AirAsia has recently relaunched its AirAsia ASEAN Pass, which they now rebranded as the AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass. It’s an annual flight subscription which you pay for once, and which allows you to book an unlimited number of flights within South East Asia for zero-base fare. It can be used for a duration of one year.
AirAsia originally launched the AirAsia ASEAN Pass in 2015, which lets you buy 10 or 20 Credit Passes, which you then redeem for flights—a flight can range from 1 to 3 credits—around South East Asia.
So, what’s new with the 2024 version of AirAsia’s ASEAN Pass? Is it worth it? How does it compare to Cebu Pacific Air’s extremely popular CEB Super Pass, which also lets you travel to any local destination for a period of one year? Well, let’s find out.
WHAT IS AIRASIA MOVE UNLIMITED ASEAN PASS?
The new 2024 AirAsia Move Unlimited ASEAN Pass is a zero-base fare subscription for international flights within South East Asian countries. This means, you can buy the pass, then use it for an unlimited number of times for traveling from one country to another (domestic flights are not included) for one year, for zero-base fare. Yes, the base fare is zero, but you still need to pay for other flight-related fees like terminal fees, admin fees, fuel surcharge fees, taxes, among other things.
The countries included for the pass are Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Brunei—these are flights with carrier codes AK, FD, Z2, QZ, and D7.
Since there are no AirAsia flights to East Timor or Timor Leste, and it isn’t really part of ASEAN nations just yet, it is not included with the Pass.
For 2024’s AirAsia ASEAN Pass, the travel dates are from May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025.
Other Perks
Besides the unlimited zero-base fare flights, AirAsia ASEAN Pass also has other benefits and perks.
Unlimited Hotel Deals – AirAsia MOVE offers up to 50% discounts for stays with their hotel partners on the website and app. This also works with additional exclusive promo codes for Pass holders for more savings.
Free Airport Ride – For every purchase of an AirAsia Unlimited ASEAN Pass, users are given one free ride to or from KLIA / KLIA2. Note that this free ride is capped at MYR 80.00, which is the usual taxi fare from KLIA to Klang Valley—any additional fare past MYR 80.00 would be shouldered by the user.
To avail of the free ride, access the AirAsia ASEAN Pass dashboard, click “Ride (Go)”, then choose “Free Airport Ride”.
Unlimited Discounted Rides – Since you can use AirAsia MOVE to book AirAsia Rides (similar to Grab Car) in Malaysia, you get MYR 2.00 discount for every single ride.
To avail of the discounted ride, access the AirAsia ASEAN Pass dashboard, click “Ride (Go)”, then choose “Unlimited RM2 City Rides”.
Bonus Sign-Up Points – A purchase of an AirAsia ASEAN Pass earns the subscriber 5,000 AirAsia Points, which you can use for flights or hotel bookings.
How Much Is An AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass?
An AirAsia Move Unlimited ASEAN Pass costs PHP 14,888.00 for Philippine residents, THB 8,888.00 for Thailand residents, IDR 3.98 MIO for Indonesia residents, SGD 388.00 for Singapore residents, and MYR 1,188.00 for Malaysia residents.
Payment methods include BigPay, Credit Card, Debit Card, and Internet Banking. For those with AirAsia Credits left on their account, unfortunately, this cannot be used to purchase an ASEAN Pass.
For Malaysian, Singaporean, and Thai residents, there is an MYR 50.00 / SGD 16.00 / THB 388.00 discount when you pay with AirAsia BigPay. For these nationalities, the pass can also be availed using 0% instalment plans with preferred banks in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. The Philippines, unfortunately, is sadly excluded for these promos.
There is an Early Bird discount of 5% for those who will buy the pass from March 22 to 24, 2024. To get the discount, use the code “EARLYBIRD5” during check out.
Again, the AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass fee only covers a flight’s base fare—that means zero fee base fare for its subscribers—you still need to pay for other flight-related fees like terminal fees, admin fees, fuel surcharge fees, taxes, among other charges regulated by ASEAN airports.
Where Can You Travel Using AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass?
AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass subscribers can travel to all ten ASEAN nations. Note that East Timor or Timor Leste is not part of the list. While it is indeed part of South East Asia, it is still not part of the ASEAN nations, plus the fact that there is currently no AirAsia flights to the said country.
Here is a list of countries and cities where you can use your AirAsia ASEAN Pass.
Brunei: Brunei
Cambodia: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap
Indonesia: Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya, Jogjakarta, Medan, Lombok, Padang, Bandung, Makassar, Pekanbaru
Laos: Vientiane
Malaysia: Penang, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru
Myanmar: Yangon
Philippines: Manila
Singapore: SIngapore
Thailand: Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Krabi
Vietnam: Ho Chi Mihn, Hanoi, Danang, Sihanoukville, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang
One important thing to know is that you can only use the AirAsia ASEAN Pass to travel internationally—that means one country to another. You cannot travel locally, even if there are other airport locations that are listed for the Pass.
Here’s an example, say you want to travel from Manila, Philippines to Penang—a popular destination in Malaysia which doesn’t have a direct flight from the Philippines. The usual route would be Manila > Kuala Lumpur > Penang. But since KL and Penang are on the same country, you can’t book it using the Pass. What you’d have to do instead is book a Manila > Kuala Lumpur > Singapore > Penang flights.
This is quite inconvenient, totally different from their previous ASEAN Pass which you can use even for local flights.
Who Can Buy AirAsia Unlimited ASEAN Pass?
The AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass is available for any nationality above 18 years of age. Minors can also purchase a Pass under adult supervision. Minors under 12 years of age on the flight departure date cannot purchase a Pass.
To buy the Pass, a user would have to register on the AirAsia MOVE app or website using the same details (name and birthday) found on his/her passport. A user can only buy a pass for him/herself. The pass cannot be shared or transferred to other people, with a few listed valid exceptions and provided that it still hasn’t been used.
One thing that isn’t clear is that there are only four base countries (where you supposedly purchased the Pass) listed under the ASEAN Pass dashboard—Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia. So, say for example, you live in Vietnam and want to purchase a Pass? Do you list Malaysia or any of the other three countries?
When Can You Buy AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass?
The AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass is available for purchase starting March 22, 2024.
When Can You Travel Using AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass?
The travel date for the 2024 Unlimited ASEAN Pass is from May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025 and booking a flight requires 14 days before flight date.
There are, however, embargo or blackout dates where you cannot travel using the Pass. Here’s the list of AirAsia ASEAN Pass embargo dates:
October 30, 2024 to November 4, 2024
All Souls / Saints Day – Z2 Flights
December 19, 2024 to January 5, 2025
Christmas and Year End Holidays – All Carriers
January 24, 2025 to February 3, 2025
Chinese New Year – All Carriers
March 27, 2025 to April 6, 2025
Hari Raya – AK, D7, FD, QZ Flights
April 10, 2025 to April 20, 2025
Songkran Festival – AK, D7, FD, QZ Flights
April 15, 2025 to 22 April 2025
Holy Week – Z2 Flights
To check seat availability before booking your AirAsia ASEAN Pass, you can head over to https://www.airasia.com/unlimited/en/gb/search-flights
HOW TO BUY AIRASIA MOVE UNLIMITED ASEAN PASS
To purchase an AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass you would need to access the AirAsia MOVE app or website. You would have to register if you’re not yet an AirAsia member. Note that you would have to use the name and birthdate as indicated in your passport as these would be used when booking flights under your account.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on buying an AirAsia Unlimited ASEAN Pass:
1. Log in to the AirAsia MOVE app or website
2. Click the “Asean Pass” icon
3. Click “SUBSCRIBE”
4. Fill out the required personal details
5. Choose your preferred payment method
6. A confirmation email will be sent to the email you used after successful purchase.
Note that once bought, an AirAsia Move Unlimited ASEAN Pass cannot be cancelled. It is also not available for purchase by travel agencies.
