Airline Loyalty Rewards
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus Loyalty Program Review
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Branded and Partnered Credit Cards
Thai Airways partners with 2 transferable point programs to give you a couple of ways to earn Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus miles: Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
Thai Airways Credit Cards
If you’re a Thailand resident, Thai Airways offers a few branded cards that allow you to earn miles directly with your credit card spending.
For U.S customers, American Express and Citi are the 2 most recognizable Thai Airways credit card partners. However, none of these co-branded offerings are compelling due to the lack of a welcome bonus, so we recommend passing on them for now.
If you’re looking for ways to earn Thai Airways miles with credit card spending, check out the options below.
Citi Credit Cards
Citi flies under the radar among the 5 main transferable point programs for good reason: the bank simply doesn’t offer that many credit cards that both earn Citi ThankYou points and come with compelling welcome offers.
While it can be challenging to earn Citi ThankYou points from your credit card spending, the upside is that the Citi ThankYou program offers regular bonuses when transferring points to its airline partners.
Citi has 4 credit cards that earn ThankYou points. We recommend applying for the card below first because the welcome bonus is substantial, it has one of the highest bonus spending category earning rates in gas, and the annual fee is only $95:
Citi Premier® Card
Frequent flyers will enjoy 3x ThankYou Points at restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, air travel, and hotels.
Citi Premier® Card
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!
Pros
- 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotel purchases
- Access to Citi transfer partners
- Annual hotel credit
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, for a limited time, earn a total of 10 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024.
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- 60,000 ThankYou® Points are redeemable for $600 in gift cards redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Financial Snapshot
- APR: 21.24% - 29.24% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Card Categories
Rewards Center
Citi Rewards+® Card
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.
Citi Rewards+® Card
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.- Earn 20,000 bonus points after you spend $1,500 in purchases with your card within 3 months of account opening; redeemable for $200 in gift cards at thankyou.com
- Plus, for a limited time, earn 5 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel(SM) portal through June 30, 2024.
- 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months from date of first transfer and on purchases from date of account opening. After that, the variable APR will be 18.74% – 28.74%, based on your creditworthiness. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
- Earn 2X ThankYou® Points at Supermarkets and Gas Stations for the first $6,000 per year and then 1X Points thereafter. Plus, earn 1X ThankYou® Points on All Other Purchases.
- The Citi Rewards+® Card – the only credit card that automatically rounds up to the nearest 10 points on every purchase – with no cap.
- No Annual Fee
Financial Snapshot
- APR: 0% Intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months and on purchases. After that, the variable APR of 18.74% - 28.74%.
- Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of each purchase transaction in US dollars
Card Categories
Citi Double Cash® Card
Great card for the average spender with no specific focus category; worry-free cash-back earning on everything!
Citi Double Cash® Card
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.
Pros
- Uncapped 2% for every $1 spent (1% when you buy and another 1% when you pay)
- Flexible redemption options
- No annual fee
Cons
- No bonus categories
- 3% foreign transaction fees
- Lack of premium travel benefits
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases.
- To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
- Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% – 29.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
- If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
- There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).
Financial Snapshot
- APR: 19.24% - 29.24% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each purchase
Card Categories
Rewards Center
Citi Custom Cash® Card
Earn big on purchases in your top eligible spend category, up to the first $500 each billing cycle, with no annual fee!
Citi Custom Cash® 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.
Pros
- 5% cash-back (on up to $500 each billing cycle) from your largest purchase category, including restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, select travel, select transit, select streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment
- No annual fee
- Multiple redemption options
- No redemption minimums
Cons
- Your 5% category is limited to $500 in spend ($25 in cash-back) each month
- Not particularly rewarding for any purchases outside of your top 5% cash-back category
- Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% – 29.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- No Annual Fee
- Citi will only issue one Citi Custom Cash® Card account per person.
Financial Snapshot
- APR: 0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%.
- Foreign Transaction Fees: 3%
Card Categories
Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards
The Marriott Bonvoy program is interesting in that it’s a hotel program that allows you to earn Marriott hotel points that can be transferred to its airline partners.
