Travellers Cheques Thailand

VinylJunkie

Heading to Thailand next week, would people recommend bringing travellers cheques or will some cash and bank card surfice?

westies4ever

i never bothered with travellers cheques, atms are widely available.

VinylJunkie

Grand thanks

ardmacha

Get an O2 card or the like as well as a back up.

Tipperary animal lover

Cash and cards ... ATMs everywhere

killbillvol2

You'll be charged almost €4 per withdrawal from Thai ATMs on top of whatever your bank is hitting you for. If you're not going for too long and you'll be staying in decent places with room safes take as much cash as you can. The exchange rate you get over there will be very good.

Stinicker

There is a 150 - 180bt withdrawal fee and then all the various rip-off fees from your Irish bank. I paid over €130 in banking fees alone for five weeks in Thailand and the Philippines in June. Best bet is to open a Thai bank account with Kasikorn bank especially if you plan to be a regular visitor to the country.

killbillvol2

Stinicker wrote: »

There is a 150 - 180bt withdrawal fee and then all the various rip-off fees from your Irish bank. I paid over €130 in banking fees alone for five weeks in Thailand and the Philippines in June. Best bet is to open a Thai bank account with Kasikorn bank especially if you plan to be a regular visitor to the country.

Visitors on tourist visas/30 day stamps can no longer open bank accounts in Thailand.

Stinicker

killbillvol2 wrote: »

Visitors on tourist visas/30 day stamps can no longer open bank accounts in Thailand.

It's Thailand Yes they can believe me! I didn't bother opening one last time and I regretted it! Bigger branches will require more paperwork but it is no problem usually!

killbillvol2

Stinicker wrote: »

It's Thailand Yes they can believe me! I didn't bother opening one last time and I regretted it! Bigger branches will require more paperwork but it is no problem usually!

Why would I believe you? You've been to Thailand twice, 3 times? This apparently makes you an expert?

I've been there 50+ times. I've lived there. I speak Thai well enough to get by. I know very well how they work.

Have you actually tried to do it? Actually gone into bank branches to do it? No.

But you can tell us that bigger branches will require more paperwork. What paperwork exactly? And you say "it's no problem usually". Really?

<mod snip>

mooseknunkle

killbillvol2 wrote: »

Visitors on tourist visas/30 day stamps can no longer open bank accounts in Thailand.

Im not saying that i dont believe you but have you links to back this up?,its just i know at least two people who have opened accounts in the last few days and they were on 30 day stamps.

killbillvol2

mooseknunkle wrote: »

Im not saying that i dont believe you but have you links to back this up?,its just i know at least two people who have opened accounts in the last few days and they were on 30 day stamps.

Good for them. Further proof of ever shifting Thai rules.

In my case I had 3 different bank accounts going way back basically because I lived in 3 different places. I took two friends of mine to Bangkok Bank in Bang Na at the beginning of July to open accounts. No dice. We were told that they required work permits. New rules to prevent money laundering. So we went to Krungthai Bank next door and got exactly the same line.

We left it and tried again in Khon Kaen a couple of days later at Bangkok Bank and SCB. Finally, we tried Kasikorn Bank in Khon Kaen as it's supposed to be the easiest. Same story. Money laundering regulations; work permit or a Thai house book required. One of them had a stamp and the other had an actual visa.

One of the lads is back there now so I'll tell him to try again. Which bank did your friends open the accounts in?

gustafo

i had no problems a few years ago opening a Kasikorn bank account in phuket with a tourist visa,

i was working there but didn't have a work visa so a thai work colleague came with me to the bank and had it sorted in 10 minutes,

so handy now when i go back a few times a year, i just bring all in cash and convert it at the best place where the exchange is and lob it in the account.

killbillvol2

gustafo wrote: »

i had no problems a few years ago opening a Kasikorn bank account in phuket with a tourist visa,

i was working there but didn't have a work visa so a thai work colleague came with me to the bank and had it sorted in 10 minutes,

so handy now when i go back a few times a year, i just bring all in cash and convert it at the best place where the exchange is and lob it in the account.

It was always pretty easy. My Thai friends think Uncle Sam gave instructions to tighten up but they've let it lapse again apparently.

I'm anxious to get my mates fixed up because they're always asking to use my card and then stiffing me on the exchange rate