HKIA Frequent Visitor Card
 

I recently just received my Hong Kong International Airport Frequent Visitor Card.
Not sure what to expect when I first use it.
It is spost to be faster when going through immigrations.
Anyone else have one?
Is it worth it?

Moving thread to FT Hong Kong Forum
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

I'm confused? Is it worth what? It's free and it lets you bypass the visitor queue! What could be more simple?

When you arrive you look for the designated immigration counter which has a sign for HKIA Frequent Visitor Card above it. There willl normally be a person who will check your card and then you proceed to the counter (or occasionally a queue of 1 or 2 people). This must be better than waiting in line for 10-15 minutes with other visitors. The procedure is the same outbound.

But surely your card came with instructions?

Well, Christep said it all. I am just curious: How long did it take you to get it after you applied?

Is there a similar thing available for the overland borders ?

I applied approx 6-8 weeks ago via the internet and I haven't heard a peep

When my g/f applied it came in about 6 weeks I think. But that was a while ago when they were less popular / well-known.

hmm...
well when I went to sign up I went straight to the airport to submit the proof.
It turns it's a one man operation. One guy processes all the forms so it can be slow.
Took about 6 weeks to get the card.

Yeah, took mine about 6 weeks or so as well. I find it fantastic (used it for the first time recently). The queues at HKIA can be a pain when you arrive from a longhaul flight (especially if you have, ahem, overindulged) and it is great to skip past them. Even so, my bags have still beat me...

How frequently do you have to travel to HK to apply? I generally travel there 2-3 times per year. Is this enough?

Where do you find the application?

Thanks for the help.

Is the airport office open on Saturday?

I applied for my card by faxing them the forms and received the card x weeks later (Have been using the card since just after they launched it, so I don't remember how long it took to get the card in the mail). Didn't need to go to any office.

By the way, since early 2007, you can use the card for outbound travel from HK as well. Before it was strictly for arrivals only.

Eight weeks was the magic number....just came home it was waiting in the mail box

Can anyone confirm how long the card is valid for?
Is it indefinate?

I couldn't see it mentioned in the T&C.

Two years, during which you need to visit HK Airport 6 times to be eligible for renewal.

I will be using mine for the first time in a few weeks and looking forward to skipping the queues. It is no APEC BTC card but a good substitute for now ;)

took me about 5-6 weeks to get mine. it's VERY convenient. no waiting in those LONG lines anymore!!!

i just wish we could use this at the train station too. :p

The only problem is that if everyone who goes across the border several times per year gets a card, the queues at the special counter might grow longer than at the regular ones.

I have used my card once and found it fantastic, no queue at all. That time I was alone.

I will be travelling early May with my girlfriend and wondering what my chances of her skipping the queue with me (she doesnt have a card).

Has anyone tried it with a cardless partner?

depends on who's manning the lane, but so far I have seen my companion (wife) refused to use the lane only once. Definitely YMMV

Not yet recive my new card
 

Hi sir,

I have Hkia frequnt visitor card.But I dont Recive New card.

My card No-XXXXXXX Valiid thru Mar10.

Plz send new card, Thanks.

K.Ashokkumar

You are best contacting HKIA , http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/p...-renewals.html

[email protected]

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Probabaly not a problem anymore as we have echannel for HKIA card holder that you can sign-up your passport with.

Welcome to join local Hong Konger that normally spend 20 minutes simply waiting for their luggage as the echannel or manned immigration always have no queue. And for HK-er, a kind remind is that manned channel are faster than echannel when no queue!

Just arrived at Chek Lap Kok about 3 hours ago. Went through the Frequent Visitor e-channel but this time my proof-of-entry was not printed on adhesive paper.

My question is:
Did the Immigration Dept merely run out of adhesive paper and I still have to staple the proof-of-entry to my passport? Or is it no longer required to attach the proof-of-entry to my passport (since Immigration will have my entry details on computer anyway)?

Thanks.

I just went through CLK again earlier this week, both coming and going, as I took a short trip to BKK.

I stopped at the Frequent Visitor e-channel Enrolment Office and asked about the arrival printout. The response was, no, the Landing Slip no longer needs to be affixed to the passport. However, I was advised to keep it readily available in the event I needed to show proof of when I entered HK.

I then proceeded to ask whether I need to retain the Landing Slip after departing HK. The response to that was, it's up to me. Hong Kong Immigration does not impose a requirement to keep the Landing Slip after departing HK; however, I was told some people may wish to keep the Landing Slip to have a record of their travel.

Now, on a different matter, but still concerning the Frequent Visitor program, as of this writing, there is no Frequent Visitor e-channel lane in Terminal 2. I flew to BKK on TG, and since their check-in is in Terminal 2, I naturally proceeded to Immigration in Terminal 2, where instead of being able to use the e-channel, I had to use the regular Visitor lane, where the Immigration officer asked to see my Landing Slip, plus he asked me to fill out a Departure Card.

Does anyone knows what is the operating hours of the enrolment office? I have a friend who has a late night into HK Airport at around midnight and wondering if the e-channel enrolment office is still open for processing of enrolment? Thanks!

I went to the enrollment office yesterday and the whole process took about 5 minutes from start to finish. Very efficient, especially compared to IRIS enrollment in the UK!

does transit count as one entry?
 

have been to HKIA twice in the past half year, and will have a transit flight in HKIA in November, will the transit count as entry?

On the website it says it requires you to provide your travel doc with info on your last year's traveling in Hong Kong, which when it says travel document, I will assume it is the stamps on the passport

http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/p...r-channel.html
In terms of visit I will assume it is 1 entry and 1 exit to make 1 visit, so I guess if you go via immigration it will count as 1 to the pool, if you do not go via immigration and only go with transit security, it will count 0

easy thing, just need to get to the landside and get through immigration again. Thanks ChrisLi

Do you think it would it matter if my initial three entry stamps using HKIA are all on the same day?

(Thinking theoretically, in case I have a few hours to spend between flights.)

I would guess not since when you transit, you stay airside and you generally don't go through passport control. Now if you have a 4+ hour transit, you can enter HK, get your entry and have some good food outside the airport. :D

My sister tried to get this as a foreign passport holder, with a HKID card and was denied because of the HKID card just as an FYI.

I haven't tried it myself, but will take a look this december.

what about Macau? I took a trip to Macau during my stay two weeks ago, and got the stamp, dont know if that counts ... and abraxis, thanks for the advice, I have a 4- hour connection, so will not go to the center even though I am very much tempted by the nice food :-D

No it wouldn't because you're not entering Hong Kong via HKIA.

I notice you have CX listed as one of your programmes. All CX elite flyers can register without further documentation to use the Frequent Visitor e-channel gates.

Thanks for the info NickW, I have registered with CX not long ago, and will have my first flight with CX in two weeks' time. Guess takes some time to get to the elite status. Unless they also count Green as elite?

No; Green is the basic level of the MPC. Silver/Gold/Diamond get the e-channel access. N.B. if you have elite status on another airline and you are planning to move business to CX then it's worth asking them for a status comp.