Keep in mind that transferring Marriott points to Thai Airways can take up to 10 days. For most people, this is a deal breaker.
Yes, Marriott members receive a 5,000-point bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points that are transferred to an airline partner — but waiting 10 days doesn’t always make sense if you’re looking to snag an in-demand award seat.
If you do want to take the chance of transferring miles and hoping your award flight is still available, the 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you transfer to Thai Airways become 25,000 Thai Airways miles including the 5,000-point bonus (60,000 / 3 = 20,000 * 25% bonus = 25,000).
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
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.
Pros
- Up to 14x points per $1 on Marriott purchases
- 2x points per $1 on travel purchases
- 15 Elite Night Credits each year (automatically gives you Silver Elite status)
- No foreign transaction fees
- No annual fee
Cons
- Lower point earn rate than other Marriott Bonvoy cards
- Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status is the lowest status tier
- Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Pay no annual fee with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase®!
- Earn up to 14X total points per $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Card.
- 2X points for every $1 spent on other travel purchases (from airfare to taxis and trains).
- 1X point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, qualifying you for Silver Elite Status. Restrictions apply.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Member FDIC
Financial Snapshot
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Card Categories
Rewards Center
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
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.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
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.
Pros
- Earn big when you use your card at over 7,000 participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- New benefit to earn big at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
- Automatic Silver Elite Status
- 1 Free Night Award each cardmember anniversary (up to 35,000 points)
- DoorDash DashPass subscription
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- Marriott Silver status is the lowest status tier
- Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after qualifying purchases.
- Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining.
- Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend.
- 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
- Earn up to 17X total points per $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy® with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card.
- Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, automatic Silver Elite status, and path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Member FDIC
Financial Snapshot
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Card Categories
Rewards Center
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesMarriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.
Apply With Confidence
Know if you're approved with no credit score impact
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
The 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.
Pros
- 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- 4x points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2X points)
- 2x points per $1 on all other purchases
- Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
- 15 Elite Night Credits per year
- 1,000 bonus points per paid stay
- 1 Free Night Award (up to 50,000 points) when you spend $15,000 on the card in a year
- No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)
Cons
- $250 annual fee (rates and fees)
- Free Night Award certificate is not an automatic benefit
- Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
- Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
- Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
- 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
- With complimentary Gold Elites status, earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy® on eligible hotel purchases with the 25% Bonus Points on stays benefit.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Free Night Award: Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at a hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- 15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card® you can receive 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
- Plan It® is a payment option that lets you split up purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee. Plus, you'll still earn rewards the way you usually do.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms apply.
Financial Snapshot
- APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Card Categories
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesMarriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
A 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.
Apply With Confidence
Know if you're approved with no credit score impact
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
A 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?
Pros
- 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy program
- 3x points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines and restaurants worldwide
- 2x points per $1 on all other purchases
- 25 Elite Night Credits each year
- Priority Pass Select membership upon enrollment
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee statement credit
- Annual Free Night Award after card renewal
- Complimentary Platinum Elite status
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650 (rates and fees)
- 6x points per $1 is the same earn rate offered with lower annual fee alternatives like the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
- Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
- With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
- Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
- $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy® member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
- Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited access to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
- With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
Financial Snapshot
- APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Card Categories
Rewards Center
Other Hotel Partner Credit Cards
Thai Airways partners with another big hotel program, the World of Hyatt. However, the transfer ratio when converting Hyatt points into Thai Airways miles isn’t favorable, at 2.5 Hyatt points to 1 Thai Airways airline mile.
For this reason, we don’t recommend converting Hyatt points into Thai Airways miles unless you are looking to top off an account or are in a serious bind.
Thai Airways Overview
Operating out of its hubs in Bangkok and Phuket, Thai Airways is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Thai Airways doesn’t fly nonstop to the U.S., but its Bangkok hub has flights to destinations across Asia, Australia, and Europe.
Along with airlines like Air New Zealand, ANA, Avianca, Lufthansa, and United, Thai Airways is a Star Alliance member. This means Thai Airways miles can be redeemed for flights on airlines across the Star alliance.
