Thomas72

I'm not so sure about this. I walk up to a Thai ATM, they want a fee (B220 - B250). This fee includes network charges across the Visa/Mastercard network. The ATM bank pockets the difference. The Thai bank gets paid, Visa/Mastercard gets paid. Schwab refunds the fee to me. Schwab debits my account using the Visa/Mastercard rate (slightly marked up from spot) - they should keep the difference from spot. Schwab can use any rate they want (some shady credit cards use rates wildly marked up from spot), they just choose to use the Visa/Mastercard published rate. Visa/Mastercard have no interaction with how Schwab converts money between THB and USD. This Schwab account (Schwab High Yield Investor Checking) has been around since at least 2014, and other banks are starting to follow suit - so I doubt it's a loss leader. I have a similar account from Fidelity (Fidelity Cash Management Account). I know E-Trade and Discover bank offer similar accounts, but I don't have these so I can't comment on them. So basically Schwab is making money on these transactions the same was Wise does, albeit at a much reduced margin.

I've had the Schwab account since 2015 and used it around the world. Back when I got the card it was perfect - not only did they refund the full amount of foreign transaction fees, they gave you the spot USD exchange rate. This is not the case anymore. Today Schwab uses the rate set by Visa (or Mastercard, depending on card network) on the date the transaction is processed, which is close to the market rate but includes a markup compared to the real-time interbank spot rate. So this is why it is sustainable and how Schwab is at least breaking even, if not making money. Still a great service, but it is not "100% free". I also have a Fidelity card, which has the same service (free worldwide atm fee reimbursements). I often withdraw B30,000 from Schwab and then B30,000 from Fidelity (Krungsri ATMs) in one ATM visit. Both banks convert at exactly the same rate (the Visa/Mastercard rate).

This past December I bought a slightly used car at a Bangkok dealership. I used my yellow book and pink card from Udon Thani. He was very surprised and had never seen the documents before. He took copies of everything (plus copies of passport and visa entry stamp) and went to one of the Bangkok Land Transport offices to do all of the transferring for me. They didn't need or ask for anything else. So I have a Bangkok plate, Bangkok blue book, all registered to an Udon Thani yellow book. No certificate of residence was required. I thought I might have to take everything to Udon and process the transfer there - but it wasn't required. I know I can move everything to Udon (plate and book), but I see no reason to. And it's a bit easier to resell vehicles already registered in Bangkok. - Thomas

My birthday was this past July, licenses were expiring. I went to Udon land transport, one day before expiration. They accepted the yellow book and renewed me for 6 years. So you can get 5 (or 6!) year driving licenses on a DTV. But I had a 5 year license already (was just renewing) and they really like the yellow book at all Udon government offices. They took a copy of the DTV, but didn't care at all about me being on a DTV. - Thomas

Yes, if you have a partner you trust, a very valid option. i currently only go to immigration for 90 day reports. I bounce every 180 days. Udon Thani 90 day reports are easy (unlike Jomtiem). No TM-30, no copies of everything. I hand them my passport and a slip of paper with my address written on it. I'm in and out in 2 minutes. I never need a certificate of residence because I have a yellow book. I spend half my time in Udon and half in Pattaya. - Thomas

DrJack, you're correct. I have set up a TrueMoney wallet as a backup. I can deposit cash directly at TrueShop Kiosks. But it has limitations - B50,000 max balance and outgoing QR payments are limited to B10,000 per payment. Also cannot accept incoming wires. And if always seems to be down between 23:00 - 02:00 for maintenance (so paying a bar bill never works). But for day-to-day QR payments it's helpful. I have 2 different American bank accounts that each give me free ATM withdrawals worldwide. They reimburse all fees. So I can draw B60,000 cash a day fee-free. Generally I do this then just deposit the cash into my Thai bank. So yes, I could get by without a Thai bank if my remaining account is closed. I just don't like the idea of not being able to wire money in. I'm not planning any property purchases for at least 5 years, so that's not an issue. Without a Thai bank account I'd have to always sit on a few 100,000 baht cash to make sure I never get caught out. It takes 7-10 days for me to receive a new ATM card from America if mine is lost/damaged/stolen/expired. Right now I'm thinking to leave things as is. Opening new accounts seems like a long shot. If my remaining account is closed I have several options at that point. Thanks for your input. - Thomas

After thinking about my own post, perhaps this will work, assuming my current permission to stay is not cancelled with the DTV. 1. Contact LA consulate to cancel visa. 2. Then go to Vientiane for the non-o. LA is slow, and I can just wait in Thailand until they cancel the visa. -Thomas

