| | |
| ||
|
Menu: Site Map |
Money, Banking
Thai currency and exchange rates
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
MasterCard |
(02) 260-8572 |
|
Visa |
(02) 273-1199 or (02) 273-7449 |
|
American Express |
(02) 273-0022 or (02) 273-0044 |
|
Diner's Club |
(02) 238-3660 |
If you need a cash advance, Visa and MasterCard holders can get up to US $500 value of Thai baht from some branches of Siam Commercial Bank, Bangkok Bank and Thai Farmers Bank. American Express card holders can get advances in the form of Traveler's Cheques from SEA Tours, who can be reached at 02-216-5759, and are located in central Bangkok at Phayathai Plaza, 8th Floor, Suite 88-92, Phayathai Rd.
Setting up a bank account in Thailand is easy and quick, as long as you have your passport. You can bring in practically any amount of money, though getting it back out is another matter, as discussed in the section on Transferring Money From Abroad. Practically anyone living here should do this immediately. There are few legal restrictions as long as the money originates from abroad, though you will get a savings account, not a checking account.
Cheques are seldom written here and are normally restricted to business transactions using long established company accounts. You can get a local ATM card immediately, as is standard practice, but not a chequebook. For large purchases, you can go to your bank to arrange a bank cheque to carry to the vendor. Your ATM card will work in any ATM machine regardless of bank.
You will be given a bank book. You will not be mailed detailed bank statements from the bank as in many western countries. You should carry this bank book with you whenever you do a transaction with a teller. They will put the bank book into their machine, and your transactions will be printed on the pages of the bank book in order. If you do a lot of transactions (ATM, deposits) without bringing in your bank book for a long time, then one line may include a combination of many transactions in value with no itemization (one line with code ACM for ACcuMulated).
You can use any branch of your bank for most transactions such as depositing local cheques, but you will find that a few services are available only at the branch in which you opened your bank account. The same goes for cashing (vs. depositing) a cheque -- you must go to the branch number on the cheque of the issuing party, as is written clearly on the cheque, if you wish to cash the cheque. You can call the bank (phone numbers below) and find out where the branch is. For depositing a cheque, if the issuing party uses the same bank as yourself, then the money will usually be available for withdrawal immediately upon deposit. However, if the cheque is from a different Thai bank, then it will clear in two days, e.g., if you put it in Tuesday afternoon then it will be available for ATM withdrawal after 6:30pm on Thursday. If you deposit it before 10:00am, then the funds will usually be available the next day after 6:30pm.
When you fill out a deposit or withdrawal form, be sure to use a duplicate form (carbon or chemical) so that you make two copies, or have the teller print a receipt. They keep one and they stamp the copy to give to you as a receipt and with a computer printout on it having your name and other information clearly typed even if the form is left blank. If your bank is poorly managed so you are stuck with no carbon, then just fill out two forms separately, as nothing will matter except what the computer prints onto the receipt. Make sure to bring your passport if you want to withdraw cash at the counter rather than at an ATM.
A list of local Thai banks and their main phone number:
TBD - make a table, add phone #'s
|
Kasikorn Bank, K-Bank (formerly Thai Farmer's Bank (TFB)) |
|
|
Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) |
[phone number] |
|
Bangkok Bank |
|
|
Krung Thai Bank |
|
|
... |
Which bank is best is up for debate. Here are my opinions:
Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) was my favorite from when I first came here in 1994 up until recently, due to their good service effort (though remote banks sometimes have clueless staff). Siam Commercial Bank has the most ATMs in Thailand. (You can withdraw money at any bank's ATM, but if you want to transfer money to someone else then you need to use an ATM of your bank.) Siam Commercial Bank ATMs had the best English for a long time. The bank maintains a very good reputation. You can spot them by their purple brand color.
Kasikorn, also known as K-Bank, formerly "Thai Farmers Bank" (but they are not just for farmers; that's just their origin long ago) also provides exemplary quality of service, is very modern, and has a good reputation in the hi-so financial community. Kasikorn is definitely on the rise and I project Kasikorn to be the bank of the future. The quality of service in their branches has overtaken Siam Commercial Bank in many ways, as has their English ability in branches. The English in their ATMs and internet banking is also very good. Kasikorn has embarked on some ambitious e-banking projects. Very modern. Their branches are bright green. (The green reflects their farmers origin, but they are obviously way beyond farming now. "Kasikorn" is a farmer word.)
Bangkok Bank was one of the best known and biggest banks in Southeast Asia until the 1997 Asia Economic Crash, which nearly destroyed Bangkok Bank. In the old days, Bangkok Bank had the best service in some ways (though their ATMs had no English for a painfully long time, though now they have English). I and many of my associates have abandoned our accounts there due to poor and uncompetitive service.
