Just nine months after it launched its Super+ subscription service, AirAsia has revised its offering by adding more free flight options and a couple of extra perks. As this is AirAsia, the goodies come with a catch, and as always, it revolves around money.
New (read: more expensive) pricing
The revamped pricing strategy sees a bump up for the base tier as well as the introduction of a new Super+ Premium. Pricing is as follows:
- AirAsia Super+ Lite – RM888 per year
- AirAsia Super+ Premium – RM2,288 per year
This makes the renamed Lite tier RM249 more expensive than the previous Super+ subscription, while offering largely the same perks as before; you’ll also earn 800 AirAsia (formerly BIG) points. As for Premium, you’re paying through your nose at more than double the price of the Lite (although you do at least get 2,000 AirAsia points), but there’s one very big upside to that.
Premium gets “free” unlimited long-haul flights
That’s right—you’re no longer limited to redeeming unlimited flights within ASEAN. The Premium tier gives you access to all countries operated by the AirAsia airline group, including:
- Japan
- South Korea
- Australia
- New Zealand
- India
- Bangladesh
- Maldives
- Sri Lanka
- Hong Kong
- Macau
- Taiwan
- Saudi Arabia
As for the Lite tier, you’ll continue to be restricted to flights to Southeast Asian countries (under 4 hours), such as Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Brunei.
What’s the catch?
As before, there are a few terms and conditions attached to Super+. You can’t just book any flight you wish—you’ll have to stick to selected flights that are marked “100% off”. You’ll also need to book at least 14 days in advance of your travels.
The good news is that the amount of blacked-out dates is far fewer this time around—only the year-end festive season, Chinese New Year and several Thai-specific holidays have been made unavailable. You can also now check the availability of every flight on the official Super+ website.
Of course, the “free” portion only covers the base fare and does not include the taxes, fees and other charges, such as service charges, fuel surcharges and departure levies. It also goes without saying that you’ll be footing the bill for add-ons like meals, baggage and the Value Pack, Premium Flex and Premium Flatbed bundles.
There are other restrictions—for example, you can only book a maximum of two flights on the same day, and they can’t both be from the same destination. You are still able to reschedule your flights, at least (subject to flight availability), although you may have to pay for any difference in fares. The full FAQ can be found here.
Ride, hotel discounts; no more COVID-19 coverage
Aside from expanding the scope of unlimited free flights, AirAsia has also added unlimited 10% discounts (capped at RM2, limited to Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia) on AirAsia Ride eHailing fares and 5% discounts on AirAsia Hotel stays. The company appears to have removed some perks, however—you no longer get coverage for COVID-19-related expenses, nor any free deliveries for food orders. It looks like the airline is focusing on travel with this latest offering, rather than any of its other services.
Subscriptions now available worldwide
With the latest revamp, AirAsia is also opening up its Super+ subscriptions to global customers, not just to those in ASEAN. The Lite tier is priced starting from THB6,999 in Thailand, PHP11,000 in the Philippines, IDR4 million in Indonesia, AUD309 in Australia, KRW268,888 in South Korea, SGD269 in Singapore and USD199 for all other countries.
