skorts

24 minutes ago, petermik said:

same same yesterday for me 6000 GBP from Halifax UK Bank to K Bank in under 1 minute.

I think the problem I have is transferring to Bangkok Bank with reason as “Long Term Stay in Thailand”. Next time I will try transferring to SCB with reason “General Monthly Living Expenses” and see how long that takes. 

6 minutes ago, Madgee said:

I've used Wise for years and only once had a slight problem with wrong coding , about the same time many others had the same problem. Wise then added the 'long term stay in Thailand' added to their drop down list of reasons for transfer. Since then, FTT code has always been the norm. UK bank to Bangkok bank.

 

On Saturday I done a large transfer of £10,000.  Wise informed me it wouldn't arrive until 10am Tuesday (today). It arrived at 7am. Went to the bank to sort some things out and update my book, it showed as a SMT code! 

Makes no difference to me but Wise are not as reliable as they once were. IMHO.

I agree. I have been a customer for years and recently their service has definitely deteriorated including their customer service. 

Thanks everybody for your responses to my original post. I am transferring from a U.K. bank to Bangkok Bank and mark the transfers as “For Long Term Funds in Thailand".

I will try transferring to SCB instead and not mark as “For Long Term Funds in Thailand" (I don’t need for Immigration) and see how that goes. 
Sounds like it might resolve my delays. 

7 minutes ago, Swiss1960 said:

Amounts below 49K THB get processed immediately. 

They might get processed immediately but they do not arrive in my account for up to several days. 

I have been a Wise customer (previously TransferWise) for many years. Over that time I have transferred a significant amount from my U.K. bank account to my Bangkok Bank account. I also add money to my Wise Visa debit card regularly too. 
Over the last few months (probably a coincidence but it seems to be around the time they changed their name to Wise) the time taken for the funds to arrive in my account has increased significantly. 
I know to avoid weekends - Friday to Sunday but now even mid-week transfers can take up to several days to reach my account. 
The funds are usually added to my Wise Visa card immediately but if I then try and transfer money from there it can also take up to several days to reach the recipient bank account. 
I have raised my issues with Wise but am left without a reasonable explanation each time by the same agent despite asking them to escalate my concerns. 
Before each transfer the system says on two separate occasions the funds will arrive in a few seconds (sometimes a few minutes) but once you confirm the transaction the system them says the transfer is taking longer to pay out and they need more time. 
I believe this is misleading customers and makes planning transfers very difficult. 
Wise said the time it takes to transfer is based on these four things:

1. The countries you’re sending from and to.
2. How you pay.
3.What time you pay for your transfer
4. Security checks.
 

1. They know the country before the transfer is confirmed 

2. My payment is always the same manual bank transfer via Faster Payments and arrives in their account instantly

3. Time of transfer - always done Thai morning time so ready to process start of U.K. banking hours each time

4. Security checks - I have been a Wise customer for many years using the same U.K. and Thai bank account, have transferred significant amounts during this time and carry out multiple transfers each month. 
 

I think there are other reasons for the delays but Wise are not telling me. 

I have signed up to Revolut and got an account and a virtual visa debit card within seconds. Very easy to use but it is a little more expensive than Wise. 
Would appreciate other people’s experiences with Wise or Revolut. 

I flew Air Asia from Bangkok to Chiang Mai 2 days ago. No checks at all. I printed off my boarding card at the machine at the airport, went through security, showed my boarding pass at the gate, that was it. Walked off the plane in Chiang Mai, no checks. 

Here’s the answer. 

We booked to fly from Chiang Mai to Hua Hin yesterday. Down on Sunday 28th November back on Sunday 5th December. Today we have received an email cancelling the return flight. No reason given. 
Checking their web site it appears there are no flights on this route in December or January. 
This implies the route has been withdrawn so soon after re-introducing it. 
We flew this route last week and the plane was c70% plus full on both flights. 
It was a fantastic and convenient service and a big loss if it has been withdrawn again. 
I can find no announcement from Air Asia but it does not look promising. 
Just as Hua Hin airport is supposed to be increasing flights to include international flights. 
 

