Mike Teavee

Am sure I’ve read reports of guys having their bank account set-up so their wife is a Joint Holder on the account but their name doesn’t appear as part of the account name so it looks like a solo account.

I believe it's supposed to be a relatively short (8 hours?) trip but they have an extra few days of oxygen onboard in case something does go wrong. It should certainly have re-surfaced by now.

There's a story in the UK Papers about a friend of Hamish Harding who was booked to go on it but pulled out due to safety concerns... You would think that at $1 Million (4 x $250,000) a trip they would have some form of rescue vessel (like the unmanned vessels they've used to explore the Titanic) that shadowed the craft in case of emergencies.

Yet again, using the correct terminology is essential… The OP states that he applied for a Marriage Visa in Thailand, then that gets him a Non-IMM O visa & 90 days permission to stay. If in fact he applied for an extension to his current visa/extension then he should be given 1 year or till the date his passport expires whichever comes 1st. OP did your friend apply for a Visa or an Extension & are you applying for a Visa or Extension.

The M1 walked into a bar. He goes to the barman and says "Give me a pint". He gets his drink and starts angrily drinking. In walks the A9 & tries to order a pint. The M1 shouts "OY, sling your hook, who do you think you are? I'm the M1, the biggest hardest road in the country, 6 lanes, 2 hard shoulders, I'm not drinking with a sh1tty A road like you. What do you have 4 lanes? Pathetic, F' off". The A9 leaves the bar sheepishly. Next, in walks the B768, who walks up to the bar and tries to order a drink. The M1 kicks off again.. "Who the hell are you?! Two lanes? No hard shoulder? I'm not drinking with you, F' off!" The B768 walks out sheepishly as the barman watches on worried. Next, in walks an unnamed road, single lane, dirt track. Hardly even a road at all. He walks to the bar, orders a drink, sits quietly and drinks up undisturbed. He eventually leaves. The barman says to the M1 "I thought you were the biggest hardest road in the country? What about that little weedy road? Why didn't you say anything to him?" The M1 says "Who him?! No chance. He's a bl@@dy cycle path"

How recent is "Recent" only reports from Bangkok & Pattaya say that since March's changes to Banking Regulations, Banks will not open an account unless you have... Visa (I note you said you had a Tourist Visa) with at least 30 days left on the permission to stay TM30 Certificate of Residence from Immigration (am assuming CM IO accepted your Yellow Book as proof, obviously most Tourists don't have one of these). We all know that different Branches/Branch staff have different "Rules" on different days & so it might be that what worked for you with that member of staff in that Branch in Chiang Mai might not work for the guy who was at the next counter (or a guy who came in the next day & spoke to the same member of staff), but it does seem that the perceived wisdom of trying another Branch or go back on another day no longer seems sensible in Bangkok/Pattaya. NB The OP reported that he was able to open an account in Hua Hin, so maybe worth trying different cities where they might not be as stringent about following the new rules.

Thanks for this, looks like they offer a larger car to the Airport for 1,000b + only charge 1,000b to get to to Ban Phe (for Koh Samet) Nam charges 1,300b for this which I can sort of understand as unlike an airport run, the driver is unlikely to have a fare coming back. We will probably stick with Nam for the airport runs (though when my family visits we might use PT for a Minibus) but will definitely try them out on our next Koh Samet trip.

