My pleasure!

Oh yes, true. for few months, if im not wrong since august 2016 till february 2017, Government cancelled the visa fee on all Tourist visa issued in any thai consulates/embassy around the world.

Now Penang Consulate accept only 200 visa per day and only from 9 to 11am.

They give back passports the day after at 2pm.

If you fly from phuket to penang you must arrive the night before your visa apply day, and stay 3 nights because there are no more flights in the afternoon. In any case, if you have a car and drive back to phuket, at least 2 nights.

Tourist visa fee for tourist visa has always been 150 ringgit (1200 baht), if you add agent fee (can be ringgit) it becomes baht, and even more because some agent charge 1500 baht instead of 150 ringgit...

Techically in this way you can stay 11 months:

June+July 60 day tourist visa

August extension

September 1st border run 2018

October extension

November 2nd border run 2018

December extension

January 1st border run 2019

February extension

March 2nd border run 2019

April extension

Yes true but in Penang he must stay 3 days/3 nights facing lodging and more expenses; tourist visa have a cost of 150 ringgit (around 1,200 baht) if he goes by himself (using an agent costs around 1,800 baht), he must be lucky to be one of the 200 visa Penang Consulate apply per day (otherwise he would lose more days), he must show proof of lodging in Thailand (hotel booking for at least 14 days or a house rental contract) and a flight reservation out of Thailand within 60 days from the visa application day...

Example:

30 nov: Border run to get new stamp till december 30th.

30 dec: extension of 30 days at Immigration.

30 jan: border run to get new stamp

28 feb: extension at immigration.

29 march: border run (2nd and last allowed for 2018).

27 april: extension at Immigration till 27 may 2018.

Vishal, yes you are, but you need just one (november 30th or few days before); then, when your stamp is near to get expired, it is enough to get a 30 day extension at local Immigration. You don't need to do another border run.

You can do it next january (get 30 days, extend in Phuket) and next march

Malaysian borders just re-start to give 30 day stamp last week. Till then they did not give (despite of national official rule, by the way). You should get it if your passport doesn't show previous "1 year visa" but be adviced that you would pay an unofficial tip of 1,000 baht if you use Satun border or similar.

Ranong is also closer to Phuket.

In any case, after your stamp at border, you can extend by 30 more days at Phuket Immigration

Malaysian borders most of times don't give 30 day stamp to back-to-back travellers.

If you are lucky enough to get one (it depends on your passport "story") they would charge 1,000 baht.

Try Ranong (Myanmar border), more friendly and easy to get stamp: you would pay only 500 baht for Myanmar entry fee.

Then, after get your 30 day stamp, you don't need to exit the Country again, but just get a 30 day extension at Phuket Immigration (1,900 baht)

In Ranong they give 30 day stamp, that's sure