A friend flew internally with Air Asia last week. He is fully vaccinated but there were no vaccination checks made. Apparently the Air Asia app does not have the facility within Thailand to upload vaccination certificates which would normally be done as part of the on-line check in process. 
My friend checked in on-line, arrived at the airport with hand luggage only, printed off a boarding pass and the only check on boarding the plane was a stand-alone, unmanned temperature check which not everyone bothered to do. 
 

I had a problem paying Spotify this month. Went into Bangkok Bank branch on Monday and they said the problem has been caused by an IT upgrade and it could take a couple of months to sort out!
Also had problems with on-line payments. 

Have to pay Spotify from a Thai bank/PayPal etc. Their systems refused payment when I tried U.K. PayPal account and U.K. registered Visa card as it said the card was not issued in Thailand. 
Went an opened an account at SCB bank, problem solved, payment made.  Can’t be bothered to wait for Bangkok Bank to sort this issue out. 
Will switch Netflix payment to be taken from SCB account too before next payment is due so thanks for heads up on that payment failing with Bangkok Bank. 

Renewed my 5 year Thai car driving licence at Pranburi DLT yesterday morning. In at 8:15 a.m. out by 9:15 a.m.

1 hour ago, Epidemiologist Dave said:

I am looking for an agent to help with annual marriage extension of stay.

I do not have transport so looking for agent to check paperwork and take my wife and I to and from Hua Hin immigration.

This is a third extension and I believe all financial and other requirements have been met.

I have sent you a PM with contact details of an agent in Hua Hin. 

A friend has just done his driving license renewal at Pranburi. A Certificate of Residence (from Immigration) was needed. He owns his house but does not have a Yellow Book so had to provide the Certificate of Residence. 
A rental agreement is not sufficient. 
 

Further investigation has brought a solution. 
 

Fast Ship has advised they can ship iPads to the U.K. but it can ONLY go via FedEx. 
 

Shipping cost details

Destination: UK

Weight: 450g.

Dimension: 22x14x6 cm.

Agent: Fastship Express (Brown logo)

Transit time: 3-5 Business days

Shipping cost: 1,009 THB

Please be informed that customs may charged import duty tax even shipment is for personal, used, old or gift depending on customs decision.

Anyone shipped an iPad from Thailand to the U.K.?
 

I have checked with Fast Ship who use all types of couriers from Thai Post EMS to FedEx, DHL etc. and they say items with batteries are prohibited. 

We are in the same position with Sinovac and AstraZeneca. 
We have 2 x Moderna vaccines we reserved and paid a deposit for in June through THG. 

They have advised the Moderna vaccine can be taken as a booster 3 months after the AstraZeneca shot. 
So we could get a booster of Moderna from late November which from everything I have read would mean we would be accepted by the British Government as fully vaccinated. 
However, this is speculation as nobody will have done this yet. 
I am the original OP and I posted on this section as I was hoping the British Consul Team would advise. 
To date, they have not commented. 
I understand the USA now accept both Sinovac and Sinopharm as vaccinated so hopefully the British Government will do the same soon. 

12 hours ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

Remarkable how absolutely every post here misses the point.

 

The actual thing to note is: it doesn't matter.  The UK recognizes *NO* vaccine administered in Thailand to skip quarantine.  It doesn't matter if you got Sinovac or Pfizer from a golden syringe:  you still get to home-quarantine and take tests; the same as when not vaccinated at all.

 

It is remarkable how you criticise every other poster for missing the point!
 

What you state is completely wrong.

If you are going to criticise others than suggest you get your facts straight. 

Taken directly from GOV.U.K. Web site:

On 10/13/2021 at 12:40 PM, beano2274 said:

actually you were in part correct, the OP states he has had SInovac, which is not on the UK List, therefore he would have to quarantine at a cost of 2200GBP, and the his wife as well at a reduced cost.

That is not correct. 
 

We would be treated as “unvaccinated” and have to self-isolate for 10 days as I said in original post. As Thailand came off the U.K. “red list” at 4:00 a.m. on Monday 11th October (U.K. time), there is no requirement to quarantine in a hotel. 
 

