By and large, Singapore has always been a popular travel destination. But it’s not just because of the lovely view of our CBD and hundreds of people slogging away late into the night, or because tourists have come in search of a mystical crab cooked in a thousand different spices, or even to buy cheap(er) luxury goods. For many, Singapore serves as great starting point to travel to the rest of the South-East Asian region; a base camp of sorts.
This doesn’t just apply to tourists and exchange university students hoping to get a cheap taste of Asian culture. Singaporeans are also just as fond of going to various destinations for different reasons, especially during the school holiday season.
What Is This “Pass” That Is Going To Save Me So Much Money?
You’d be forgiven for rolling your eyes a little at the title, with so many promises of “great savings” and “unbeatable prices” these days in advertisements plastered in your face daily. But we’re not actually kidding when we say this may be one of the best things to help you save money should you be thinking of taking an extended vacation around the region.
The AirAsia Asean Pass is a travel pass that allows you to book AirAsia flights with credits, which allows you to travel around the 10 Southeast Asian countries. This pass is perfect for travellers who want to maximize the period of time they’ve set aside for travel, perhaps backpacking from country to country or city to city.
How Does it Work?
The AirAsia Asean Pass basically provides you with a fixed number of credits, which can be redeemed for AirAsia flights, at least 14 days or more before the departure date to travel to more than 140 routes all across the ASEAN region. Flights to different places have different levels of redemption credits needed and flights are subject to availability. Here’s a simple flow of how to redeem your flights:
As you can see, you still have to pay the airport tax for the countries you are travelling too, but compared to saving on your airfare, you’re still getting a great deal on your flights.
So how many credits does it cost for various destinations? Here’s a sample table just to give you an idea, but you can find the full breakdown of credit costs here:
1 Credit (per way)
3 Credits (per way)
Who is This Good For?
You might be thinking that travelling to so many places within a 30 or 60 day period is rather intense, but this pass also greatly benefits quite a number of people:
- Students planning for a graduation trip
- Exchange students wanting to see the region affordably
- People taking an extended work break
- Families who might want to go to different places during the June holidays
Needless to say, you’re going to need to do some planning to fully utilise your credits but if you did a simple trip like going from Singapore -> Bali -> Bangkok -> Penang -> Medan -> Kuala Lumpur -> Singapore, that’s a heck of a lot of places you could be heading to at really a fraction of what it would usually cost you. If you’re interested in this awesome pass, you can find out more here.
Just do take note that as is to be expected, seats are more readily available during non-peak periods and weekdays, so if you’re planning to travel during a peak period, it’s best to make sure you book your flights in advance. Since you don’t have to worry about fluctuating costs of flights with the Asean Pass, planning ahead for your trip is a no-brainer.
Also, if you need some pointers along your travels, you can also download free travel guides via AirAsia’s inflight magazine, travel 3Sixty°, which covers plenty of tips and things you should know about as you travel around the region. The guides can even be used offline once downloaded so you don’t have to worry about connectivity if you are travelling to a place that’s off the beaten track.
What are your thoughts on the AirAsia Asean Pass? Share them with us here!
This article is brought to you by AirAsia.