Thai Airways is the flag carrier of Thailand and a member of the Star Alliance. This airline is highly regarded in the industry, mostly for their outstanding first class product. From their hubs in Bangkok and Phuket, THAI flies to more than 101 locations in 37 countries.
Check out our list of the best credit card bonuses here.
Royal Orchid Plus is the frequent flyer program of Thai Airways. Royal Orchid Plus miles can be used towards award flights, upgrades, and excess baggage on THAI flights and lounge access. Additionally, you’ll be able to transfer your Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy points to Royal Orchid Plus miles.
Read below for more information on this frequent flyer program and what they have to offer.
Royal Orchid Plus Quick Facts
| Hubs | Bangkok, Phuket |
| Alliance | Star Alliance |
| Transfer Partners | Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy |
| Redemption Options | Flights, upgrades and excess baggage on THAI and THAI Smile, lounge access |
Royal Orchid Plus Elite Status
When you sign up for Royal Orchid Plus, you’ll automatically become a Basic member. You can move up in status tiers when you get enough Qualifying Miles during the 12-month or 24-month period after enrollment. Q Miles are the actual miles flown and additional class of service miles on THAI, THAI Smile, and Star Alliance airlines.
| Status Tier | Q Miles Required 12 / 24 Months |
| Basic | None |
| Silver | 10,000 / 15,000 |
| Gold | 50,000 / 80,000* |
To earn Platinum status, you must build up 80,000 Tier Miles in each of two consecutive 12-month rolling periods. Tier Miles are the miles flown in Royal First Class and Royal Silk Class on Thai Airways flights only.
After you unlock a tier, you’ll have that status for the next 2 years. Status perks will be:
| Silver | Gold | Platinum | |
| Bonus miles each time status is attained | 3,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 |
| Priority check-in at Star Alliance Gold counters | x | x | |
| Dedicated check-in counters | x | ||
| Priority baggage handling | x | x | x |
| Additional baggage allowance | 10kg | 20kg | 30kg |
| Gold Track Priority Lanes | x | x | |
| Priority reservations waitlisting and airport standby | x | x | x |
| Priority boarding | x | x | |
| Immigration Fast Track | x | ||
| Guaranteed seating in Economy Class | x | x | |
| Complimentary roundtrip upgrades on THAI and THAI Smile international routes | 2 | 2 | |
| Complimentary access to THAI Royal Silk First Class lounges | +1 | +1 | |
| Complimentary access to THAI Smile operated lounges | +1 | +1 | |
| Complimentary access to Star Alliance Gold lounges | +1 | +1 | |
| Select Royal Orchid Plus service fees waived | x | ||
| 5 complimentary changes to Award Nominee list per personal year | x | ||
| No miles expiration | x |
Earning Royal Orchid Plus Miles
Earn Royal Orchid Plus miles through paid travel on Thai Airways, travel partners and hotel bookings.
Flights. The amount of miles you earn by flying with Thai Airways depends on your booking class. Unlike most other frequent flyer miles, you won’t earn any bonus miles with elite status. You can also credit partner airlines – THAI Smile, Nok Air and Star Alliance members – to Royal Orchid Plus miles. Star Alliance members include:
- Aegean
- Air Canada
- Air China
- Air India
- Air New Zealand
- ANA
- Asiana Airlines
- Austrian Airlines
- Avianca
- Brussels Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Egypt Air
- Ethiopian Airlines
- EVA Air
- LOT Polish Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Scandinavian Airlines
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
- SWISS
- TAP Portugal
- Turkish Airlines
- United Airlines
Hotel stays. Earn up to 750 miles per stay with a Royal Orchid Plus hotel partner, including Accor, Dusit, Hyatt, Intercontinental, Langham, Marriott and Shangri-La. You can also earn miles by booking with a online travel agency partner, such as Agoda, Kaligo and Trip.com.
Car rentals. Earn miles when you rent from Avis, Budget, Hertz or Sixt.
Other ways to earn Royal Orchid Plus miles include:
- Dining at restaurant partners.
- Getting pampered at spa partners Devarana, Divana and Namm.
- Shopping at Villa Market, a supermarket.
- Using Travelling Connect, a mobile network for international calling and texting, or MOGO S, a global data SIM card.
- Getting to places with Grab.