The frequent flyer program of Thai Airways is called Royal Orchid Plus, and it can potentially provide value when flying on a Thai Airways or Star Alliance partner flight.
Elite status for Royal Orchid Plus members is awarded based on the number of Qualifying Miles (Q Miles) earned in the evaluation period. Q Miles are calculated based on 2 factors: 1) the fare class of the ticket, and 2) the distance flown.
Bottom Line: Thai Airways requires its members to earn a certain number of Q Miles for its lowest elite status. For its 2 highest elite tiers, members will need to earn a certain number of Q Miles as well as fly a certain number of Thai Airways flight segments.
Joining Royal Orchid Plus
Membership in the Royal Orchid Plus program is free; you can set up an account by completing this application.
When your application has been confirmed via email, your Royal Orchid Plus membership provides you with the opportunity to earn and redeem Q miles in the frequent flyer program.
How to Sign in to Your Royal Orchid Plus Account
To access your account, provide your Member ID and PIN on the login page.
Hot Tip: Thai Airways mirrors many airlines, in that you don’t need to log in to your account see the number of miles required to book an award flight.
Viewing Your Q Miles Account Activity
Follow these easy steps to check out the mileage activity in your account:
- Log in to your account
- Click the drop-down next to your name at the top right
Points Expiration
Q Miles are valid for 3 years. Miles earned in each quarter and not redeemed expire at the end of the corresponding quarter 3 years later.
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus Program
Royal Orchid Plus Elite Status
The Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus program has 3 elite tiers that members can earn.
For flyers who can earn the higher elite tiers, Thai Airways will award you with a host of benefits that focus on lounge access, removal of mileage expiration, and complimentary upgrades.
Silver: Royal Orchid Plus’ lowest elite tier provides these benefits:
- Priority reservation wait-listing
- Priority airport standby
- Additional checked baggage allowance
- 3,000-mile tier status bonus
Gold: The middle elite tier in the Thai Airways program comes with the following perks:
- Priority phone number when calling the Thai Airways Contact Center
- Guaranteed economy availability when contacting Thai Airways reservations
- Access to the Royal Silk Class lounge with 1 guest
- Priority boarding
- 5,000-mile tier status bonus
- Complimentary upgrades on round-trip Thai Airways flights
Platinum: Thai Airways’ highest elite tier offers members the following benefits:
- Fast-track security clearance
- Access to Thai Airways Royal First Class lounge with 1 guest
- 10,000-mile tier status bonus
- Waiver of program booking fees
- Miles don’t expire
- Multiple complimentary upgrades when accumulating 50,000 tier miles
- Unlimited changes to a platinum member award nominee list
If you’re interested in a deeper dive, check out the full list of program benefits for more information.
Bottom Line: Thai Airways is enticing for those who want elite status with lounge access, removal of booking fees, no mileage expiration, and complimentary upgrades.
Value of Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus Elite Status
The Platinum tier comes with first class lounge access, a 10,000-mile tier bonus, waiver of booking fees, miles that don’t expire, and complimentary upgrades as perks members can attain.
Below the Platinum tier is Gold – it has interesting benefits, but it’s helpful to ask yourself if the benefits offered at each elite tier are valuable to you. If you decide to earn elite status, try to earn Platinum status as the benefits at this level will give you the most in returned value.
Hot Tip: Other Star Alliance member airlines like United Airlines will provide more elite status value for travelers based in the U.S.
Earning Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus Elite Status
Elite status in the program is earned by the number Q Miles flown. Q Miles are determined by the distance flown plus any additional class of service miles.
Note that you must earn Thai Airways elite status from flying — miles earned from credit card spending do not count as Qualifying Miles.
Silver
Silver status requires 10,000 Q Miles during a 12-month period, or 15,000 Q Miles during a 24-month period.
Your Silver status expires at the end of the 12-month or 24-month period, whichever is applicable, unless you earn it again during that time period.
Every time a member attains or retains Silver status, a 3,3,000-mile bonus is credited to the member’s account.
