Plastic Fantastic?
Tempted by promises of free trips? Find out which credit card really gets you the best deals. By Top Koaysomboon and Ingchanok Visuthiranon
13 years ago
Most credit cards claim to offer substantial benefits to travelers, such as insurance, miles and concierge services. Here we’ve compared some of the top travel cards with some more humble options (at the bottom of the chart). Many of these cards work on a similar premise: You spend money, you get points or miles in exchange. These points can be exchanged for air tickets. For example, every time you spend B20 with a Citibank Royal Orchid Plus Platinum Select card, you acquire one point, which is equivalent to one mile on THAI Airways’ Royal Orchid Plus (ROP) program. Now, you’d need at least 15,000 miles for a domestic rountrip, 25,000 miles just to go a bit further, such as Singapore. Hence, you’d have to spend B300,000 with this card to get this “free” domestic trip (a lot of taxes and conditions also apply on such tickets). Still, for big spenders, these cards can be seriously tempting. Find out which one works for you.
CARDS |
- KTC Royal Orchid Plus VISA Platinum - KTC Royal Orchid Plus Titanium MasterCard - KTC Royal Orchid Plus JCB 02-665-5000, www.ktc.co.th |
SKY HIGH |
Every time you spend B20, you get one Royal Orchid Plus Mile. The Visa Platinum has the highest insurance cover (B20 million) of all. |
CRASH & BURN |
No real side benefits apart from the usual concierge services. |
VERDICT |
Despite the lack of fancy add-ons, this card’s B20 per Royal Orchid Plus (ROP) mile is the cheapest deal on the block. |
CARDS |
- KTC Bangkok Airways Titanium MasterCard 02-665-5000, www.ktc.co.th |
SKY HIGH |
10% off Bangkok Airways tickets (30% during your birthday month) and 10kg additional luggage |
CRASH & BURN |
KTC miles (you acquire one per B25 spent) only work with KTC’s own redemption program. |
VERDICT |
If you’re flying a lot to Trat, Samui or Luang Prabang, you have no choice but to fly Bangkok Airways—so this card could be your best option. |
CARDS |
- KBank Visa Platinum 02-888-8888, http://www.kbankcard.com/ |
SKY HIGH |
Access to the mythical Thai Airways lounge at Suvarnabhumi. |
CRASH & BURN |
You’ll need to spend a whopping B375,000 to acquire 15,000 points (at B25 per point) and convert them to B15,000 Royal Orchid Plus miles (roughly a domestic roundtrip ticket). |
VERDICT |
The minimum 15,000 mile/point cut-off for mileage claims means this is not a good system to supplement your existing ROP account with a few thousand miles. It’s all or nothing here. |
CARDS (BK PICK) |
- Citibank Royal Orchid Plus Platinum Select 1588, www.citibank.co.th |
SKY HIGH |
At B20 per ROP mile, this is the best deal alongside the KTC ROP cards. We also love the free limo service and B20,000-50,000 luggage insurance plus B25 million life insurance. |
CRASH & BURN |
The same great baht for mileage deals as KTC ROP card, plus some great add-ons. Our favorite. |
VERDICT |
The same great baht for mileage deals as KTC ROP card, plus some great add-ons. Our favorite. |
CARDS |
- THAI American Express Platinum 02-273-5445, www.americanexpress.co.th |
SKY HIGH |
Double miles for purchases through AMEX or THAI and 50% extra miles on selected routes. B30,000 luggage insurance in case of delay or loss. |
CRASH & BURN |
Buy five first class tickets get one free? Spend one million baht get 25,000 miles? Who has that kind of money! |
VERDICT |
This one’s really for the super rich. Although you get 5,000 miles for purchases within 30 days of getting the card, plus 5,000 for your first inter trip. That’s 10,000 easy miles right there. |
CARDS |
- SCB Beyond Platinum 02-777-7777, www.scbbeyondplatinum.com |
SKY HIGH |
Not much but the concierge service is run by world-class personal assistance agency Quintessentially. |
CRASH & BURN |
A B5,000 annual fee and a proprietary point system where B20 spent gets you two SCB points (as opposed to THAI miles). |
VERDICT |
Expensive and not best suited to travel. |
CARDS |
- Central MasterCard Platinum - Central MasterCard White Gold 02-627-8899, www.centralcard.com |
SKY HIGH |
1% credit cash-back for all overseas card purchases. Until Mar 31, every B25 spent gets you two THAI miles. |
CRASH & BURN |
Annual fees (B4,000 for Platinum, B800 for White Gold), no travel insurance and the worst mile scheme ever: B50 spent gets you one THAI mile. (Well, B25 for 2 miles for White Gold cardholders till Mar 31.) |
VERDICT |
At home, 5-10% discounts at Central, Supersport, B2S and other Central stores sound like a good deal. As a travel card, this is one of the worst in town. |
CARDS |
- AirAsia - KBank Credit Card 02-888-8888, www.kbankcard.com |
SKY HIGH |
Spend B20,000 in the first two months and get a free domestic ticket, or B45,000 to go inter. |
CRASH & BURN |
No insurance, no miles but rather a K-Reward points system. |
VERDICT |
Despite coupons to pick seats or check-in luggage, you’re really not getting much of value here. |
CARDS |
- KTC Travel Platinum 02-665-5000, www.ktc.co.th |
SKY HIGH |
5-9% discounts on THAI Airways, Bangkok Airways and One-2-Go. |
CRASH & BURN |
No miles. |
VERDICT |
An instant discount is often much better than the promises of free trips (trips purchased with miles actually come with hefty taxes and tight restrictions). Not a very sexy card but a reliable one. |
Advertisement
Latest Articles
12 of the best colonial and heritage hotels in Asia
From white colonnades and marble floors to oak wood furniture and crystal chandeliers, these iconic hotels’ Victorian charms are impossible to resist.
Chiang Mai coffee specialists Graph Cafe open food-focused spin-off
The beloved coffee house is branching out.
Laid-back Luang Prabang
The cool season's in full swing. Make the most of it with a trip to Laos' ancient royal capital.
