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Yes, Thai Airways Royal Orchid do miles expire after three years. Per the Thai Airways Royal Orchid terms and conditions page:
“Miles are valid for 3 years. Miles accrued in each quarter of any given year, and not redeemed, expire at the end of the corresponding quarter 3 years there after. Expiring miles that are not redeemed by the last day in each quarter are void and deleted from accounts.”
Unfortunately, there is no way to extend the validity of your miles. And once your miles expire, they are consigned to history and cannot be reinstated.
Boosting Your Thai Airways Balance
Fortunately, you have options if you are a few miles short of a redemption. You can transfer Citi ThankYou points or Marriott Bonvoy points to Thai Royal Orchid Plus miles. This lets you boost your balance for your next award redemption.
You can transfer Citi ThankYou points to Thai Airways Royal Orchid at a ratio of 1:1. However, transfers are not quick — averaging between 3 and 7 days. So, if you want to transfer your points for a specific redemption, make sure to factor in this transfer time.
Marriot Bonvoy points transfer to Thai Royal Orchid at a ratio of 3:1 with a minimum transfer of 3,000 points. Similar to Citi ThankYou points, the transfers are relatively slow and can take around 4 days to post to your Thai account.
Using Your Thai Airways Miles
There are a few sweet spots to be had with the program, including with partners. However, Star Alliance partner awards are temporarily unavailable. Currently, you can not redeem your Thai Airways Royal Orchid miles for Star Alliance flights while the airline is being “rehabilitated” per the Thai Star Alliance award page:
“Royal Orchid Plus has temporarily suspended redemption on Star Alliance ticket and upgrade awards due to THAI's business rehabilitation. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.”
There is no indication of when you will be able to redeem your miles for Star Alliance awards or if the current pricing model will hold.
All is not lost, considering you can only use your Thai miles for awards on its own metal. There are still several sweetsops to be had on route to and from Bangkok, including:
- Dubai and Jeddah for 42,500 miles plus taxes and fees one way in business class.
- Bangkok to Brisbane, Melbourne, or Sydney for 65,000 miles plus taxes and fees for one-way business class awards.
- Europe to Bangkok for 90,000 miles plus taxes and fees one way in business class.
Our Take
While Thai Royal Orchid used to have some value as a program, now there is not much on offer. No Star Alliance awards mean that some relatively expensive other options are the best offerings the program has to offer.
However, the program may be worth a closer look if you are a dedicated visitor to Thailand. If that is the case, make sure to keep in mind that Thai Airways miles do expire after a 3-year period — no matter your activity.
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