Mike Teavee

7 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

It is true you cannot get a policy in Thailand.

 

You CAN get an international expat policy from Cigna Global and a few other places provided you have no major pre-existing conditions (or they might give the policy but with exclusions).

If they do extend the scope of this to include renewals (Be it for a Non-OA or all long stay extensions) then hopefully they'll realize the impact this will have on people too old to get health insurance & adopt a similar policy to the MM2H scheme... 

Insurance Coverage and Medical Report for MM2H

Applicants and their dependants must possess a medical insurance coverage from any insurance company that is valid in Malaysia. This may be waived for older applicants who are denied coverage because of their age. 

1 hour ago, wreckingcountry said:

No election “due in 2020 ! Get your fixed term parliament dates right before spouting


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Correct... Last Election was 2017 so next Election is due on 5th May 2022 (Obviously Parliament can vote to cause one to happen before then but that is the next official due date under the FPA).

2 hours ago, dafniusDuckus said:

asked when someone was pulling money out of a citicorp atm they replied max 6 million dong.

me i took enough dollars and dong from exchanges in cambodia to get me thru so didnt use the atms.

exchanged dollars at banks buy/sell differential was minimal.

banks also said cant change back to dollars from dong. also said cant open an account without long term work permit, didnt ask too many as also was told cant extend my visa on most recent visit.

can change dong to dollars in cambodia at selected exchanges

 

err not exactly cant extend visa but must pay $250 to extend which is ludicrous since bus from hcmc where i was is about 10usd to phnom penh then 3 month visa when it was available was 60usd one entry, so doing the extension that way would be less than 100usd 

 

Generally speaking, ATMs only issue up to 30 bills, so if the maximum bill size is 500,000 Dong, I would expect them to be able to dispense up to 15Million (30 x 500,000) Dong, but it's been a long time since I've been in VN and don't recall using an ATM there so not sure if they only issue 50,000/100,000 which would put the maximum at 1.5/3Million Dong

NB, Citi has been rolling out ATMs that will issue 50 bills, so this would obviously increase the amount of money you could get in 1 visit.

On 10/16/2019 at 11:44 AM, Straight8 said:

and you still get f-wits here saying get an elite card, like it's chump change. Especially now with most major currencies down over 50% its just not viable for 90% + of the people wanting to live / stay in Thailand.

"F-wits" who can do maths & "Play" through the various options know that the only thing to consider about getting a Thai Elite Visa is "Do I really want to live in Thailand for the next 5 , 10 , 20 Years"

If I honestly knew today that I would want to spend the next 20 years in Thailand I would gladly hand over the 800K + another 200K to get a 20 year TE to simply rid myself off the hassles in renewing my Non-O

Let's look what this would save me... 

• 7,000 (I pay an agent 8,900 - 1,900 is the extension fee) for the extension [Obviously having the TE would mean my yearly date pushes back with every trip I take out of Thailand on holiday, couldn't imagine me not taking at least one trip O/S but wont claim the full 8,900
• 5,000 for Multi Re-entry Permit (3,500 if not use an agent but only a f-wit spends a full day at CW for the sake of 1,500 THB)
• 20,000 I pay to TLM for fast track (In & Out) at BKK
• 15,000 I pay to my credit card for lounge access (Seasoned traveller, I like to get to airports early & chillax in the lounge)

So we're at 47,000 PA - 940,000 over 20 years... If you were committed to Thailand for 20 years then you would indeed be a f-wit not to take that deal compared to jumping through the hoops on a non-O

You'll note I know the numbers above as I don't feel like I can commit to Thailand for the next 5-20 years, & I agree with your sentiments that people who are not ready to commit do need to think again.... But I wouldn't call them f-wits... It's their money... So.. Up to Them... 

Edit to add: And sorry to be blunt, but IMHO a TE should be "Chump Change" to you if you've decide to "Retire" to Thailand before you're old enough (50) to get a long stay visa...

I know it was/is to me when I 1st looked at it at 45, but I ended up taking the route of working in a neighbouring country (Singapore) & at 53 (with a Non-O in Thailand) still think the TE is a worthwhile investment IF I felt like I could commit myself to Thailand for 8+ years (Only a F-Wit doesn't do the mathS)

18 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I would imagine very soon these airlines are going to get <deleted> off with the Thai immigration the amount on a daily basis they are rejecting,

One way around this would be dont fly long haul into Thailand maybe to Malaysia at least it's a short flight and spend your money there

Flying back from Manchester last Thursday & the (Qatar) Check-in staff were a lot more thorough in checking for Visas than I remember them being in the past, both I (entering on an extension to a Non-O > 50 Visa) & my mate (Works in Thailand & has a Non-B / BOI VIsa) were asked for proof that we were entitled to stay in Thailand [I actually had to point out my extension & how it was valid to Sept 2020, so I'm not sure if the check-in staff are used to checking for these things yet].