UOB (United Overseas Bank) and a few others are of interest in special situations, but are far behind the above three with foreigners.
English is often poor in the branches and at the ATMs of smaller banks.
Technically, foreigners are required a work permit to open a bank account. However, in practice, many branches will open an account for a foreigner without a work permit. If one branch turns you down, you'll probably find that the next branch will accept you. Most people get it on the first branch. Very few foreigners have had to try more than 3 branches. They may ask you for your work permit, but if/when you say you don't have one, they will say never mind and proceed. (This Is Thailand!) If you have a problem, then maybe you need to tidy up your appearance and change your demeanor. Also, bring a good amount of money to open the account.
The normal account is a "Savings" account tied to an ATM card for withdrawals. As noted above already, there are no personal checking accounts in Thailand. Only company checking accounts.
Foreign banks with a branch in Bangkok include those listed below ... but it's important to know that most of those don't offer counter service. The local favorite, which does offer counter service, and good service, is the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC). Foreign banks usually have just one branch in Thailand, in the city center.
TBD - add phone #'s, addresses
|
Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) |
Silom Road |
|
|
Bank of America |
[phone number] |
[address/location] |
|
Standard Chartered Bank |
||
|
Citibank |
||
|
Deutsche Bank |
||
|
Chase Manhattan Bank |
||
|
Banque Indosuez |
||
|
Merrill Lynch International Bank |
||
|
Banque Nationale du Paris |
||
|
Sakura Bank |
||
|
Bank of Tokyo |
||
|
United Malayan Bank |
Besides using a credit card as discussed above, there are other ways of transferring money from abroad. Some require setting up a bank account in Thailand, which is easy and quick as discussed in the previous section on Banking. There are also branches of several foreign banks in Bangkok, as also listed previously.
Western Union is the fastest way to send money, e.g., same day, but is the most expensive way. You have to go pick up the money at a Western Union office. Most branches of Central and Robinsons Department stores in Bangkok have a Western Union, and in many provinces you can pick up Western Union at the Thai Post government post office. To find out which ones, call 02-254-9121.
MoneyGram works just like Western Union except that their branches are linked to Siam Commercial Bank, which is located nationwide and has the most branches. You get a better exchange rate with MoneyGram and lower fees, compared to Western Union.
Western Union was the main option in years past but MoneyGram seemed to come roaring in after the year 2000.
There are some relative startups like iKobo which were interesting. iKobo sent me a card with some credit on it many years ago but then the card suddenly didn't work and after wasting a lot of time on the phone to the USA, it seemed that iKobo had been bought up by another company which wasn't honoring my card and there was some convoluted process to get my remaining credit, frankly not worth my time to hassle with it.
Wiring money from an overseas bank account to your Thai bank account (or vice versa) usually takes one to three days, though sometimes it can take more than a week, depending upon the banks and the system used. It can also be pretty expensive, with fees on both ends, e.g., 400 baht to receive.
If you plan to deposit a cheque written to you personally, try to make sure the cheque is written to your full name, for example Joseph Antonio Blow instead of Joseph Blow. This is because your Thai bank account will be in your full name, and branches and central offices have been known to reject deposits without the middle name in it. It depends on the bank and branch. I've had to argue with a few of them, and the time and effort to prevent this makes it worth avoiding this issue. Again, they will normally take out around 400 baht on the Thai end and take around 45 days to clear the cheque.
One of the cheapest ways is to send an international cashier's cheque or money order which you prepare at a bank. Such a cheque should be sent by a registered international courier, e.g., FedEx or DHL or UPS. These couriers are listed on our page on Postal and Courier.
Notably, do not use the post office Money Order service. You don't get a money order cheque. It's a farce. There is an alluring advertisement on the website of the Communications Authority of Thailand (who is in charge of the post offices), and you'll see a Money Order place in post offices. My experience with this government service has been unacceptable, to say the least. Fortunately, the staff and big boss at the post office were kind enough to agree with me, and disagree with the system imposed on them.
To send money or to receive cash, you will need your passport in hand.
There are generally no restrictions on receiving money, but sending money is another matter, as is walking out of the country with money. Many new regulations were put into place as a result of the 1997 economic collapse and currency speculation which caused the Thai baht to fluctuate and become more unstable.
Transferring money will require an invoice from the remote receiver, and you should bring as much documentation as you can.
Currently, it is said that you can walk out with up to 50,000 baht. (This may be out of date. Check for the latest.)
