoy points are much more plentiful. The best part is that both American Express and Chase have Marriott co-branded credit cards.
A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Casual travelers who like to frequent properties that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection of brands may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
The Marriott Bold card rewards cardholders for Marriott stays and gives them a boost towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual free night award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.
If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, the latest mid-tier offering in the Marriott Bonvoy lineup of cards, offers cardholders automatic elite status and ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on each of their stays and daily purchases.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesA premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a premium card designed with road warriors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists in mind.
So is the card a worthwhile addition to your wallet?
By utilizing referral bonuses, you can help your friends and family earn points and reward yourself.
American Express has the Refer-a-Friend program, which allows you to refer your friends and family to virtually any personal card in the American Express portfolio when you have a personal card. If you have an Amex business credit card, you can refer to almost any business card.
Chase also offers a similar Refer-a-Friend program, though you can only refer a card to friends if you currently have that card.
Hot Tip: Referral bonuses are subject to change. Using referral bonuses is an excellent way to increase your points balance with very little effort.
Thai Airways has a number of co-branded and non-co-branded credit cards that earn Thai Airways miles. However, these are only available to cardholders who are residents of other countries.
For those who are located abroad, you can learn more about Thai Airways’ international credit card partners.
Here are the options for (international) co-branded credit cards:
Here are the options for (international) non-co-branded credit cards:
As you can see, there are many options to earn Thai Airways miles internationally, more so than in the U.S.
As you might imagine, the best way to earn Thai Airways miles without credit card spending is through travel. You can earn a lot of Thai Airways miles through paid travel on Thai Airways, travel partners, and hotel bookings.
This section is focused on using paid travel through partners and Thai Airways to rack up tons of Thai Airways miles.
One of the best ways to earn Thai Airways miles quickly is by purchasing tickets to fly on the airline’s flights.
For every flight on Thai Airways, you’ll earn at least 500 miles, with the exception of some booking classes.
Check out this chart for the definitive accrual of miles on Thai Airways:
| Class of Service | Operating Booking Class | Percentage of Actual Miles Flown |
|
Royal First Class
| F | 250% |
| A / P | 200% | |
|
Royal Silk Class
| C / D | 150% |
| J / Z | 125% | |
| Premium Economy Class | U | 110% |
|
Economy Class
| Y / B | 110% |
| M / Q / H | 100% | |
| Economy Class (Discount) | T / K / S | 75% |
| Economy Class (Discount) | G | 50% |
| Economy Class (Discount) | V / W | 25% |
| Economy Class (Discount) | L | No miles |
| Ineligible Booking Classes | O / I / X / E / N / R | No miles |
Keep in mind that if you pay for an upgrade at the airport, your mileage earning will be based on the original fare instead of the upgraded fare.
Interestingly, you won’t earn any bonus miles with Royal Orchid Plus elite status. Instead, you’ll earn a one-time Tier Status Threshold Bonus each time elite status is attained or retained as shown here:
| Royal Orchid Plus Membership Tier | Tier Status Threshold Bonus |
| Basic Status | 0 miles |
| Silver Status | 3,000 miles |
| Gold Status | 5,000 miles |
| Platinum Status | 10,000 miles |
Thai Airways also publishes the flight distances of all its routes.
Remember that the terms and conditions for earning Thai Airways miles are subject to change at any time, so be sure to verify all the information with Thai Airways.
If you’re planning on crediting partner airlines to Thai Airways miles, you have 2 options:
Let’s start with THAI Smile. If you book a THAI Smile flight sold by Thai Airways (with a TG 4-digit flight number) or sold by THAI Smile (with a WE 3-digit flight number), you’re eligible to accrue THAI Smile miles as shown in the following table:
| Class of Service | Booking Class | Actual Miles Flown | Minimum Miles |
| Premium Economy | U | 110% | 500 ( Gold & Platinum) 200 (Silver & Basic) |
|
Economy
| Y, B | 110% | 500 ( Gold & Platinum) 200 (Silver & Basic) |
| M, H, Q | 100% | 500 ( Gold & Platinum) 200 (Silver & Basic) | |
| T, K, S | 75% | 500 ( Gold & Platinum) 200 (Silver & Basic) | |
| G* | 50% | 500 ( Gold & Platinum) 200 (Silver & Basic) | |
| V, W | 25% | 500 ( Gold & Platinum) 200 (Silver & Basic) | |
| L, O, I, X, E, N, R | 0% | No miles |
The other way to earn miles flying on a partner airline is with Star Alliance airlines. Most airlines have separate accrual rates for each airline in the alliance. However, Thai Airways keeps it simple.
