Yes, if 50 or over you could get a Non-O visa and extend your stay year after year as long as you can meet the financial requirements. Look at the requirements for getting a Non-O visa from the Thai Embassy in Sydney. Here's the process of getting a retirement extension of stay in Phuket as an example:

From Oct. 1st Visa-exempt entry gets you 30 days permission to stay which can be extended one time for another 30 days at immigration for 1,900 baht. At the moment 60 day covid extensions are being sold.

Easy to remember rule: if you have a passport for the country you are trying to enter, use it! ;-)

it's always the smart move, sometimes legally required as in case of usa.

@Ian ********

the regular 30 day extension after a visa exempt entry is as near a certainty as anything we have in this world. That, said you can go as early as 30 days before current permission to stay expires to apply. Depends on immigration office, you can ask them. I would be comfortable making flight arrangements before getting the 30 day regular extension. Never heard of a single one of those being denied.

@Łukasz ***********

not necessarily. The regular 30 day extension always starts at the end of current permission to stay (you lose no days). The covid extension as it represents a change in the reason for the extension (from regular to covid) often starts from date of application (you may lose days). Depends on the immigration office. You need to ask your office. If you will lose days go as late as possible.

@Dany ********

they do in Phuket.

Yes, one can purchase for 1,900 baht from the immigration office a 60-day extension of stay due to covid up until 26 November 2021.

@Charles *******

the penalty is not 100%, but only 50%. I recommend filing the FBAR as required

@Nigel *********************

yes after receiving negative result from airport covid test, taking about 6 hours on average.

@Scot ******

if you'd have asked me can I get my Extension done at a different office than the one that issued the non-o I would have told you, no based on my knowledge of phuket rules. At a minimum I would have asked the immigration office if it were possible. But I can't fix anything after the fact. Only the immigration offices can do that. Good luck.