timendres

There is something about "how" the SMS is sent. I read about it once, but have forgotten now. However, I receive OTP codes via SMS sent my Skype phone number for both logins and for online purchase confirmation. It has worked for several years now. This is with CapitalOne. If I remember correctly, my Bank of America purchase confirmation SMS would never arrive.

I am sure that a simple "banking fee" helped that along...

I use Skype. I pay $15 every three months for an unlimited minutes plan with the US. I also pay $15 every three months for a US phone number attached to my Skype account. I can receive the OTP SMS messages from my credit card bank to confirm purchases. Family and friends can call a US number that rings my phone and computer simultaneously. I can call US phone numbers from Skype for free. Nice when I need to call my bank. It is not super cheap, but it works well.

"De-dollarization" is a psyop. There is no such thing. Why? Because the largest (for the moment) consumer market on the planet uses USD. The real concern, for the US, is the move away from USD as a reserve. The reason this is such a concern is that, with the enormous national debt and its never ending deficits, the US needs buyers of that debt. For decades, the trade balance surplus of our trading partners was parked in US Treasuries, creating a never ending demand for US debt. If that changes significantly, the US will find itself in a very bad spot.

$300M USD. Wow. It is good to be a deity.

You would think that Blinken has bigger issues on his plate than flooding in Thailand. Thailand is one of the original members of the mBridge platform (BRICS alternative to SWIFT). They will still conduct business in USD, but they are definitely hedging their bets. Many central banks are lightening up on US Treasuries in their reserves. Gold is the preferred replacement so far...

In my case, I was able to "exempt" the first $100k of income in Thailand. I was able to use the exemption because I earned the money in Thailand and paid Thai income taxes on that income. Since my income was not even close to the exemption, I never owed US taxes.

i paid income tax to Thailand, of course. Hence no tax due in the US. You can still owe tax to the US, depending on the circumstances, but the taxes paid in Thailand offset those due to the US.

It is what we call an "empty promise", since the US and Thailand have a DTA. For ten years, I never paid a dime in US taxes on income earned in Thailand. I am sure there are some who would benefit, but the number would be small.

The WHO recently helped create a massive worldwide mental health crisis.

Same here. Depending on the infection, and its location, sometimes drinking juice with a good amount of cranberries in it, or outright cranberry juice, can sometimes get rid of a UTI. For most people it will change the Ph of their urine, which can sometimes kill an infection. If it does not help at all after several days, it is time for the doc. This will absolutely not work for STDs such as gonorrhea.

There is an actual "exemption" to the 800k rule that can be applied by a high-level officer. It is 100% legit. Getting that officer to make the exemption is where it becomes questionable.

You are absolutely correct. If you can make that change before any serious misfortune. A friend was working for an agent who was caught up in the Chinese Triads fiasco. As far as I know, none of the folks using that agent had any issues other than the inconvenience. It also assumes you have the 800k, which many using this method do not.

The real issue with utilizing an agent is the fact that you are "trapped". Once you engage this agent, you are effectively married to them. And heaven help you if you get caught in some political "corruption sweep". That happened to quite a few folks when the Chinese Triads corruption blew up. Low probability, but not a bet I am willing to make.

The only manual transmissions I have ever seen in Thailand, aside from trucks, are in taxis.

Here's hoping that Canada rescues the guy. And quick...

"Handle" is a common term used in trading to identify a significant number (range actually). In other words, when the USDTHB is 32.45, we call that the "32 handle". When it is at 31.78, we call that the "31 handle". Everything from 31.00 to 31.99 is the 31 handle. In the case of USDTHB, it is essentially the integer part of the number.

The US (and friends) formula at its core. Thailand needs to capture as much of the manufacturing leaving China as possible. This would help close some gaps.

For those who insist on having physical, in Thailand you should select a reputable shop that is convenient for you, and deal only with them. When you return to that shop with "their" gold (the gold they sold you), it is usually a fast and frictionless transaction, since they trust the gold they handed you. Of course, as @ericbj states, this is less than ideal liquidity, but it is the best way to do physical in Thailand.

I think there might be one other thing going on here. The Thai government is getting quite desperate for revenues. They are frantically looking everywhere for potential income (spelled tee aitch e ef tee) To @chiang mai's point, I suspect the potential tsunami of money that would like to escape China is also a concern. Not so much to protect Thai nationals, but to prevent an unsustainable inflation that could jeopardize their banking system. I suspect that the ghosts of the Tom Yum Kung crisis still haunt decision makers here.

Having traded forex for several years now, I can say that, for me, it is a frustrating market to trade. That is actually why I like it. It is quite different from the stock market in significant ways. Most who trade forex use very high leverage, which means you better have an edge and you better have exceptional risk management. Or you will fail for sure. In terms of the exchange rate and how it affects us folks who transfer money into Thailand, I don't think anyone really believes they can predict the market with confidence. I think it is more like the lottery. People enjoy engaging in the process, and, they occasionally "win". What's not to like? It is the folks who make the mistake of assuming that a favorable exchange will remain that way that are most at risk. Folks like me who are on social security need to plan for serious moves down in the exchange rate. The rate will typically "revert" back toward the long term average, but you need to be able to manage those months that you are going to come up short. Best to squirrel away some baht while the rate is in your favor.

I lived in a townhouse in Siripot Niwet on Soi 81. I really enjoyed living there. The Century Mall is quite small, as Bangkok malls go, but it is decent and has a Tops. The very accessible People Park mall, with Gourmet Foods and Wine Connection is also nice. And, of course, the huge Lotus at the BTS station, which is also very convenient. I like that it intersects with OnNut proper, but it does create some crazy traffic at times. Taxis to "the action" were always available and always ran the meter. The exact opposite of getting the return taxi. Street food in the soi is lacking, but I think that is because of all that is available just meters away. There always seemed to be a nice breeze where I lived and it never flooded. (that is not true down the entire soi - we were on higher ground) I guess my only real complaint was that, like so many sois, there was no sidewalk of any sort.

What is going on is "macro economics" with bursts of speculation. If it were predictable, I would be purchasing an ocean-side penthouse. How long will this last? My "bet" would be at least until after the US election. If I was to guess, I would expect it to bottom out in the 31 handle. The chart looks a lot like the 3rd quarter of 2022.

The single re-entry permit specifies nothing. You can use it at any time during the year for any travel outside the Kingdom.

I have rented 2 apartments, 3 townhouses, and my current condo. In every case, I have gotten back all of my deposit. With one exception. My current landlord, from whom I rented my previous townhouse, took 6,000 THB from my 100,000 THB deposit, when I moved from there to here. I felt it was a fair assessment and had no real complaints. All landlords were Thai. All were exceptionally fair and reasonable.