DFPhuket

The SCB fixed deposit is now paying 1.15% interest so on 800,000 that’s 9,200 baht per year. The EZ SCB Savings Account with no passbook, pays 1.5% or 12,000 baht per year. Like you, I’d switch and pocket the 2,800 difference if I knew it wouldn’t cause headaches at immigration (I’m in Phuket). Please report back on how it went.

When using Western Union, make sure you are using the Western Union site for Thailand. If you try to use the website setup for a different country it won't work. To register your account, you may have to physically go and show them your passport. I recall having to do that when I set mine up (sometime before Covid). Due to the competition from Wise and other online systems the Western Union fees/exchange rates are now on par with other online transfer services.

It's like it was in 2019 before Covid. If you're on a one way ticket, the airline will likely ask for proof of onward travel before you can board. Any ticket will do. There are no Covid vaccination or other requirements. Upon landing, at immigration hand over your passport and boarding pass (so your flight details can be added). There is no more white TM6 card to be filled out on the plane. Have your fingerprints and photo taken, and you'll be given a 45 day visa exemption (if arriving before the end of March). Once you're in the country you can go through the process of getting your status changed to Non-O based on retirement.

This suggested ended my frustration as I was doing my FBAR for 22 (I mean 2022). I got the validation error but couldn't figure it out until I read your comment and changed the year to four digits. Then it worked fine. Thanks.

I book a lot of tickets on a lot of airlines. I know of no booking site that is set up to calculate a different rate of taxes or fees based upon a person's passport or work permit status. On full service carriers, the cost you see on the first page is what you pay. But I doubt that any government official proposing this idea has ever used an airline booking engine and has any idea how it works. The fee would have to be paid upon arrival by credit card or multiple currencies (since most don't arrive with baht). If they only accept baht, that means a queue for exchanging money, a queue for paying the fee, and a queue for immigration. Thailand, smooth as silk.

Contact your carriers call center, and tell them you want international roaming, but that you don't want data roaming. For many carriers, international roaming is off by default. I have no issues receiving an SMS when outside of Thailand with DTAC. Incoming SMS's are free. Data roaming is not free and I always leave it off. Most of the features of your phone package (along with paying your bill) can be done with the app when you're outside the countries.

The check for an onward flight is routinely done by the airline at check in, almost never at immigration. If you have a round trip ticket (regardless of the return date) the question is rarely asked. People who say they are never asked are usually flying on round trip tickets so the check in agent can see you have a departure flight and wouldn't bother to ask. On a one way ticket into Thailand the question about onward travel is typical. In 9 out of 10 of my one way flights into Thailand in the past 12 months, I was questioned (Scoot was the carrier not asking). I point out my re-entry permit and it's fine, but first they asked about my flight leaving Thailand. Booking a flight or purchasing a ticket on a site like https://onwardticket.com/ is less stressful than dealing with the issue at the check in counter.

A fee that only applies to certain groups of people (non-Thai, non work permit holders) cannot be added by the airline when the ticket is purchased. I've already purchased a ticket to return to Thailand in June. That only leaves the option of everyone queuing up before or after immigration to pay the fee. They would also need to accept credit cards and other currencies since few people arrive with baht and most ATMs are after customs. I'd imagine this has been as carefully thought out as last weeks vaccination requirement that was added and then dropped.

You will be able to add a new bank when you actually start a transfer. On the fourth step when it asks "how do you want to pay" it asks if you'd like to use an account you have already used or create a new one. You add the new bank details and it will "stick" and be there in the future.

If it’s one ticket/confirmation number with two flights you’ll check in at the international terminal, get a CIQ sticker and go through immigration. Upon arrival in BKK you’ll be directed to a transit counter and be sent to the international terminal and on to your gate.

I had a friend run his passport through the washing machine at my place when he was staying with me. The stamps were faded, but the data page was fine. He had no difficulties leaving Thailand. I assume they could see his data on their computer and they told him he should replace the passport. He was returning to his home country and renewed his passport at home. It might have been a different story had he tried to leave Thailand and go to a third country.

I've also used my Thai drivers license. However, if you're traveling and checking into a hotel, the hotel seems to always want the passport.

This site will give you the daily exchange rates in Thai banks and several exchange booths. As you can see, exchange booths are better. Unfortunately, it's for Bangkok locations, not Pattaya.

This site shows updated bank interest rates. A one year fixed deposit at most Thai banks remains at 1%, quite a bit lower than the 3% I'm getting in my US online savings account.

The key is to make certain roaming is turned off. I have dual SIMs (Thai eSIM and physical US SIM) and generally leave both turned on. Like you, I get OTPs for banks, etc. and I find that's easier. I'm not charged for incoming text messages and in the odd case that I get a (spam) voice call, I just decline to answer it. With roaming off there are no extra charges for leaving the SIM on. I assume this is the same for UK SIMs.

There are no issues getting into Thailand but it’s impossible to guess what the requirements might be to get back to China. Who knows what the length of a quarantine (and the quality of the quarantine) might be in the future. That would be my main concern.

I've come through Phuket airport 3 times in the past 7 weeks. There was never a wait of more than 5 to 10 minutes at immigration even though sometimes there were a couple of flights that were unloading passengers at the same time. The fingerprint scanning begins as soon as you walk to the counter and takes about 5 to 10 seconds per hand. There were plenty of booths open.

This site is updated daily and gives the currency conversion rates for a number of Thai banks and money exchanges. You can change the currency and indicate whether you are converting notes or completing a bank transfer using the dropdown menus at the top. It's a very handy tool.

After all of the overnight rain, I didn't risk trying to drive over Patong Hill. Even it was open, I don't trust whoever it is that decides whether it's safe or not. I took the longer route via Chalong and was pleasantly surprised that the traffic wasn't too heavy at 9 AM.

I know that Patong hill is open to motorbikes going both from Patong to Kathu and Kathu to Patong. But what is the latest regarding cars? I need to drive from Patong to Kathu and back tomorrow morning, but I've not sure whether it's now open one direction, both directions or neither. Has anyone driven it in the past couple of days?

While QR payment has rapidly gained in popularity, you must have a Thai bank account for it to work. It is a failure in tourist locations like Phuket where only the locals can use this method.

A friend of mine is the manager of a 4/5 star international hotel in Phuket. He told me occupancy continues to climb and they are already fully booked for many nights starting in mid-December through January.

I fly internationally into Thailand about once a month. I'm almost always asked for my outbound/return flight by the airline at check in (since it's an immigration rule and they are responsible for you if you are denied).. At that point I point out my multiple re-entry permit and all is well. Several people I know have successfully used https://onwardticket.com/ to show an outbound ticket. It cost $14.

I got my original APEC card about a dozen years ago. The validity of the card is 5 years or until your passport expires. My card was due to expire in 2023 and so I just renewed it this month on the Trusted Traveler site. My new one (being mailed to me now) will be valid until 2028. I've made about 10 trips in and out of Thailand so far in 2022. As immigration queues get longer, the ability to use the diplomatic/APEC counter has been very beneficial.

Here is the official APEC website. I got mine working as an international consultant at the same time I applied for and received my US Global Entry card. Buying and using a fake APEC card and handing it over to immigration when you're entering a country doesn't seem to be the wisest of ideas to me.