Thai Royal Orchid Plus: A Deep Dive
This deep dive covers what Royal Orchid Plus is, how to get the miles, the Star Alliance sweet spots, and how to book. Award prices and availability change constantly as programs devalue and adjust, so treat every points figure here as a rough, illustrative guide rather than a guarantee. Always confirm the current price and that an award seat is actually available on the airline own site before you transfer points, since transfers are one-way and cannot be reversed.
What Royal Orchid Plus is
Royal Orchid Plus is Thai Airways frequent flyer program. As a Star Alliance member, Thai lets you redeem its miles across the alliance, United, Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore, and more, using a separate zone-based chart for partner awards that you can mix with Thai own flights on a single itinerary. Thai completed a court-supervised restructuring and has been steadily adding award availability as it rebuilds its network.
The program is most interesting for the value pockets in its partner chart and for its booking flexibility. See our transfer partners guide.
How to get the miles
For US travelers, Rove is the practical way in: Rove Miles transfer to Thai Royal Orchid Plus at 1 to 1. You accumulate Rove Miles by booking travel or shopping through Rove on your usual rewards card, then move them to Thai when you have a Star Alliance award in mind.
See our Rove Miles guide for how the currency works, and join Rove free to begin. Confirm the award before transferring, as transfers are one-way.
The Star Alliance sweet spots
The headline redemptions are premium cabins on Thai partners. Thai miles can book Lufthansa first class, one of the best first-class products anywhere, and United Polaris business class, both at prices that can beat other Star Alliance programs on certain routes. There are also good values in business class between the Middle East or Central Asia and Europe, and on long routes such as Australia to Europe.
Because the chart is zone-based, the trick is finding the routes where Thai prices a premium cabin below the alliance norm. See our guides on business class and first class redemptions.
Stopovers and booking
One of Thai best features is its stopover policy: you can add one stopover on a one-way award or up to two on a round-trip at no extra mileage cost, which lets you turn a single award into a multi-city trip. That flexibility is rare and can dramatically raise the value of a booking when you plan it deliberately.
To book, find and confirm Star Alliance space, transfer the Rove Miles you need, then book, ideally over the phone for complex partner itineraries. Watch surcharges on certain carriers and total the cost before committing. See finding award space and booking tactics.
Who Thai Royal Orchid Plus is best for
Royal Orchid Plus is best for travelers chasing premium-cabin Star Alliance sweet spots like Lufthansa first or United Polaris, planners who can exploit the generous stopover rules, and Rove collectors who want a flexible Star Alliance currency. For multi-city Asia or Europe trips, the stopover policy alone can justify using Thai.
It is less useful if you only fly economy short-haul, where simpler programs suffice, or if you need instant booking, since partner awards often require a phone call. Hold Rove Miles and transfer when a premium Star Alliance award lines up. Award prices and availability change constantly as programs devalue and adjust, so treat every points figure here as a rough, illustrative guide rather than a guarantee. Always confirm the current price and that an award seat is actually available on the airline own site before you transfer points, since transfers are one-way and cannot be reversed.
Frequently asked questions
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