I'm used to it when returning to Singapore (always have my Employment Pass ready to show) & it's happened to me a couple of times when travelling to the Philippines (flying back from a different airport with a different carrier) but this is only the 2nd time I've been asked for it for Thailand (1st time was Scoot Airlines at Changi, I find the budget airlines there are a lot keener on checking these things that the premium ones) 

Can the OP not get a Non-OA then he could leave the monies in Aus and if he times it correctly, be done with Visa hassles for 2 years.

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Gaia is the planet's "intelligence". Comes up with things like Climate Change to remove bad occupants ( humans ) that destroy the environment.

My mum said something very similar to me yesterday though she actually said that God is driving Climate Change as a way to slow down population growth so we don't "Kill" the planet.

It was prefixed with a "You don't believe in God but I do and I think.... "

5 hours ago, Tagged said:

I think we helped it quite a bit. 
 

 

If you look at it, there is no meaning, just randem happenings leading to evolution. People can think what they want, but there is no other purpose than right here right now! 
 

A song by fatboy slim actually if Im not wrong! 

The Jesus Jones song sprung into mind when I read your post... 

Obviously the name of the band is somewhat apt for this thread ???? 

2 hours ago, steven100 said:

Most airlines won't allow you to consume your own food onboard

Only airlines I've flown with that don't let you take your own food on board are the budget ones that sell you food (Air Asia, Cebu Pacific, Easyjet etc...) none of the airlines that provide "Free" food object to you doing it (granted bringing your own alcohol is a different matter).

I regularly used to grab a spring cheese sandwich at Manchester airport for the 1st leg of my long haul flight as I knew it would be the last time for a couple of weeks that I could get one, only "Problem" I've ever had with doing that was on Lufthansa where it turned out there was only 2 of us in Business Class & the flight attendant thought I wasn't happy with the food selection (they could have had anything on board, I was having my sandwich + a packet of Walkers Cheese & Onion Crisps)

She laughed when I explained to her why I did it & ended up bringing me a bottle of Champagne from the real pointy end (1st Class) to go with it, I didn't have the heart to tell her that I actually preferred the option they had in Business class so polished the bottle off with a smile ???? 

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I liked it for the leg room which was excellent on all the flights I took. I don't expect economy meals to be great cuisine, and usually were OK, but noticed towards the last flights I took that they were becoming poorer.

The sandwiches are not very good.

 

It could be my memory, but seemed to me that there were less flight attendants in economy to give out the food than a decade earlier.

 

Airlines all annoy me greatly when they advertise exclusively for the first class passengers, which are a minority, and treat those in cattle class poorly.

Had a terrible experience with legroom once on Thai where the IFE unit took up 1/2 of the foot space in front of me, I had a word with the attendant but he said the flight was absolutely full so couldn't even move me to a middle seat (I did look around and couldn't see an empty seat), spent the whole flight with my legs stuck out in the isle. 

I once read somewhere that on a typical long haul flight it's the 1st/Business Class passengers that the airlines make their money from, economy passengers are just the sprinkles on the cherry on the icing on the cake so you can't blame an airline for trying to attract them (or should I say us, I'm flying J (Business) class MAN-DOH-BKK with Qatar tomorrow ???? )

56 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Been to the miracle lounges? Not much to eat there. Liquid dinner is the best option.

Miracle Lounges in Hall D are fine, but I agree there's nothing in the one in Hall C.

If you're going in them using a Priority Pass, try the Air France/KLM lounge in Hall F/G (right at the intersection) or the Oman Lounge in Hall E (I ended up walking to this from the Miracle Lounge in Hall C as I didn't fancy eating cheese sandwiches & crisps, about the only thing on offer I would eat). 

3 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Yep.  I often fly economy on them too and their food and service is good - in my opinion better than other regional airlines, but it's all much of a muchness really if we're being honest.  Flew 6 hours to Tokyo last year with the family and they were great - service good, food good, kids looked after.

Most of the people who make negative comments about Thai haven't been on a plane for years.

I do SIN-BKK on average 3 times every 2 months and due to timings (I go straight from the Office),  I normally use SIA but will use Thai if there's a significant (>$100) saving.

However, having not use them for a few months, I used them about 6 weeks ago and remembered why i don't use them:-

1. Seat selection is rubbish (never seems to be any seats near the front available)
2. I couldn't print my boarding pass so had to queue for 1/2 hour just to get the piece of paper
3. Food selection is rubbish, it's always fish/seafood (I'm allergic) or chicken (which I don't eat), in fact they handed me the shrimp without asking as they'd run out of chicken by the time they got to me.  I used to take the vegetarian option but nowadays I just fill up in the lounge and don't bother on the plane

Wasn't much better in Business Class (Before I got Fast Track access via TLM membership I used to fly Business as I hate queuing at Swampy) except it's easier to get a better seat.