HOW TO REDEEM AIRASIA MOVE UNLIMITED ASEAN PASS FOR FLIGHTS
Here’s a step-by-step guide on redeeming an AirAsia Unlimited ASEAN Pass:
1. Log in to the AirAsia MOVE app or website and access the ASEAN Pass subscription dashboard.
2. Click “Go” button next to Flights, then a promo code would be auto-generated. There is no need to copy this.
3. Click “Book Now” to proceed to your Flight Search
4. In Flight Search, select departure “From”, and destination in “To”
5. Select departure date, and return date if you’re getting a round-trip flight
6. Click “Search”
7. Select AirAsia flights with 100% OFF fares
8. Select add-ons (optional)
9. Complete payment
Note that flights must be booked 14 days in advance and are not inclusive of airport taxes, fees, and other additional charges.
Another important thing to note, ASEAN Pass subscribers can only book two flights at a time—a safeguard to ensure that there would be no passenger overbookings. This means that you can only have two confirmed flights at any given time. Once you have flown or cancelled one of these two, then a slot for your ASEAN Pass opens up, and you can then immediately book another flight.
Can You Book Multiple Flights On The Same Travel Date?
Yes, you can book multiple flights on the same travel date using the AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass, provided that it would not be from the same origin. This is actually a no-brainer, since how can you actually fly from the same location twice on the same day.
Can You Reschedule Your Already Booked Flights?
Yes, you can reschedule flights booked using your AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass. This can be done using the AirAsia app or website, but it is subject to flight availability. You might also be charged a fare difference fee, so a better way to do this is to simply cancel your existing booking and book a new one using your Pass.
What Happens If You Miss Your AirAsia ASEAN Pass Flight?
AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass subscribers are allowed 3 no-shows for their confirmed flights. The 4th no show would incur a revocation of the user’s AirAsia ASEAN Pass.
If, however, you have a valid reason for missing your flights—medical related, loss of family member, legal issues, among others—you may submit your reasons complete with supporting documents to AirAsia.
HOW TO REDEEM AIRASIA UNLIMITED ASEAN PASS FOR HOTELS
Another great benefit of having an AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass is the discounted hotels you can book. Like the flights, there is no limit to your hotel bookings which have discounts that can range from 30% to 50%.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on redeeming an AirAsia ASEAN Pass hotel discount:
1. On the AirAsia Hotel widget, copy the promo code for your chosen hotel
2. Access the ASEAN Pass subscription dashboard.
3. Click the “Go” button next to Hotel
4. Enter your Destination, Travel Dates, and Number of Rooms & Guests
5. Search for your chosen hotel
6. Choose Room Type
7. Click “Pay Now and Continue”
8. Apply the promo code
9. Complete payment
IS THE AIRASIA MOVE UNLIMITED ASEAN PASS WORTH IT?
Is the AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass worth it? It depends on who’s going to use it.
It’s worth it for people who travel to only a single destination for multiple times a year—like weekend travelers who can only travel during non-work holidays, since you can book an unlimited number of round-trip flights every time you have a holiday. You probably have to travel at least four or five times to recoup the Pass’ fee.
It’s probably good for long-term travelers who plan to explore South East Asia on an extended period of time too. The major downside, however, is the prohibition on booking local flights—which can incur a lot of additional expenses if you have to fly to another country and back just to get to your chosen local destination. An option would be to use the Pass only when moving to the next country and using regular flights or buses on intercity travel.
The Pass is also inconvenient for multi-destination trips with a rigid schedule. Since you can only book two flights at any given time, it makes planning long trips quite hard. Think of booking hotels and reserving activities ahead of time on destinations you’re unsure if you can actually book using the AirAsia ASEAN Pass since you’re only allowed two existing flights.
For group travels, the Pass can also be problematic. Since each booking has to be made individually by the person traveling, the possibility of actually booking and traveling on the same flight can be hard, especially for popular destinations. This, however, can still be achieved, if your group is willing to travel on different flight times.
And lastly, the Pass is definitely not for families traveling with children below 12 years of age—since they’re not allowed to purchase a pass and you’d have buy them a regular flight ticket on the same flight as yours.
So, is the AirAsia MOVE Unlimited ASEAN Pass worth it? For the reasons stated above, it’s both yes and no.
