Pinot

92000 for the PCX (I can't remember this might be 90k)

99900 for the PCX Hybrid 

It comes in deep blue only. Any color you want as long as it's dark blue. I think the regular PCX is limited to dark blue and black. 

I'll be picking up a new Honda PCX Hybrid at the end of the month (99900b) but have never driven one. Can new owners give me their driving impressions? I expect the bike to have more power off the line where the electric motor kicks in. 

Thanks

My wife called Phuket Immigration and they said just the records of the 12 months of the deposits were necessary, not the source information. We'll see next week.

I'm going in to Immigration next month to get my annual extension of my retirement visa. I have been depositing 65k (I do 70) every month for a year. How do I document that? Just bring in the the bank deposit book? Copy all the pages and highlight the deposits? What have people been doing?

Thanks

I want to get new Apple Airpods Pro. They cost $249 on Amazon. They won't ship to Thailand. 

I was hoping someone might help. If I send them to someone in the US and they repackage and send to me, how much will Thailand want for duty? Does it do any good to repackage them as a gift? 

Thanks

Airbnb is illegal in LOS but it's not enforced. I wouldn't be happy if I bought a condo (never going to happen) and new neighbors every few days. Rentals have to be 30 days in Thailand. 

If the hotel association ever got their act together they could eliminate the Airbnb competition. 

I was scammed on a four-night stay in BKK. I thought I rented an apartment and it turned out to be a tiny studio. Airbnb would do nothing and when I wrote up a damning review they wrote me up as a terrible guest and now some people won't rent to me because of it. Beware.

I use Airbnb in Europe where I travel a couple months a year. 

As above, it's not required, but IMHO it will be in the future. The 400/40 policies which was going to be required is a good minimal healthcare policy. I bought one for a couple of reasons. 

1. The policies have to be bought before you're 70 years of age. (I'll turn 70 this year)

2. It's a good minimal healthcare policy at a good price. ($1500 USD) I'm saving 2/3 over my previous policy healthcare policy which the premium was rising 10% a year and was going to end when I'm 75 anyway. This new policy will not be cancelled at any age and policy premium increases are minimal. 

I don't like the fact that I have to go to Thai Public hospitals but there are some good ones and should be adequate.

I wrote about the 400/40 here. I think it's a reasonable health insurance policy and you should buy one. It's relatively cheap!

the 400/40 Plan

Just now, wgdanson said:

I just did Cigna Close Care at 71. No medical needed. up to Bht 12M cover. Prostate excluded. Direct billing in many hospitals. No excess. Bht 125,000 premium. I have peace of mind...................but lower bank balance. 

I think you were lucky to find that, there aren't many. How much do the premiums increase yearly. My previous plan was increasing 10% a year. Also when do they stop insuring you? My previous one was 75. Both are important factors.

The increases of the Regency where minimal but I don't remember what they said. Recency will not cancel the policy for age. 

This 400/40 is not a great Medical policy but I felt I could supplement (upgrade room for instance instead of a ward) and be treated at the best government hospital if need be by flying to it. Since I knew they were going to cut me off in 6 years with a rapidly escalating yearly premiums I decided to make a change. 

It's also an alternative to self insuring. 

On 9/5/2019 at 10:27 AM, wgdanson said:

I did read that they are proposing to double the charges for farangs in Government Hospitals. 

I have been to several of those places with family members, and would not want to have to stay or be treated for anything serious in one. 

Plenty of good ones around, some not so good ones.

1 hour ago, zhorik said:

so are you stating that there are no policies for the over 70's? If there are then what will the costs be for a 400/40?

There maybe some but I didn't find any. The cut off for signing up for all of them would seem to be 70

On 8/18/2019 at 11:42 AM, wgdanson said:

See my previous posts on this matter. I think the OP is referring to Pacific CROSS not Health.

You will not get much serious work done for Bht 400,000 even in a Government Hospital.

400000 baht coverage in a government hospital goes a long way towards covering almost everything IMHO

On 8/28/2019 at 6:00 AM, stament said:

How much is the Regency policy you didn't say. Presumably this claim wouldn't be fully covered under Regency, was it in a private hospital for 330k?

With the 400/40 policy you have to go to a government hospital. 

I just paid for the policy yesterday to start October 1. No more Bangkok hospital. The price was $1495 in USD, a bargain at 69 years old. Can't believe outpatient is covered including medication. The policy is $3000 less than what I'm paying now although I am stepping down from $2,000,000 coverage, a big step down.

I opened a thread about the 400/40 Insurance policy here:

The 400/40 Thai Health Insurance Policy

No you don't need insurance, but I think you soon will. At 68 there is a good policy available that will cover future changes and you I think you should buy a policy before you turn 70. See the thread below

The 400/40 Thai Health Insurance Policy

30 days late for the Hong Kong swimmer. What happened to all the Hotel Tax money that wasn't spent saving lives?

We know. It's a rhetorical question. 

Both Pacific Health and Regency includes 40k of inpatient coverage. I believe the Thai government told the insurance companies to write policies that way.

Other insurance policies have expensive inpatient coverage that don't seem to be worth it. I find seeing a Doctor in Thailand to be about what the deductible is in the US, so a bargain. 

I was offering cataracts as a fairly common procedure. 

11 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

if you already have a cataract, even an early one, it will not be covered as it would be a pre-existing condition.

 

Inclusion of outpatient coverage substantially increases premiums, often as much as 3 fold. Usually buy more than you would use.

12 hours ago, Sheryl said:

1. This is going to be required for issuance of O-A visas (obtained in your home country) and is already required for O-X visa. To date there has been no mention of it being required for incountry extensions of stay which is what most of us are on.

 

2. For the O-X visa (and soon, but not yet, the O-A visa) 400k and 40k are not the maximums but the minimums.

 

The O-X visa requires an insurance policy from one of a handful of Thai companies, and these are very bad value.  It has been said that the O-A requirement, when it comes online, will accept any policy (including international ones) that meets the minimum requirements but this is nto sure and details nto yet issued. I have no idea, given the complexity of insurance policies, how Thai Embassies and consulates would go about determining if a given policy met the requirements.

The Regency rep tells me that I will be given a document saying I have the 400/40 policy if asked. I'm betting that this doc will eventually be required. I didn't want to wait till I was over 70 and could no longer buy a policy. It's a good minimal (basic?) insurance policy for older expats going into their 70's.

I recently had an operation for varicose veins in my legs at Bangkok Hospital in Phuket. This involved plugging up the offending veins with glue, the "new" way to accomplish this procedure. The cost of the operation was 330,000 baht that insurance paid fully. That's why I want insurance.

Probably cataract surgery will be eventually be needed. That cost will more than make up for insurance policy costs. 

The outpatient coverage will reduce the cost of the policy. I'm usually seeing a doctor a couple times a year for one thing or another. Not looking forward to using a government hospital but so it goes. You can go to any of them anywhere in Thailand. There are some good ones.   

13 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

How about physical exams for new policies?

Yes for the Pacific Health policy, no on the Regency. You will be reimbursed for the Pacific Health physical. 

I haven't been to a beach in Vietnam that I want to go back to

You can't really effectively manage currency exchange. By the time you make a move the currency has already moved. This is what forex money trading is all about and it's difficult to make money that way. I'd say don't waste your time. Very few people can time the market...really, no one can. 

And Lacessit above me here, buying gold is always speculation. My opinion is your crazy to own gold.