looks like they used the mid market price…

Had a random YT video pop up around personal security / privacy and the guy was recommending getting virtual credit cards from https://privacy.com/ Their lowest plan is free & allows you to create up to 12 new virtual cards each month, great if you want a Single Use card but the guy also suggests setting one up for regular payments from your card (e.g. he has a Netflix card that has a credit limit of $15 so can pay his bill each month, if this was compromised the most they could steal would be $15 and they wouldn't have any of his personal details. NB You have to have an US Bank Account so this wouldn't work for me but am sure there will be somebody offering a similar service for UK account holders... Overview of Virtual Cards Virtual cards allow you to minimize the amount of personally identifiable information (PII) you share with places you buy at. Historically, virtual cards provided by banks have been difficult and clunky to transact with; however, new providers have made virtual cards simple and easy to use. We believe virtual credit cards and virtual debit cards are now valuable tools in protecting your privacy and security without compromising convenience. What is a virtual card? A virtual card, sometimes called a temporary card number or anonymous card number, is a credit or debit card number that can be created through a website or mobile app, and does not come with a physical card. Virtual cards can be utilized for most online purchases to mask your personal and financial information. Oftentimes, you can set a maximum spend or charge limit on the virtual card to prevent yourself from being overcharged. Some virtual cards will also lock to a merchant to prevent the card from being used elsewhere if the merchant is breached. How do virtual cards work? A virtual card is a unique, 16-digit payment card number with a CVV and expiration date that is created instantly through a website or mobile app. Virtual cards function just like a credit or debit card but without the physical card, and can be used for online shopping, over the phone purchases, or any transaction that requires entering a card number. Many users may think of virtual cards as burner cards that can be used for quick, one-time purchases. However, Privacy's virtual cards offer more enhanced security features and unlock more use cases than a simple burner card. With Privacy Cards, you can set maximum spend limits on virtual cards to prevent being overcharged. Privacy Cards will also lock to a merchant to prevent the card from being used elsewhere if the merchant is breached. Lastly, Privacy's virtual cards can be paused or closed at any time, with just a few clicks. How can you get virtual cards online? You may wonder how to get virtual cards from a company like Privacy.com. The entire process is handled online. This means you don't have to fill out lengthy paper documents or go to a physical location in person. In addition, no credit check is required to open or use a Privacy account. Signing up for a virtual card service requires some personal information so that the virtual card issuer can complete a mandatory verification procedure called Know Your Customer (KYC) in accordance with anti-money laundering laws. You can learn more about how to get started using Privacy Cards on our website and blog. What kind of safety measures does a virtual card provider take? Safety and security are very important to virtual card providers (after all, greater security is one of the main reasons users sign up for the service in the first place). For Privacy specifically, we undergo rigorous internal and third-party audits and hold ourselves to the same rigorous PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) requirements as your bank or credit union. How much do virtual cards cost and how do virtual card companies make money? Some virtual card providers charge fees for every card you create or a monthly fee to use their service. Other virtual card providers may also charge fees for each purchase made with the cards. In contrast, Privacy.com's core plan is completely free to use on all domestic purchases. We make money off of interchange - the fee that the merchant pays for accepting a debit or credit card - and we will never sell your personal data. Who can use Privacy.com and how can I get started generating virtual cards with Privacy.com? Privacy is currently available to US citizens or legal residents with a checking account at a US bank or credit union, and who are 18+ years of age. Unfortunately, we don't support international bank accounts or non-US users at this time. To get started, you can sign up for an account through our website or mobile app in as little as 3 minutes by providing some basic personal information (name, date of birth, valid phone number, valid email address, etc.) and securely linking a checking account for funding transactions.

Yep, should have something like… in the bottom left hand corner

Good point... can check on the online site & you should see something like...

I don't think I've ever had an online report where the "Written At" was filled in ... and they've removed the Arrival Card (TM6) number as these are no longer required when arriving by air. Sounds like you're good to go for another 90 days, enjoy your travels ????

I agree that #4 should be a condition of your next extension but in this case it seems the IO is interpreting it to mean that it applies to the current extension & you can see how somebody could argue that is the case. As an aside, I don't believe if you fail to put the 800K in the bank 2 months before extending (or fail to keep 400K in the bank for the 7 months in between) would result in you being on an overstay, at worse I think they would cancel your extension & give you 7 days to leave the country. I've never heard of this happening, guys who have dipped below the 400K just report that they weren't able to get a new extension (Which adds to the argument that the 400K / 800K is more about your next extension than your current one). Re: the last part about the 800K in the bank prior to getting your new extension, is it the case that you have to top your account up 2 months before applying (e.g. Mine is due Sept 26th, If I wanted to extend August 26th I would have to top-up by June 26th) or is it 2 months before it expires (e.g. July 26th in my case) - I've never thought about it before as I leave the 800K untouched all year round but had always assumed it needed to be there 2 months before the current extension expires irrespective of how early you did you extension.