Taken from GOV.UK just now so is 100% up-to-date:

“When you arrive in England – not fully vaccinated

After you arrive in England you must:

quarantine at home or in the place you are staying for 10 days

take your pre-booked COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8 – you must book these tests before you travel

If you are in England for less than 10 days, you need to quarantine for the time you are here. You need to book day 2 and day 8 travel tests. You only need to take the tests if you are still in England on those days”.

54 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

No, you don't. The guidance just says that, "If you were vaccinated with a 2 dose vaccine (Moderna, Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca, or a combination of them), you must have had both doses to be considered fully vaccinated for travel to the UK."

 

There is no requirement that the second dose of a vaccine be at a specific time interval, other than the fact that it shouldn't be given too early. In fact, for the Astrazeneca vaccine, the data shows that the longer you leave it, the greater the boost to the immune system. See below.

 

Delayed second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine leads to heightened immune response

 

 

Thanks for sharing that information. 
 

is the AstraZeneca vaccine being administered in Thailand the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine?

I am not sure it is as it was not produced in the U.K.  

7 hours ago, blackcab said:

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but this is how I see it.

 

If you have received two recognised vaccines, for example AstraZenica and Moderna, then you should be classed as fully vaccinated.

 

The fact that you have had an additional non-recognised vaccine should not matter. I base my opinion on the following:

 

A somewhat similar situation has occurred in the UK. The minimum recognised time between the first and second vaccine shots is three weeks. Out of the millions of people who have been vaccinated, a very few people ended up getting their second shot too early, before the three weeks had elapsed.

 

The way the government handled this was to discount or ignore the vaccine dose that had been received too early, and allow the individual to get another shot at a later date.

 

Any difficulty, however, is not going to be in dealing with the UK government. The problem might be with your airline when you are boarding to go to the UK.

 

As such I would take the time to check with them before you book, and try and get an email reply from their customer service department.

 

There are a lot of people in a similar situation to yourselves, so the airlines will have to find a way of dealing with this, especially as recognised shots can now be received from different countries.

I agree with your assessment. 
 

The big question marks for me are:

1. Take 1 (or 2) of the Moderna shots (when they become available) that I reserved and paid for back in June when there was so much uncertainty about who could get vaccines and when. 
 

Or if I should wait for a “free” AstraZeneca booster shot which I am pretty sure will be offered to everyone (or similar) in Thailand next year. 

2. The timing of the booster shot. To be fully vaccinated you have a first shot followed by a second shot. In Thailand, for Sinovac plus AstraZeneca shots there were three weeks between shots. For AstraZeneca plus AstraZeneca there were two months between shots. Johnson & Johnson only requires one shot but this is not available in Thailand yet.  
 

So, if you take a booster shooter e.g. for me, assuming Astra Zeneca, does this mean I have to have the booster 2 months after my first AstraZeneca to be considered fully vaccinated?
 

This is not going to happen as I would have to have the AstraZeneca booster shot next week. 
 

Likewise, if I take Moderna as a booster do I only need one shot or two shots and do these have to be administered at specific times to deem me fully vaccinated?
 

i (and others) could end up taking booster vaccines of the wrong type and at the wrong times which means we are never considered vaccinated. 
 

Clearly, any booster shots of the the two dose vaccines are not given at the same time intervals as the original two shots so clarification from the British Government is really important. 
 

Until then my assumption is I remain classed as “unvaccinated” in the eyes of the British Government. 

1 hour ago, Ty30666 said:

Never fly AirAsia again. They are prompt in cancelling yr flight. They will never refund you but give you a credit account instead. Poor customer service !

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. We got a refund for one of our Air Asia flights and opted for a credit note for another. We are using that credit note next month. We have tried to fly from Chiang Mai to Hua Hin 4 times over the last year but each time flights cancelled. 
It is down to Covid rather than Air Asia cancelling. 
Hopefully next month we will get to go to Hua Hin. 

Not convinced this is a request for additional flights. 
We are booked on the Chiang Mai to Hua Hin Air Asia flight in November (return). 
We received a flight change from Air Asia yesterday to these new evening flights. 
If you go on their web site these are the only flights available. 
Looks like they have already changed the flight schedule.
If they had requested an additional flight our existing flights would still be shown and we would not have been moved to the new evening flights. 
 

fullofmax, have sent you a PM.