jimn

12 minutes ago, MaxYakov said:

Hmmm. I used to wire transfer relatively large amounts in to a Thai Bank until my credit union (a banking institution) stopped offering international wire transfers as a service. At that point, I began using my debit card at exchange windows and simply taking the cash home. Eventually my Thai bank closed my account due to disuse and low balances (eaten up by maintenance fees). Not given to impulse purchases, carrying just enough cash for small, routine (or premeditated) purchases I found to be very practical and economical.

 

I found much less bureaucratic overhead (aka hassle) using the debit card/cash approach than that the overhead of wire transfers, deposits, ATM machine withdrawals, etc. I have a credit card, but it's much more expensive to draw cash on it so I rarely use it (virtually never) for purchases in Thailand.

 

Funny how we ended up on opposite sides of the "dying cash" issue being the 21^st century and all. I never preferred credit cards over cash anyway due to privacy and security issues (I've been burned by unauthorized / fraudulent credit card use in the past and not reimbursed by the credit card institution). Also, there is a rather draconian thing my government has regarding possession of foreign bank accounts by its citizens which I will not go into here.

 

Also, I own, but do not use, a so-called  "smart phone". I use a phone when I just want to talk or text someone, not to conduct business or surf the web so I use a "dumb phones". I believe too many people are addicted to smart phones, but that's a discussion for another topic.

 

Regards.

I tend to bring over from the UK a large cash amount to last me the 7 months I am here as I know what a cash oriented country Thailand still is. I use my Halifax Clarity Credit Card for purchases from Tesco Lotus, Big C and for petrol for the car. Its a no foreign transaction card with mastercard foreign transaction rates simlar to forex. I am no youngster but I do find a smartphone useful. Especially to check my online bank statements and buy online etc. If used right they are just a portable computer. I know they can be very additive but thats down to the indivudual. I now would be lost without one.

1 hour ago, glegolo said:

You assume wrong my friend, I am from Sweden, one of the main countries by the way..

 

glegolo

Ahh right. I like Sweden by the way and impressed with the way you use technology. I have a few friends from Sweden. I wouldnt say you were one of the main countries though especially with the immigrant problem that your government seems to have imposed on the population.

I regularly leave my Nissan Almera for 5 months when I go abroad and never had an issue. Good idea to disconnect one battery terminal as it will discharge over time. One month or so away you should have no issues.

5 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

I don't know if this is the case with him, but some US ATM cards do not charge foreign ATM fees and reimburse if the foreign bank charges an ATM fee.

 

Some Asian banks do not charge ATM fees when one withdraws with a US ATM card - at least HSBC and Maybank in Malaysia don't.

Thanks for your comment Jimmy. However it is my experience that all Thai bank atms always charge 220 baht withdrwal fee on overseas cards.

2 hours ago, Thaidream said:

If that's what you read and understood- that's Ok with me.  I lost money on the Baht devaluation in 1997- I did not lose money in 2008  or at any other time. If you want to keep  money in a Thai bank- that is your decision..... I have other ideas on where I want to keep my own money...and that is my decision...  I am quite content in walking down to the ATM and getting  what I need from the ATM. In the future-  I may decide to bring some money in to Thailand again.  Arguing about things like this is  of no value. Everyone lives their life as they want to...  Have a good day.

Well Marcusarelus and myself understood your post to mean that you lost money in 2008 due to the devaluation of the baht. Obviously we were wrong, but your post was not clear on that. Just an observation why on earth do you choose to withdraw money from the atm which I presume is from your overseas bank account and pay 220 baht each time for the priviledge of doing so. If you insist on withdrawing money from an overseas account at least go inside the bank and make an over the counter withdrawal which are free.

11 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Jomtien has told people that are on a extension of stay based upon retirement they do not have to do a TM30 form everytime they make a trip out of the country.

Going by that I don't think you have a problem at all.

I 2nd what Ubonjoe has said. I have personally been told on 2 occasions at Jomtien that there is no need to report address on a TM30 on returning to the same address from inside and outside Thailand on a retirement extension. Other offices vary, thats why you are getting conflicting advice. Dont worry about it just do your 90 report when its due.

1 hour ago, Thaidream said:

Brought $50,000 over at 25 to the dollar- repatriated at 44 to the dollar.  Not to mention I wanted to sell my house in Thailand and could not as I would have lost a lot more.  I don't know one person who  was able to predict Thailand would devalue it's currency.  People say once in a lifetime?  Nonsense- there was a great depression- the World economy almost collapsed in 2008. Look at what happened recently in Cyprus.  China is way over leveraged. with a declining GDP.  Why would I want to park 800K in a Thai bank if I don't have to.??  I leave it in the Us where I can easily walk to a Thai aTM and pull out each month what i need- This is the 21st Century- It's called technology.  Thailand can mandate I have to bring the money in- Let them do it- then I will decide what I'm going to do.  Many options at that point.