Do you have a Visa or did you enter Visa Exempt? I've heard from a couple of agents that since March 2023 they are no longer able to open a bank account unless you have a Visa (any sort) & have at least 30 days permission to stay remaining on it. One (https://bio.link/majesty - In Pattaya) did say that if you had a Tourist Visa they could help you extend it (and so get an extra 30 days) and open a Bank account the same day . There's a thread on opening bank accounts here... BM @Dghart001did report that he was able to open an account in Hua Hin in the end... In Bangkok, I used Siam Legal (3K) to open mine years ago BUT in the thread above the OP reports they would only open an account for him as part of the Non-IMM O Conversion package (38K).

Technically the financial terms of an extension based on keeping 800K in the bank are:- 800K in the bank for a minimum of 2 months before extension date 800K in the bank for a minimum of 3 months after extension date 400K in the bank for a minimum of a further 7 months 800K in the bank for a minimum of 2 months before next extension date Therefore it's not (Technically) unreasonable for the IO to ask for 800K to be in the account 2 months prior to your next extension even if you plan on using the income method for your next extension. I say "Technically" because those are the rules but you would hope that the IO would use their discretion to forgo point 4 if you can show > 12 months xfers of 65K+

I agree with that but in my mind there are some Red Lines that would mean even if we had more than we have now, the price is not worth paying - The obvious one is the loss of our own currency which would mean that we wouldn't have the same "Tools" to use in times of financial crisis (You only need to look at what happened with Greece, if they'd have still had the Drachma they would have been better equipped to respond their financial crisis) Totally agree with the last part... But I think it was an ill-conceived / defined idea which when happened nobody had a clue as to how to implement it... It's all well & good to talk about a "Hard Brexit" but the 1st question that should have been asked, even before having the vote, should have been "What do we do about Northern Ireland" & a "Hard Brexit" wouldn't answer it. IMHO, they've still not come up with a sensible solution to NI & i don't believe they can as there isn't one that would satisfy all of the interested parties.

No you misunderstood me... I would like things to (sort of be) the way they were before Brexit BUT I believe that if we were to go back into the EU, the UK's position would be weaker than it was before Brexit so if people weren't happy with how things were before 2016, then they're certainly not going to be happy with how things would be if we were to rejoin - E.g. I wouldn't want to rejoin the EU if it meant we had to adopt the Euro. I think the EU "Project" is hampered more by the inclusion of (financially) weaker nations & will never be fully integrated whilst you have smaller countries like Hungary able to veto the plans of the other countries despite being a drain on the EU as a whole.

I personally thought Brexit was a bad idea BUT it's happened so we need to just get on with it & whilst I sort of would like us to "Rejoin" the EU I think the cost of entry would put us in a weaker position than we were before we left so don't think it's an option. But on the subject of Brexit, I did find this funny... Brexiter blames skidmarks on Remainer plot to ruin his underpants A die-hard Brexiter has today blamed his ruined underpants on a secret Remainer plot to deprive him of his underwear. Derek Williams, a retired bench-warmer from Basingstoke, told us that he has had to throw out at least two pairs of underwear this week due to Remainers determined to stop him from having full autonomy over his undergarments. He told us, “If I was given the freedom I wanted – no, the freedom I voted for – then my underpants would remain pristine from dawn until dusk. The fact they do not remain so is not due to any unrealistic expectation on my part, but because Remainers are ruining everything. “And before you say it, yes, I’ve heard it all before – ‘your desire for perpetually clean underwear is a fantasy not based in reality’, but that simply ignores the fact that it is the will of the people – well, me – that it be so. “It’s my democratic right to underwear that remains clean, and the fact that they are regularly stained by an imperfectly wiped <deleted> is obviously the work of hardcore Remainers who can not accept that they lost. “They really need to get over it and leave my underpants alone.” https://newsthump.com/2023/06/16/brexiter-blames-skidmarks-on-remainer-plot-to-ruin-his-underpants/

I find Mod’s over-dramatic acting puts me off her YT videos (same with bananathai) what are the actual online lessons like with Mod?