I was not aware of that. I read a report (don't know the consulate) where a non-o was issued, and the consulate pointed out that the previous DTV was automatically cancelled. Something in the non-o verbiage about "all previous visas now voided". I went to jomtiem immigration to cancel the DTV, they would not. I asked to convert to non-o, they would not. I went to Udon Thani immigration (I also have property up there) to cancel the DTV, they would not. Udon Thani told me to exit, enter visa exempt, then they'd convert to non-o for me (they will not convert a DTV either). I verified this with an Udon Thani agent. She sends DTV holders out via BKK, they just don't show the DTV, then come in visa exempt - then convert. You would think it's all in the system and they'd ask for the DTV, but the agent showed me photos of what her past customers have done in my situation. I thought I'd make it easier by picking up the non-o in Vientiane. This is all way more complicated than it needs to be. Everyone is saying a DTV is just a tourist visa, but no office will convert them like a tourist visa or visa exempt. So I guess at this point, my first attempt should be a fly out / fly in at BKK. Worst case is I get stamped back in via DTV. If this fails I suppose I can contact the LA consulate to cancel the visa, then go to Vientiane. I'm guessing my current permission to stay would remain intact once the DTV is cancelled. Any better suggestions? - Thomas P.S. All this BS because of the current banking mess. Banking aside, I love the DTV.

Well, I'm trying to avoid a visit to the bank if possible. I'm currently on a DTV and already have had one account closed (by you know who). I've got another account, so I boosted the balance and will be switching to a non-O retirement. For me, having a bank account is more important than having a DTV. I want to avoid going into the bank for anything, if possible. I want to get my visa switched before my remaining account is closed. When it's extension time and I go in for the bank letter, I'll already have the non-O in hand. - Thomas

I can request a 3 month statement via my bank app - and they'll email it. So that's easy enough. Also, since I have to go to the embassy to pay, I suppose I could always show them my real time balance on the app as well (if asked). - Thomas

Last time I went to Vientiane for a visa you just walked in. I know a lot has changed since then. I want to apply for a 90 day non-O retirement. I have over B800,000 in my account. I know it's done on the eVisa website after entering Laos. Just a few questions: 1. Are copies of my bank book enough or will I need to get a bank letter? 2. Any time requirement on the funds? (B800,000 was recently deposited via a mix of cash ATM deposits and Wise transfers) 3. How long does the process take after application? (How long should I expect to be in Laos) 4. Any other documents I should prepare ahead of time, as I'll be away from home (Thailand) and not have easy access to things. Will drive to the border, leave my car there (done it before), and cross over. Thanks, - Thomas

There are numerous long stay options for not depositing money in a Thai bank. I'm currently on a DTV, no deposit required. I've got 4 years left on it. If 4 years from now the DTV no longer exists and this banking nonsense still exists (or gets worse), I'd get a non-OA from my home country. Money kept out of Thailand (just like the DTV). Yes, the OA requires medical insurance - but I have medical insurance anyways. The only slightly onerous items are the police and health checks. Health check I would do in Thailand. The police check takes about 5 minutes at a participating post office in America. They fingerprint you, send it off the the FBI, and they email you the results in less than 24 hours. You can get 2 years out of an OA visa based on retirement. All money kept in an account in your home country (if your home country is OA eligible). The third option, as someone already pointed out, is monthly transfers - but you're using a Thai bank for this. Yes, you're limiting your risk as you're essentially transferring only what you spend each month. But if your account gets locked at the wrong time it might mess up your monthly transfers and impact your future extension. A fourth option for me would be the elite visa. Yes, it's more expensive, but the visa has a good history. Everyone has gotten what they paid for. There's a secondary market out there to purchase used elite visas at a discount. No money in a Thai bank. A fifth option is agents - but I believe some agents are starting to have problems with these banking restrictions as well. If the restrictions get worse, this may not be an option in the future. I don't use agents so I'm not qualified to comment on this. So lots of options, as usual, in Thailand.

Imagine the mobile transaction went through. Very easy to trace to the destination account holder - and make arrests.

I just came through BKK on Sunday. Third entry on my DTV. No questions. Quick and easy. I use the DTV what it's intended for - lots of in and out travel. I also obtained it in my home country. - Thomas

Limit the dog's space while training. Get a bar of plain soap. Something like Ivory. Rub the soap on things you don't want chewed. The dog will avoid them. Provide other soap-free things for the dog to chew on. - Thomas