You’ll accrue miles as per the following chart:
| Class of Service | Actual Miles Flown |
|---|---|
| First Class | 150% |
| Business Class | 125% |
| Economy Class | 100% |
Make sure you understand the terms and conditions of earning miles from Star Alliance travel.
Overall, there are a ton of ways to credit partner airlines to Thai Airways thanks to the large network of airlines from Star Alliance.
Thai Airways has 5 car rental and ground transportation partners:
| Partner | Bonus Miles | Partner | Bonus Miles |
| Avis | 500 miles per rental | Hertz |
500 miles per rental outside of Asia, 250 miles per rental within Asia
|
| Budget | 500 miles per rental | SIXT |
500 miles per rental, 1,000 miles per Sixt limousine transfer
|
| Blacklane | 2 miles/$1 |
In addition, you’re eligible to stack promotions to get discounts and earn double or even triple miles, which we’ll discuss at the end of this guide.
Thai Airways has a ton of hotel partners, and you can earn up to 750 miles per qualifying stay. You can also earn miles based on spending activity with hotel partners.
The earning structure for every partner is not published. When making a reservation, you must insert your Royal Orchid Plus membership number online or make your reservation through the call center.
Here are Thai Airways’ hotel partners:
It’s easy to find a hotel that fits you and also enables you to earn Thai Airways miles with so many brands to choose from. For more information on the exact terms and conditions, visit the Thai Airways website.
Several programs offer the ability to transfer their points to Royal Orchid Plus miles, but we wouldn’t recommend this as you’ll receive a low value for your points.
| Program | Minimum | Transfer Ratio |
| ALL – Accor Live Limitless | 4,000 | 4,000:2,000 |
| IHG One Rewards | 10,000 | 5:1 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 3,000 | 3:1 |
| World of Hyatt | 5,000 | 5:2 |
Thai Airways partners with hotel booking portals to enable travelers to earn Thai Airways miles.
Here are its hotel booking portal partners:
| Booking Portal | Miles Earning | Booking Portal | Miles Earning |
| Agoda |
Up to 10,000 miles with PointsMAX packages
| Trip.com | 6 miles/100฿ |
| Kaligo.com | Up to 20 miles/$1 |
Be sure to confirm that the prices you’re getting are not significantly higher than the cheapest available rates. In other words, it’s best to shop around before committing.
Thai Airways partners with Travelling Connect, which is a mobile network for international calling and texting.
You’re eligible to earn miles for up to 4 mobile phone numbers (including your own).
The way it works is that Travelling Connect partners with other networks in a variety of different countries and offers miles depending on what network you’re using, what country you’re using it in, and what activity you’re doing.
Here’s the complete chart of partner networks:
| Country | Network | Miles per Minute Outgoing Call | Miles per Minute Incoming Call | SMS and/or Data |
| Asia | ||||
| India | Vodafone | 1 | 1 | – |
| Kazakhstan | Kcell | 3 | – | – |
| Maldives | Ooredo | 3 | – | – |
| South Korea | KT | 1 | – | – |
| Thailand | True Move | 3 | – | – |
| Vietnam | Viettel | 1 | – | 2 |
| Europe | ||||
| Armenia | Beeline | 1 | – | – |
| Montenegro | T-Mobile | 3 | – | – |
| Turkey | Turkcell | 4 | – | 1 mile per 2 SMS |
| Middle East and Africa | ||||
| Afghanistan | Roshan | 2 | – | 2 per MB |
| Algeria | Djezzy | 7 | – | – |
| Bahrain* | Zain | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kuwait | Ooredo | 4 | – | – |
| Seychelles | Cable & Wireless | 5 | – | 4 per MB |
| Sudan | MTN | 2 | – | – |
| Oceania | ||||
| Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu | Digicel | 3 | – | 3 per MB |
* When using Zain in Bahrain, you’ll earn 3 miles per 1 euro.
Your specific mileage accrual is dependent on your exact travel situation.
If you need some ways outside of credit card spending, or perhaps in conjunction with credit card spending, there are a few ways to earn Thai Airways miles quickly.