To convert Thai baht into cash during times of questionable government policies and currency speculation has required your show your plane ticket as a reason for converting Thai baht into foreign currency. However, most of the time there is no problem in central Bangkok if it's not a large amount of money to be converted.
If you already have a bank account in Thailand, it's quick and easy to send money to someone else's bank account in Thailand, or to some company's bank account. This is a common method of payment.
The only trick is that you must go to an ATM machine owned by your bank. For example, if you have an SCB (Siam Commercial Bank) ATM card, and your girlfriend has a Kasikorn Bank (KBank) then you must go to an SCB bank ATM to transfer the money. You cannot use a Krung Thai Bank ATM or a Kasikorn Bank ATM or anything except an SCB Bank ATM. Likewise, if you girlfriend wants to send some money to you, then she must go to a Kasikorn Bank ATM, not an SCB ATM.
The ATM machines vary, but the process usually goes like this:
It's very easy and quick. The money is instantly available to the other person.
Keep the receipt. If you need it for tax records or any other potential reason for future reference, then you should photocopy or scan it, because most of the receipts fade very quickly (thermal paper). The receipt will have the sender's and receiver's account number, transaction number, amount, date and time. It won't have any names on it.
Notably, interbank transfer usually fails after 9pm, though transfers within different accounts of the same bank usually work 24 hours/day.
Many of the so-called "MasterCard" and "Visa" cards you get from Thai banks are basically ATM cards which will use the Visa and MasterCard domestic networks, too, but will not be accepted as a Visa or MasterCard overseas, e.g., if you try to use them for an internet transaction in another country or you present them at a hotel overseas. Rejected.
The bank staff will often swear up and down that you can use the cards overseas. However, the only place you can use them is in an ATM machine overseas.
As a general rule of thumb, if the card does not have raised lettering on it, then the probability is high that it will only work for domestic Thailand Visa and MasterCard transactions, not overseas.
Don't find this out after you're already overseas. Don't take the low level staff's word for it. Go on-line and try purchasing something with it, such as a subscription, software, a Kindle electronic book, etc., from a different country.
Income taxes must be paid for salaries, and consultants and companies must also pay VAT and taxes on profits. This is covered in a separate section entitled ... .
Sales tax, or VAT (Value Added Tax), is 7% on all purchases. (It was briefly raised to 10% after the 1997 crash but was lowered back to 7% after a few months.) VAT is supposed to be charged for both goods and services, though in practice this varies.
On many purchases, you will find that they don't add VAT. It's either included in the price or else they aren't paying their taxes.
Many hotels and restaurants, especially those which cater to foreigners, will add both VAT and a service charge. Look at the fine print at the bottom of the menu or price sheet. Other "taxes" such as "hotel tax" are just service charges by a different name.
Tipping for services is not required or customary, though it's fairly common, e.g., leaving the metal change and keeping the paper notes. If the service is good, you can feel free to tip more and it will usually be appreciated, though it's usually not clear to whom the tip will go, i.e., the employees or the establishment. (You're welcome to tip me!)
Petty theft is not common but nonetheless happens, especially in crowded markets and buses. (There are also many reports of pickpockets in areas of go-go bars, and even periodic reports of intoxicated men walking alone being robbed by gangs of groping transvestites on Sukhumvit Rd.)
Never keep your money or wallet in your back pocket. A money belt is not a bad idea.
Never keep all your money and all your credit cards on you. Keep some in your home. If you've just arrived in Bangkok, consider renting a safety deposit box at your hotel or at a bank. Keep your passport in a safe place. It's also advisable to photocopy all your vital documents and keep them in a separate, safe place.
Single travelling males should be careful about bringing prostitutes to their homes. While the rate of theft is remarkably low, it does occur. Women picked up off the street are far less accountable than those registered in a particular bar. Druggings, whereby the woman drops something into your drink to put you to sleep and assist with the theft, is not uncommon. Unfortunately, they sometimes put a little extra into the drink to make sure you are out, and sometimes inadvertantly kill the victim.
> Utilities, Govts, Money, Misc. > Money, Banking
Copyright 1999-2010 by Mark Evan Prado, All Rights Reserved.
Notably, I get quickly notified of copies of tracts by the CopyScape / CopySentry automatic search engine & notifier.
Short quotes are often OK and can be approved, if there is a clear reference and web link back to my website from the quoted material, and if you send me a short message. I try to help people with good intentions, and try to help the world. Not thieves. Links back to this website are helpful for sustainable progress, thank you!
Please have honor and class by following intellectual property and internet protocols. Be a good kind of person in life.
|
Want to privately ask the Thailand Guru? Contact us.
| |
 | |