SIA is not much better when it comes to food selection (8 times out of 10 it's also Seafood or Chicken) but better for booking seats near the front & I can print my boarding pass so straight through departure immigration (I only travel with my passport & wallet as I have everything I need in my condo in BKK)

51 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

Interesting, can you share what your format looks like (I spend hours on very boring conference calls so enjoy playing with my retirement spreadsheet(s) to pass the time).

 

Sorry, was too late to edit my post... here's another view of my retirement budget (I did say that I sit on a lot of boring conference calls so "play" with these a lot :))

The 1st set of numbers are my monthly budget in Singapore except the Rent which is for my condo in Bangkok (I paid 12 months upfront for the rent for the Singapore condo to get a 10% discount).

The second set of numbers are my budget excluding any income coming from the UK which is why it's 126k not the 180k shown in my other budget)

The 3rd set of numbers is if I don't use some (GBP) assets I have in Singapore so is my minimum budget.

[You can probably guess that I'm loathed to spend any of my GBP at current rates]

The 21.05 is today's FX rate for SGD:THB (It's showing as 22.05 on XE so I simply subtract 1 THB, I can usually bank on getting no worse than current rate - 0.5) at the Money changers or Transferwise etc...)

Edit to add: Lol, It's just struck me that I plan to spend a lot more money on Entertainment (& a bit more on Groceries) in Thailand than I do in Singapore ???? 

4 hours ago, bowerboy said:

 

Thanks! My spreadsheet format used to look pretty much the same as yours....but i changed it recently to be in a P&L format which I find easier to make adjustments to.

Interesting, can you share what your format looks like (I spend hours on very boring conference calls so enjoy playing with my retirement spreadsheet(s) to pass the time).

1 hour ago, bowerboy said:

 

Nice work.

 

May I ask how much in THB you plan to spend each month (including everything...so any annual payments would be shown as divided by 12 and then part of your total monthly costs).

 

FWIW I am way off retirement. I have 2 kids here in International school and full insurance for the family plus decent full life insurance for myself (death, critical, income protection and tpd) and monthly spending is 200k. And we do not have a flash car and our rent is actually really cheap.

 

Single and retired I think 100k would be the minimum (I would want to be traveling enough so as to never do a 90 day report).

My "Off the Cuff" number is 90,000 

    - 30,000 for house, bills, internet, mobile etc... 

    - 20,000 groceries

    - 30,000 "Entertainment"

    - 10,000 "Others" (Health Insurance, Visa expense etc...)

Which I think would be a very nice, workable budget for a single guy, obviously if you have wife & kids then things can skyrocket 

My actual budget is updated on a weekly basis and is currently... 

Edit to add: When it says 4, it's actually 52 (Weeks) / 12 (Months) so more like 4.334 which is why the numbers don't add up 

Edit2: I should explain the amortising of the Retirement Visa, i'm 76 months away from my pension(s) kicking in, until then I'm maintaining the 800K in the bank for Extensions, I've done the maths to remove it & there is virtually no difference so I just leave it there as is as I sometimes play with it being 1,000,000 for the 20 year PE Visa 

2 hours ago, StevieAus said:

So for Aussie Expats we don’t have Brexit so must be our idiotic government  also as a villain regarding our exchange rate would be happy with the UK rate!!!

Seriously?

You don't know that the decreased demand in China (made worse by trade tariffs but was in effect well before then) has led to a decrease on Aus mining exports and so had a knock on effect on the AUS$

I have no interest in any of the above (Aus exports, Aus$, China etc...) & I know that, so how ill informed do you (presumably somebody who does have an interest) need to be to not know that?

8 hours ago, LazySlipper said:

 

Well put.

My theory is the "show me yours and I'll show you mine" cliche. They are simply bluffing in an attempt to bash Thailand and they prolly never have any intent of leaving in the first place. Bunch of WASERS (<deleted>-losers combined...) in my opinion. 

In fairness a large number of people haven't "announced" their departure but have commentated from afar when these kind of topics come up and have shared details about why they left

I can only think of one other time a (>10,000 post) BM "Announced" his departure and he was met with "Don't let the door hit you on the a55 on the way out" type comments, but more comments from guys wishing him luck & asking if he can share his experience from the "Other Side".

At the end of the day there are only 2 reasons for leaving... 

1. Because it's better for you or your family (New job, Kids in school etc...)
2. Because you have to 

I wish both camps all the best of luck, no need to add to their hassles by giving them a hard time for posting about it. 

Typing this from my parents lounge in (reasonably) sunny Warrington (UK), thinking that in a few short days (Thursday) I'll be flying back to Bangkok, then a week or so later heading back to Singapore & can honestly say that much as I miss Thailand/Singapore, if for some reason I wasn't able to travel back again i would be quite (very) happy to live here.