Gold
Earning Gold status requires 50,000 Q Miles during a 12-month period, or 80,000 Q Miles during a 24-month period. In addition, you’ll need to fly 40 Thai Airways international flight segments in any 12-rolling-month period.
Gold status expires at the end of the 12-month or 24-month period, whichever is applicable, unless the status is earned again during that time period.
When a member attains or retains Gold status, a 5,000-mile bonus will be credited to the member’s account.
Platinum
The highest elite status, Platinum, requires 80,000 miles flown on Thai Airways Royal First Class or Royal Silk Class flights every 12 months on a rolling basis.
Platinum status expires at the end of the 12-month or 24-month period, whichever is applicable, unless you earn it again during that time period
If you earn Platinum status again, you’ll earn a 10,000-mile bonus credited to your account each time.
Bottom Line: Unlike some award programs, Thai Airways doesn’t offer a way for its customer to earn elite status from credit card spending.
How to Earn Royal Orchid Plus Miles
Thai Airways partners with 2 of the 5 transferable point programs: Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
Unfortunately, they don’t partner with the other 3 other transferable point programs (Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Capital One).
It’s important to note that neither Citi ThankYou nor Marriott Bonvoy transfer times are instant. Citi ThankYou point transfers to Thai Airways take 4 days, and Marriott Bonvoy point transfers take 10 days.
Hot Tip: With partner transfer times ranging from 4-10 days, keep the booking timeline in mind if you are eyeing an award flight!
Earning Miles Through Flying
Thai Airways’ Earn Miles page makes it incredibly easy to see the miles that you’ll earn for a Thai Airways flight. The airline uses booking class and flight distance to determine the number of miles that you’ll earn for each trip.
There is no elite status bonus in addition to the base miles that you’ll earn, though you can earn more miles based on the fare class that you book.
Thai Airways flights booked in first class, Silk Class, and premium economy earn 150%, 125%, and 110% miles of the distance flown, respectively.
If you’re looking to credit Star Alliance partner flight miles earned to Royal Orchid Plus, check the airline page of the operating airline to see how many miles you’ll earn.
In addition to the Star Alliance, Thai Airways has a partnership with Nok Air that allows members to earn Q Miles on Nok Air flights.
Earn Miles With Credit Cards
Citi ThankYou and Marriott Bonvoy offer a number of cards that earn points you can transfer directly to Thai Airways.
If you’re using Citi ThankYou points, some of Citi’s airline partners have a regular transfer bonus, which allows you to receive even more value for the points you earn.
As far as Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, remember that you’ll receive a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points transferred to an airline partner like Thai Airways.
Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Thai Airways at a 3:1 ratio, meaning that 60,000 Marriott points become 25,000 Thai Airways miles with the 25% airline transfer bonus.
Earning Bonus Miles in Other Ways
In addition to flying and credit card spending, Thai Airways provides its members with a couple of additional ways to earn Q Miles.
First, you can check out the Thai Airways Facebook, Twitter, and Special Offers pages for additional places to earn Thai Airways Q Miles.
Second, you can utilize Thai Airways’ car rental and hotel partners, where you’ll earn miles with every car rental and hotel stay.
Hot Tip: If you want to learn more about how to earn miles, we have an entire post on the best ways to earn Royal Thai Orchid Plus miles.
How to Redeem Royal Orchid Plus Q Miles
Royal Orchid Plus members have a number of ways to redeem miles, but you’ll receive the most value by using your miles to book award flights.
Thai Airways uses a one-way and round-trip award chart when redeeming miles to fly on its own flights. Simply click the graphic for one-way or round-trip to see the number of miles you’ll need to book an award flight based on your origin and destination.
After you’ve had the opportunity to review the Thai Airways award chart, check out the Thai Smile and Star Alliance award charts for more ways to use your miles.
The chart below shows the number of miles required for a one-way Star Alliance partner flight.
