maximsilentfoot

Hi everyone,

Was wondering which is the best credit card to use that helps me accumulate miles quickly? I was told that the main ones are Amex ROP, Citibank ROP, and KTC ROP.

Apparently with Citibank every 20 baht can be converted into 1 mile. The others are 25 baht i think.

However I currently (and have been for the past year) holding a normal kasikorn bank credit card. Apparently if you have the k-bank platinum card, 1 award point on the card can be converted into 1 mile (25 baht = 1 point). so that's an option as well.

Any input will be highly appreciated, thank you!!

bkkman

Yes Amex, Citibank and KTC are the best. I have all three and suggest you hedge your bets also.

You can get miles with other credit cards but these companies are not dedicated ROP partners.

As far as the best one, well they all have their different virtues, for example Amex you get a bonus of 25% once you have spent over 100,000 baht (which was introduced after Citibank came in with a better earning rate) plus you can buy points to convert to ROP miles which then costs less than buying from Thai. They also sometimes offer extra points bonus. Their are other benefits too which for me still makes Amex the best.

Citibank is a very straightforward scheme.

KTChave some good offers every now and again but as I cant read Thai script, they are sometimes difficult to find out about.

Hope this helps

joy16

You can convert every 20 Baht into 1 mile for using KTC ROP and this card doesn't have annual fee.

larrythai

AMEX also gives you a 25,000 mile bonus when you spend at least one million baht in a calendar year. I put everything on the card, and pay it off the next month. Twice in 2010, AMEX also offered a conversion bonus of 10 and 15 percent for redeeming miles. Unfortunately in Thailand, many merchants still don't take AMEX, so I have a KTB card too. I also wish they would translatetheir newsletter and offers into English, as well.

bkkman

Good point but if you speak to Amex nicely they will waive the fee as long as you use the card a reasonable amount or as they did last year gave me lots of miles bonus if I paid the fee. This was a great deal.

No fee on Citibank either

molasis

For those of you that use the cards (non-amex). Do you incur a conversion fee if using the card for purchases in a currency other than Thai Baht?

I could qualify for one of these cards, but lot of my spend is outside Thailand.

Thanks

maximsilentfoot

Thanks everyone for the input! Good stuff.

So it sounds like Amex is good but requires a lot of spending (also not all thai merchants accept amex, i've heard that from quite a few ppl too).

So i guess its between citibank and KTC. not sure if it is just me but i do notice more restaurants and malls having special deals for citibank cards...does this only apply to their platinum select and other cards or is the citibank ROP also included?

As for the annual fee, apparently you can also get citibank to waive theirs. argh, choices choices!!

larrythai

Thanks bkkman. I called Amex, and sure enough, they waived their fee for me and my fiancee.
If you were in CM, I would treat you for dinner!

maximsilentfoot

since you have all three, would you say citibank is a good choice since its (1) visa so can use almost anywhere, (2) only 20baht for one mile and (3) has no annual fee?

thanks!

bkkman

Glad to help

bkkman

Yes I have also enjoyed good customer service from them as they are an international provider.

I have not had any major problems with KTC but unless you are Thai, can speak Thai or have a Thai partner or PA I would go with Citibank

One thing to remember though, is VISA is more acceptable in Thailand but that does not stop some outlets from wanting to charge you 3% especialy most retail travel agents.

bkkman

As far as I am aware they all charge a conversion fee.

Amex actually convert any foreign currency transactions into US dollars first and then to Thai baht so a double whammy from them which means I avoid using unless Thai baht, USD or authorizations such as car hire or hotels.

maximsilentfoot

thanks bkkman! i'm thai and can speak thai, however i think if i pick one i'll go with citibank. i also assume that the miles you obtain from spending on the card does not expire?

bkkman

Your Citibank points which you can then convert to ROP miles, its only then that they have a normal 3 year validity with Thai.

r-7

I have both AMEX and KTC. For AMEX, if you hold AMEX Plat charge card, the AMEX ROP fee is waive. I think all 3 cards are geared towards different lifestyle. For AMEX, if you dine alot in hotel and shop at Paragon or Emporium, then you shouldn't have any problem finding vendor who will accept AMEX. + the hotel dining promo is rather attractive as well (ie buy 1 get 1 free).

I can't really comment much on KTC cause I rarely use it.