Earning Royal Orchid Plus Miles with Citi ThankYou Rewards
This is one of the easiest ways for you to earn these miles as an American. Just transfer your Citi ThankYou Rewards points. Use the Citi Prestige Credit Card points to transfer at a 2:1 ratio, and a Citi Premier Card transfer at a 3:1 ratio.
Some of their other partners are: Marriott Bonvoy which will earn a 3:1 ratio.
Here are some recommended cards to earn points from these rewards programs:
- ABC
- DEF
- GEF
 The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers 3 Free Night Awards up to a 150,000 Total Point Value (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • Up to 17X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy • 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining. • 2X points for every $1 spent on all other purchase • 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend. You gain an automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year. Path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year. You'll receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year & an additional Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary. This card does carry a $95 fee; there are no foreign transaction fees. |
 The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® credit card offers 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • Up to 14X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy • 2X points for all other travel purchases • 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases This card comes with no annual fees or foreign transaction fees and you'll get 15 elite night credits each calendar year! |
 The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card offers 3 Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Receive a 7% discount on eligible bookings as a benefit of being both a Marriott Bonvoy member & a Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card Member when you book directly with Marriott through an eligible channel for a participating property under the Amex Business Card Rate. You can enjoy a complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. You'll earn: • 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program. • 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping. • 2x points on all other eligible purchases. You'll receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Certain hotels have resort fees. This card does carry a $125 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. |
The Citi Prestige Card has a 50,000 bonus points offer. Spend $4,000 within 3 months of account opening to qualify. These 50k bonus points are worth $500 in travel.
For the most value out of your points, redeem for flights through Citi, where your bonus will be worth 1.33 cents per point. This is another card that competes in the premium travel category, and the annual fee will signify that at $495.
In effect, this card is only a good option for frequent travelers who can take advantage of the premium benefits : 5X points on air travel & restaurants, 3X points on hotels & cruise lines, $250 Air Travel Credit annually, and free access to 1,300+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select. For those in this niche market, this card will provide high perceived value.
The Citi Premier Card offers a 60,000 ThankYou Points after you make at least $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. These points are worth $750 in airfare booked through Citi.
This card offers 3 points for every $1 spent on travel including gas stations, 2 points for every $1 spent at restaurants and on entertainment, and 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
The card has an annual fee of $95 that is waived for the first 12 months.
Redeeming Royal Orchid Plus Miles
Remember, Royal Orchid Plus members cannot redeem miles on Star Alliance airlines for hotel stays and for some lifestyle awards until further notice.
Flight awards with THAI and THAI Smile. One-way travel from Bangkok to Thai destinations start at 7,500 miles. Unfortunately, there are no air award options between the United States and Thailand on the Royal Orchid Plus award chart.
Upgrade awards with THAI and THAI Smile. One-sector upgrade from Bangkok to Thai destinations start at 12,000 miles, valid on paid tickets in eligible booking classes. You must request an upgrade more than 24 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure.
Excess baggage awards on THAI-operated flights. Starting at 6,000 miles for an excess of 5kg for flights within Zone 1, from Bangkok to destinations like Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. You must check-in at least two hours prior to flight departure.
Lounge access in Bangkok. Royal Orchid Plus Silver members pay 6,500 per entry, plus another 6,500 miles for each accompanying guest. Gold and Platinum members pay 5,500 miles for additional guests per entry.
Royal Orchid Plus Miles expire after 36 months of inactivity. To keep your account active, make sure to earn or burn points at least three years.
Royal Orchid Plus Important Information
Royal Orchid Plus allows one stopover, even on one-way tickets. However, this does not apply to travel solely within Thailand, and it is subject to fees. One open-jaw is also permitted, at origin or the point of turnaround.
Remember, roundtrip tickets are cheaper than two one-way tickets, you can’t search for award space online without miles, and most ticket changes require award cancellation and another ticket request. Thai Airways will charge you $25 for changing or cancelling a flight more than 24 hours before departure. The fee jumps to $100 for cancellations within three to 24 hours of departure.
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Conclusion
Thai Airwards Royal Orchid Plus was a robust frequent flyer program, thanks to their trasnfer partenrships with Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. However, now members cannot redeem for Star Alliance partner and hotel awards. Plus, it’s hard to find value in Royal Orchid Plus unless you live in Thailand.
For a better use of your Citi ThankYou Rewards points, consider joining Air France – KLM Flying Blue, Etihad Guest or Singapore Krisflyer instead.
