AirAsia has reintroduced its Unlimited ASEAN Pass (previously Super+) & it is a current hot trend, especially for travelers who hope to grab good deals as flight prices are skyrocketing. Not joking. This year itself, aside from the upcoming airport tax implemented by the Malaysian government (effective 1st June 2024) from RM35 to RM50 (KLIA2) & RM70 (KLIA), flight prices are extremely high. Due to the higher price of the flight, I have to cancel my travel plans to the Philippines as it is just too expensive. I have also checked other alternative places such as Kazakhstan, Australia & Turkey, it is almost double the price I checked last year.
When I saw the ads on AirAsia offering the Unlimited ASEAN Pass, I was curious to know what are the perks or if there is anything extra that they are offering compared to the previous one. I have also written my honest review of them based on my previous subscription. In a nutshell, compared to their previous subscription fees, they started to launch it at RM639 & later increased it to RM699. This year, they are charging RM1,188 or RM99/month (selected bank credit card only). That is almost double what they used to offer in the past.
Looking at the perks that they are offering compared to the ones in the past, it is almost the same with the removal of some perks & adding in some. The obvious one was the AirAsia food removal but it was replaced by a hotel booking discount. There is also 1 time free ride for KLIA & KLIA 2 (capped at RM80) to Klang Valley. Users who sign up for the unlimited pass will get 5,000 AirAsia points (Worth RM50). Compared to the destination in the past, the destination countries seem to have increased compared to the previous offer. I can’t find the previous offering countries to compare it.
The destination within ASEAN Pass coverage is as below:
When AirAsia mentions FREE flight for 1 year, you may also take note of the blackout dates or peak periods where you are not able to redeem FREE flight & you have to pay the full price for it.
What is my view on this?
Looking at the overall perks that they are offering, there are some advantages & disadvantages. The obvious advantage will be some extra savings for your flight especially for travelers that have the flexibility to travel out of the blackout or peak period. It is also an advantage for people who have flexible or remote jobs where they can just use this past & travel as many times as possible within 1 year. For those who have limited annual leaves & can only travel a maximum 3 times a year, the savings may not be that obvious for you.
For hotel discount perks, I personally think that other apps such as Agoda or Booking may have similar or better deals. I am using mainly Agoda for my hotel bookings & my loyalty to the app (VIP Platinum member) has also gained me good discounts & rebates. For the AirAsia Ride discount, my frequency of using ridesharing companies is very limited unless I am traveling to Kuala Lumpur. Grab will always be my first choice especially since I have my subscription to GrabUnlimited. AirAsia Ride is my second choice if there are no Grab drivers available.
As someone who loves traveling & competing in BJJ tournaments overseas, I don’t see AirAsia Unlimited ASEAN Pass as something that can benefit me. Since I have subscribed to it before, I did not utilize it as much as I should have due to the limited destination & other perks that I could not utilize. It also put a limitation to my travel plan as I can also choose other flight operators that may offer a cheaper price to the destination that I want to go to. I can also broaden my holiday destination as the Unlimited Pass only covers ASEAN countries.
This is solely my view based on my lifestyle & travel plans. It is a good deal for those who truly want to explore ASEAN countries, have flexible jobs, or even someone who uses a lot of ridesharing services.
OSS!
