Guest Posted May 23, 2001 Report Share Posted May 23, 2001 Anyone use the banks in thailand for their money? Although I would keep my American bank...I thought it would be wise to transfer a few thousand to a thai bank...this way if my ATM card is eaten, I have another source for a few bucks. Peoples thoughts on thai banks would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2001 Report Share Posted May 23, 2001 I opened an account at Thai Farmers for the same reason. I only have a tourist visa and all that I needed was my passport and an address in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2001 Report Share Posted May 23, 2001 I use the Thai Farmers Bank. You can start an account with 500 baht and pay a "deposit" of 300 baht for an ATM Debit card (takes about 7-10 days to arrive. I have heard of Bangkok Bank giving ATM cards in minutes but don't know the cost. Get a deposit account they pay interest (not much but checking ac's don't) Hope this is helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2001 Report Share Posted May 23, 2001 Sammy forgot to mention like Lucky says, all you need is your passport and an address in LOS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted May 23, 2001 Report Share Posted May 23, 2001 Bangkok Bank is by far the easiest, all you need is a minimum of THB 500 deposit, and your passport. Your ATM card will be issued there and then, and you get to choose your own PIN. It is a good idea to open an account if you are a regular visitor to LOS, so you could transfer money when the exchange rate is favourable (as it is now 45.58 to the $),and it saves you the hassle of cashing TC's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2001 Report Share Posted May 23, 2001 Bangkok Bank are the easiest and the safest, having the largest assets - most Thai banks have a hard time keeping afloat. Whatever bank you use, have yourself issued an ATM card with which you can also withdraw money from abroad. Usually the card should be marked "Plus" or "Cirrus", indicating it can be used in a wide network of international ATMs. In the case of Bangkok Bank, this card is called "Bualuang Premier". I took out money many times, in places like Singapore or India, and it works fine. There's another card, with slightly lower yearly fees, I think just called "Bualuang", with which you can't draw money from abroad. [ May 23, 2001: Message edited by: Scum_Baggio ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 24, 2001 Report Share Posted May 24, 2001 Cool...thanks guys...I assume that the statements from Bangkok Bank are in English. The reason this is important to me: If I move to Thailand, I would be stuck if my US ATM card got lost, mangled or stolen. Having an account in Thailand would be a great help. Do these banks have the concept of a money market? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 25, 2001 Report Share Posted May 25, 2001 Sammy the numbers will look the same if that's what you mean (arabic numerals) Like TFB I presume there is some sort of bi-lingual key on the statement. As for money market status...... not sure what you mean..... all Thai banks are highly overstaffed and tend to process things manually. Like England in the seventies I suppose..... quaint but farly inefficient. E-banking is starting to be seen (TFB, SCB, etc) A word of caution though, use an "international" bank if you're thinking of putting megabucks into it. Maybe Bank of Asia (ABN Amro group) or Standard Chartered. Remember TIT Cheers & Beers Couquetislander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted May 25, 2001 Report Share Posted May 25, 2001 Bangkok Bank are pretty good, they will send all corespondence in English if you request it at the start up. I got my ATM card instantly and they were also kind enough to issue me a Visa card. Roger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 25, 2001 Report Share Posted May 25, 2001 I use Siam City Bank - mainly because they have branches in Samuii (Not just Currency Exchange booths). One branch in Nathon and one in Chaweng. They also have a branch in The Ploenchit Shopping Centre (near NEP). I believe they are also in Pattaya - but have never been to the branch. I have never requested an ATM card, but I believe they are easily avaibable - my account only has a passbook so I can keep track of my spending. (I can't be trusted with any plastic - even just an ATM card, particuletly when drunk :-) BTW they have never "lost" a transfer from the UK - not yet anyway! FYI don't worry about them going broke - they have gone bankrupt already (I think twice!) and are now owned by the government - so your money should be as safe as it is possible to get in a Thai bank - although I still wouldn't put my life savings in it! (or any Thai bank) Finally I opened accounts with them twice - the second time because they had closed my original account after no activity for a year and "stole" the 100B I had in their - bastards! So I suggest that if anyone has a bank account in Thailand which has not been used for a long time that you check that it is still open before transfering money to it. The only docs I needed were my passport and some cash to deposit - no address in Thailand. Hope this helps a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.