Diving deeper into the redemption side, here are a couple of sweet spots when using Royal Orchid Plus Q Miles:
- 60,000 miles one-way in Star Alliance business class from Central Asia/Middle East to Europe/North Africa
- 52,500 miles one-way in Thai Airways business class between Thailand and Dubai
Hot Tip: Thai Airways doesn’t provide the most value amongst the Star Alliance airlines for award flights. Consider earning and redeeming miles in the Asiana Airlines, Avianca, Singapore Airlines, and United Airlines programs instead.
Star Alliance and Other Partner Awards
As mentioned above, Thai Airways uses 1 chart for its Star Alliance airline partners and another chart for its Thai Smile partnership. Head to the respective award chart page to determine how many miles you’ll need for your award flight using Thai Airways Q Miles.
Booking Online
Thai Airways is not the best website for searching Star Alliance award flights when using Thai Airways Q Miles. Instead, use the United and Aeroplan websites to search for award availability. United tends to be the most accurate and reliable, but it’s best to use both to ensure you’re seeing all of the award availability.
As of today, award flights can only be booked online for round-trip flights departing from Bangkok. This means you’ll need to call Thai Airways at 800-426-5204 to book a partner flight not departing from Bangkok.
In general, you should keep these rules in mind when searching for award flights on different airline alliances:
- Oneworld: Search the British Airways and Qantas websites
- SkyTeam: Search the Delta and Flying Blue (Air France or KLM) websites
- Star Alliance: Search the United and Aeroplan websites
Hot Tip: For partner airline flights outside of the major alliances mentioned above, consider using Expert Flyer to locate your award flight, and then calling Thai Airways to ask them to search for the same award space you see on Expert Flyer.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Royal Thai Orchid Plus program? Is it worth it? What are the benefits?
The free frequent flyer program of Thai Airways is called Royal Orchid Plus. This award program allows members to earn miles and elite status, as well as use Thai Airways Q Miles for an award flight.
Earning Silver or Gold status is based on the number of Q Miles earned in a rolling 12-month or a 24-month period. All bonus and promotional miles are excluded from elite status qualification.
Thai Airways is a Star Alliance member, which means Royal Orchid Plus members that earn Q Miles can redeem those miles for flights on both Thai Airways and other Star Alliance partner airline flights.
What other programs partner with Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus? Can I transfer miles to them?
Thai Airways has a number of airline, credit card, hotel, and car rental partners.
Using Q Miles to book award flights will yield the most value for your miles, but you can redeem Q Miles for hotel stays, excess baggage fees when flying Thai Airways, lounge access when flying Thai Airways, and lifestyle award partners.
Members can’t directly transfer Q Miles to an airline partner, but you can use your miles to book a Thai Airways or partner airline flight.
What is the Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus login?
Access your account by heading to the Thai Airways login page.
Where can I sign up for Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus?
Enrollment is quick and free by completing an application.
What is my Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus number?
You can find your Royal Orchid Plus number by signing into your account, looking on your membership card, or through a variety of marketing emails they send you.
If you can’t find it there, try using the “forgot my password” tool to reset your account so you can get in. Alternatively, try calling the customer service desk at 1-800-426-5204 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
When do miles post in my Royal Orchid Plus account?
Q Miles should post in your account within 7 days after your date of travel.
When do Q Miles expire?
Q Miles are valid for 3 years. Miles earned in each quarter of any given year but not redeemed expire at the end of the corresponding quarter 3 years later.
When does Royal Orchid Plus status expire?
Elite status is valid for 12 months from the time the membership level is earned.
Is there a Thai Airways credit card?
Thai Airways partners with American Express and Citi, among other financial partners, but these cards aren’t that compelling due to the lack of a welcome bonus — we recommend passing for now.
Can you hold an award flight with Thai Airways?
Thai Airways does not allow its members to put a hold on an award ticket.
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About Michael McHugh
Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Michael took his first international trip in 2013 with friends to the Bahamas. Although he didn’t travel much in his younger years, on that trip, he caught the travel bug and has been hooked ever since.
Michael first caught wind of the points and miles game in 2014 while at a bar in Washington, DC where the conversation amongst friends was quickly derailed because of an alert on a friend’s phone about a mistake fare. That’s where the love affair with points and miles began.
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