I think its you who has lost all credibility. I believe you when you said you lost money in 2008 but it had nothing to do with the baht being devalued. 1997 was the Asian banking crisis 2008 was the run on the banks in the US and the UK amoungst others. I seem to remember the thai baht being quite stable and gained in strength against said currencies.

11 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

SnakeBite:  The most recent three months of my American bank statements have been accepted at Chaeng Wattana for the past ten years.  Unless the proof of income requirements are changed, you should be OK just presenting them.

Hopefully you will come back on and post clarification on your post as others have asked. Did you do the income method? Did you present three recent bank statements with or without an embassy letter. If its without the letter you my friend are the first person who has claimed this. Somehow I think not and you have missunderstood the issue.

32 minutes ago, Spidey said:

The only indication that I've seen from TI is that they are going to insist on an embassy letter as proof of income for the foreseeable future. I really can't see that changing because 2 embassies (from many) have thrown their toys out of the pram.

 

I really can't see why you are going to all this trouble. I will continue to transfer my money from my UK bank account using my Halifax Clarity credit card, transferring an average of 80k baht per month at zero cost to me and taking minutes between leaving my account in the UK and arriving in my Thai account.

 

Meanwhile, I am already putting things in place to transfer 1m baht into my Thai account next September.

 

Any other course of action is completely futile and is wasted money.

 

Get with the program guys, the 65k baht/ month income route, to obtain your visa extension, is dead and buried. Well at least for Brits and Americans anyway.

Dont give up yet Spidey. You and I know that things can change remarkably quick over here. 

Quite funny this. The lengths people will go to. "I want to open a new thread about the decision of the UK and US embassy decision to stop income letters but I know it will be closed immediatly. What should I do? I know I will open a totally meaningless topic about who will be affected by it. I will place it in the visa section, maybe they wont notice it. I want to get 100's of pointless posts, just like the other threads on the issue."

I would not be supprised if he just didnt do a 90 day report and stayed 108 days. Thats a common missunderstanding. The IO of course would not be interested and just stamped him out.

Its good to see that the 200 odd pages of nonsence currently on the threads regarding the British Embassy decision are being recycled on this thread. Its quite laughable really lol

8 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

Embassy Web site states they have confirmed  with Thai Imm the letter will be valid for 6 months- I am printing this from their web site and if any issue will show it and ask for a supervisor. I can't see an issue as Thai Imm have accepted it in the past- mine was 5 months old last time- they didn't even blink.

Lets hope this is the case but you never know.

7 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Sure many people use them. But how do you know when there is going to be a crackdown? Many of us prefer to play the game the legal way. But it gets harder to even understand what the legal way is especially at times like these. Yes, of course the 800K baht in the bank method is clear. But how to prove income without letters … not so much.

I to am 100% legal. Problem is that the removal of the letter/stat dec will limit the options for many.

Not wishing to gloat and say "I told you so". But those US citizens who thought that it was only the BE who had made this decision are now proved wrong. It is now clear that there is a change in policy by TI who have informally told the embassy's about a change in policy without at this time issuing a new police order. I fully expect all the other embassy's now to follow. It will then be up to TI to reissue the police order detailing what evidence will be accepted for the income method or if the income method is being scrapped altogether. Open house for agents then on the 400k/800k method. One thing I am concerned about is the current income letter/stat dec currently being honoured at 6 months old. Many people myself included will get mine in November for April, but I would not be supprised if they moved the goalposts on this as well.

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

I wouldn't trust em unless big joke has OK'd them and if he has the Thai  prime minister should do something.

The Thai  prime minister is the one you lot should be complaining to.

I know for a fact I know 3 people who have paid 12,900 to an agent in Pattaya for a retirement extension. All the decision by the UK and US embassy's (with more embassy's to follow Imight add) will do is drive more people down this illegal route.

She said she'd like to bathe in milk, he said, "All right, sweetheart,"
And when he'd finished work one night he loaded up his cart
He said, "D'you want it pasturize? Cause pasturize is best,"
She says, "Ernie, I'll be happy if it comes up to my chest."

55 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Well please inform me what I do get at this early stage, the BE radio interview made sense to me.

Kwasaki. Sorry mate you do not have a clue do you. Thai Immigration want to see an embassy letter from the embassy, no matter what the BE may say on their website or in a radio interview. Full stop discussion over.