If you’re in Thailand, you can eat at several restaurant partners to earn Thai Airways miles. Alternatively, Thai Airways has a few health and wellness partners that you can use to accrue extra miles.
Thai Airways has a relatively small list of dining partners, and all are located in Thailand. Most of these partners are restaurants located in hotels, so you’re somewhat limited there.
Still, if you’re planning on eating there anyway, you’ll be pleased to know you can earn 50 Thai Airways miles for every 500฿ spent.
Here’s the list of participating hotels, but you’ll want to review the dining partners page for participating dining establishments and cuisine types:
Thai Airways’ main health and wellness partner is Divana. Divana has 5 locations, all of which are in Bangkok. Divana is a wellness spa, where you can experience massages and body and facial treatments, along with other wellness and medical therapies.
You can earn 50 Thai Airways miles for every 500฿ spent there.
In addition, you can also visit the Devarana Spa at Dusit Hotels. There are 4 locations in Pattaya, Hua Hin, and Chiang Mai. You’ll earn 50 Thai Airways miles for every 500฿ you spend at Devarana Spa.
The last method we’ll be discussing will be categorized as a specialty earning method. There are ways to multiply your Thai Airways earnings.
From time to time, Thai Airways will run promotions with its partners. Some promotions are for redemptions while others are for mileage accrual.
For example, Hertz partnered with Thai Airways to offer a global sale that allows members to save up to 20% and earn 1,000 miles per rental, which is a fantastic deal. Other promotions have historically included opportunities to earn double or triple miles.
It’s definitely a smart move to take advantage of these promotions when they come about. Follow the Thai Airways website to learn about the latest promotions.
When shopping tax-free aboard, earn 3,125 miles for every $100 tax refund with utu.
There are plenty of great ways to earn Thai Airways miles.
Royal Orchid Plus is a worthwhile frequent flyer program to look into. Although they pass on fuel surcharges, the available transfer partners along with the ability to book Star Alliance flights make this program worth looking into.
If you spend a lot of time in Thailand, you’ll notice that there are tons of ways to boost your mileage balance even more. Now you have an idea of the best ways to earn a lot of Thai Airways miles.
The information for the Citi Prestige® Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.
Thai Airways’ frequent flyer program is called Royal Orchid Plus. The miles that you can accrue and spend are Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus miles, or Thai Airways miles for short.
You can transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards Points and Marriott Bonvoy points to Thai Airways.
The best way to leverage credit card spending is with Citi ThankYou Rewards Points-earning cards. The best way to earn Citi ThankYou Rewards Points is via the Citi Premier card and Citi Prestige cards.
To earn Marriott Bonvoy points, you can use the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card or Marriott Boundless card.
There are other co-branded and non-co-branded credit cards that earn Thai Airways miles directly, but these options are for travelers based in Asian countries such as Thailand or Japan.
The value of Thai Airways miles is variable. With lower-level economy redemptions, your redemption rate might be close to 1 cent per point. With first and business class redemptions, you may get a cent-per-point value of 5 to 10.
A 5-cent-per-point value is like getting a $100 ticket for 2,000 miles.
Unfortunately, you cannot transfer Thai Airways miles to other people. What you can do, however, is use award nominees to redeem awards for family, friends, or anyone else. You can nominate up to 5 names for free.
Thai Airways partners with all Star Alliance airlines and THAI Smile (its budget airline).
It partners with the following hotel brands:
Generally, Thai Airways miles take up to 3 days to post to your account. If they still haven’t posted after 15 days, you can use Thai Airways’ online claim service.
Yes. For travel dates or flight number changes on domestic travel, you can pay a $16 or 500฿ fee per person per reservation.
Domestic award tickets can be redeposited for a $60 or 1,800฿ fee.
For international travel, the only changes that can be made are flight date and number changes. The fee for international award cancellation and re-credited miles is $125 or 3,750฿ for regional routes and $190 or 5,700฿ for intercontinental routes.
Thai Airways miles expire after 3 years. Specifically, they expire at the end of the quarter, 3 years after mileage accrual.
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Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.
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2 comments
an0nym0us
July 22, 2022
Thai smile is a regional carrier, not a low cost. Nok air was Thai’s low cost.
Jarrod West
July 22, 2022
Hi anonymous,
Thanks for pointing that out, I’ve just corrected the post.
Any thoughts or questions? Comment below!
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