Have used Cherry a couple of times when Nam didn't have a driver available but mainly use Nam's as we've gotten use to them & the GF feels more comfortable with a lady driver, especially when she's travelling on her own. Rate to the airport for a small sedan is 1,000b BUT I have noticed the past 2-3 times they haven't had a smaller sedan available so the cost has been 1,100b for a medium sedan which is what I've always paid with Cherry (again maybe she didn't have a small sedan available when I booked). https://www.namstaxiladydrivers.com/services https://cherrytaxiservice.com/services-rates/ Have always found Nam to have new (< 18 month old) cars in great condition (very clean), my last one with Cherry not so much so but still much better than your typical meter taxi.

Pure convenience (some call it laziness) for the sake of 8K (1 pay 12K as I get my multi re-entry permit at the same time) I get a hassle/stress free extension each year - works out at less than 17b per day when you take into consideration that you have to pay 1,900b immigration fees if you do it yourself. To give one example where I got my monies worth, my last extension at CW I would have been rejected 1) because I hadn't updated my Bank Book often enough so there were consolidated entries in there & 2) because they were only doing extension 3 days before they were due at that time & I wanted mine > 40 days before it was due as I had travel plans. My Agent immediately spotted the problem with the Bank Book, took me to Bangkok Bank to explain to the cashier what I needed & the next day took me to CW where I got my extension 44 days early. It could have taken me 3 trips (& a cancelled holiday) to do it myself & as I was living in On Nut, CW was 1.5 - 2hours each way so would have been 3 days & approx. 3,000b in transport costs. Living in Pattaya it's a lot easier to get to immigration BUT I still use an agent as I feel the cost is worth it to me to avoid any potential hassles/stress - Others choose to spend their money differently - Up to Them... I do enjoy telling the story of 2 mates giving me a lecture about not doing my extensions myself, firstly they work here so all their immigration needs are done by their company & secondly they were merrily puffing away on their (>150b) pack a day habit whilst lecturing me about wasting money - Again, To Each His Own.

I tried using my Bangkok Bank (Debit) MasterCard & it kept getting rejected, I had more than enough money in the account & had upped my limit to 300K to cover an approx 230K cost. The Qatar site seems to say the problem was with my bank rejecting the transaction but the price had already gone up by 5K each whilst I was messing around trying to book it so I ended up putting it on my UK Visa Credit Card. If you don’t have an alternative credit card that you can use, you could ask your Bank whether there’s anything you can do to stop the transaction from being rejected, maybe they can pre-authorise it or something.

The article says 380 (do I get a percentage if it's a winner ???? )

I did mine at Bangkok Bank Pattaya North Road (I was 30 mins early for my dental appointment next door so thought why not) https://goo.gl/maps/Y3vF5jy4BLV5wEmu9 It took 5 minutes & confirmed immediately that I could uplift my transfer limits (had been blocked since the last mobile app update). Appreciate you might not be asking about Bangkok Bank in particular but if you are, the Pattaya Nua branch is a large branch with (seemingly) not as many customers as branches in Central Festival or Jomtien 2nd Road where I'd tried to sort out facial recognition in the past.

My mate look at Bumrungrad but ended up getting his hip replaced at Samitivej https://maps.app.goo.gl/w8BoYdT5KoeEziEn9?g_st=ic as they (according to him) have the best reputation for sports/bones related surgeries. IIRC it cost him 600K & he was in ICU for 1 day (observation) & 2 days in a private suite.