I remember once having the Happy Clappers (Jehovah Witness) knocking on my door, pushing their "Watchtower" magazine & I was very polite but said thanks, but no thanks... 

Then they (Happy Clappers) say...

HC's:Do you believe in God?

Me: I believe religion is a personal thing 

HC's: Yes but do you believe in God?

Me: I believe religion is a personal thing & best shared in one's home

HC's: Yes but what if you're wrong

Me: If you're telling me that If I live a good & wholesome life, take care of people as best I can & do my best not to cause harm anybody, that when I go "Upstairs" "HE" is going to say, sorry son, you got my name wrong you're going "Downstairs"? - Sign me up for hell right now, who would want a "Lord" like that.

And the sad fact is that the majority of religions believe that > 2/3rds of the planet are going to hell because they get "His" name wrong... 

5 hours ago, MadMuhammad said:

I’ve calculated my worst case scenario many a time and I put aside half an hour ago once a week to input the current data  to continually correct my forecast. 

I’m certain that I have done all that can be reasonably expected with the knowledge I have and I feel I’m prepared for just about anything, even that one off ‘crash of a lifetime’. 

 

Good luck to both if us, our successes or failures will most certainly not be due to the lack of planning 

Same here, I constantly take in data & adjust my plans, it's not like I'm obsessive, more I like to know what's going on in the world & (if it does) how it impacts me & my family.

I'm sure you have already, but if not recommend "Black Swan", not his (Nicholas Taleb's) best work (Fooled by Randomness is one of my favourite reads) but on the same page 

At the end of the day we can only plan for the worse & hope for the best ????

If you don't mind, can I ask when your planned retirement date is (FWIW Mine is Jan next year, 53 so still tempted to do 2 more years having been through a couple of "Black Swans")

32 minutes ago, Scot123 said:

Mike. Obviously it is enough money to retire on but there is more to think on than that. There are lots of places to choose to retire in Asia so look around. My family left Thailand recently after 9 years living there. The main reason was immigration rules changing at someone's whim, so uncertainty was the big reason ie what next! Second was financial in as much as yes we had enough money to live very comfortably but our life style was taking a hit. Then 6 police cars turned up at my house in the morning full of police. That was the last straw (reason for this visit was to check my visa status ie not working etc). I know people who live there still on a fraction of what we were spending but they count every satang and not being able to buy what you want or go out when you want is not my idea of the great life. We had a great life for 9 years. My advice to you as was given to me me: 1. Always have an out plan. 2. Never invest anymore than you can walk away from. 3. Don't put all your money into a Thai bank. 4. Keep a low profile and don't show off (ask the duch guy and his wife about that one) and last but not least 5. Always remember Thailand is a 3rd world country. 

I was answering the guy who said it was "silly" to retire to Thailand with only a pension & wanted to highlight that there are people who through luck & hard work have very good pensions and so can afford to move there on these alone.

I completely agree with your post and as somebody who's yet to fully make the move (I work in SG, visit Thailand 3 times every 2 months, have the Visa/Extension, Condo Rental etc...) the immigration points you mention are causing me to have 2nd thoughts, but one thing that draws me to Bangkok is I have more good friends there nowadays than I do in Singapore (all but 1 of my good mates there have moved on) so it feels more like home there to me than Singapore does (even after 12 years). 

Plan is to retire in Jan, move all my stuff over to BKK, then go travelling (In-country, In-Region & to Europe/LATAM) to see where I want to settle down.

4 minutes ago, MadMuhammad said:

I’m happy to use the excuse provided 555

 

I’ll run with your calculations as I am most definitely not skilled with percentages obviously lol

Thank you for the correction, appreciated 

Lol, I wouldn't go off my maths, I said that 45 to 37 was a 12 THB drop ???? 

I do agree with your 45 average though, when I 1st did my retirement planning (around 2008) it was around 55:1, so I used 50:1 then decided 45:1 was more prudent (was still recovering from my dividend income being decimated by the GFC) 

Nowadays I have a spreadsheet where every Monday I put in the current mid-rates and assume:

• -2THB for GBP£
• -1 THB for SGD$
• 4.2% annual inflation
• Ignore approx £750 a month in passive income (I take this as Scrip/DRIP dividends so don't see the cash)

... And still feel like I should be planning a worse case budget on top of this!

20 hours ago, MadMuhammad said:

If you look at historical charts and had your eyes open you’d realise the 70-90thb ‘value’ was never going to hold. You’re actually very lucky it lasted as long as it did IMO. 

As I stated earlier I see fair value of the Pound around the 45thb mark. It’s only 12% off of the historical average today 

I always mess up with percentages, but I make 37 approx 82% of 45 so an approx 18% drop which is not insignificant.

Did you mean it's "Only" 12 THB off it's historical average?