ChickenWing

10 hours ago, allane said:

ATM's in Thailand dispense only Thai baht. Are there some countries that feature ATM's which provide the user with a choice of currency when making a cash withdrawal ?

In Peru, You can withdraw USA dollars or Peru Nuevos Soles.

I'm not sure if you can use this without the ATM card number or not, but they do have old style automated phone banking.  Might want to give it a try.  If the accounts are linked, I'm thinking you might be able to log in with one account, and transfer money to the other.   

https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Digital-Banking/Self-Services/Phone-Banking

AIS 1-2 call (prepaid) works fine in the US on AT&T or T-mobile networks. Receiving SMS from Thailand is free as well. Be sure to activate International roaming before you leave Thailand.

the sequence is press 2 for english,

1 for account activity,

1 for further account inquiry,

2 for incoming transactions

2 for international transactions

Enter your account info, and date range to search. It will give the amounts in both USD and THB.

This is not an answer to your question, but maybe something to help you out until you get your problem solved.

I dont have online access to my BKK bank account, but I can still use the automated phone service for alot of things. Just call this number from the US

+66 0-2645-5555

The instruction guide http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBankThai/Documents/Site%20Documents/Phone%20Banking/BP-Instruction-Guide.pdf

You can check balances, transactions, and have statements faxed to you. I was even able to confirm my ACH setup test deposits in USD just by listening to the option for international transactions.

Its old school, but better than nothing.

One of the first things you do in opening a new account is hand the bank rep your identification--Thai ID card or passport. If a passport you must be a foreigner....and of course the passport says what version of foreigner you are (i.e., American, etc.) Oh, you are American...I have a few extra forms for you to fill out courtesy of Uncle Sam.

But I got the form for declaring or denying my US citizenship BEFORE they saw my passport or asked what my nationality was. All they knew was that I wanted to open a savings account. They gave it to me before I even got to the desk for opening a new account, 15 minutes before my passport ever made an appearance. I'm thinking they are questioning everyone, or at least people who appear to be foreign and opening a new account.

I opened a new savings account at Bangkok Bank Silom this morning. I had to fill out a form declaring my US citizenship and Residency. Then I was also required to fill out a W-9 form. They opened the account with a smile.

Out of curiosity, how did they know you were a US citizen? Was this verbally? When they saw your US passport? Or after you filled out an application form ("Do you have US citizenship or residence status? yes or no")?

Just curious as to how they'll identify dual citizens, like my wife, whose application, using her Thai passport and ID, would have absolutely no US indicia (place of birth, US address, phone number, etc) to indicate US person status. Only if they asked would they determine this -- so I'm guessing this is what they do(?).

Well, they initially guessed... When I went to get the number from the little number giving machine, there was a man there assisting people to push the correct button. He asked me what I would like to do, and I said "Open a new savings account". Then he pushed the button, gave me the number ticket, and then handed me the questionnaire ("Do you have US citizenship or residence status? yes or no"). Perhaps he was just guessing because of my accent? I did not fill it out at this time, I just sat down and waited for my number to be called.

When my number was called, I went to the nice lady's desk, and told her I wanted to open a savings account, and she immediately asked for my passport. I would imagine that what ever passport you gave them, that would be how they determine your citizenship. She had me fill out a number of normal banking forms, and the Citizenship questionnaire was not filled out until about the middle of the stack.

But in hindsight, after writing this, perhaps they give the form to all foreigners (or everyone?) and force them to make the declaration that they are or are not US citizens. The questionnaire/declaration form is a Bangkok Bank form, not a US govt form. The W-9 is the only US govt form I had to fill out. There was no question of my citizenship before I got the form, and my passport was in my pocket. But I am a white guy with an American accent, so who knows?

Perhaps your wife can go there and push the button, and see if she gets a form? Like I said, they give it to you well before you ever get to the account opening desk.

I opened a new savings account at Bangkok Bank Silom this morning. I had to fill out a form declaring my US citizenship and Residency. Then I was also required to fill out a W-9 form. They opened the account with a smile.

I went over to Bangkok Bank head office @ silom to open a savings account this morning. I did not notice any sign that said anything about insurance, and there was no mention of it made during my signing up. They were happy to open my account with a smile and only add on costs were 300 baht for the ATM card, and SMS notifications are 10 baht per month. It seems they've backed down from the insurance hustle. BTW, I have a US passport and 60 day Tourist (TR) visa.

There is another machine similar to the orange one at 7-11's. This one is at Family Mart, its white, and is called My Pay. It is usually out front by the door. It works in much the same way, except this one does not charge a fee. But it only accepts bank notes. So the smallest amount is 20 baht. I tried it with my AIS 1-2 call and got 30 days for each time I added 20 Baht, extended all the way to 365 days. The bad thing is you have to add more at a time, the good thing, you get credit for all of it, so you are not losing anything. This lady was not next to the machine I used...

The website explains it, though its quite simple. Multiple languages. Got the confirmation SMS within seconds. Good for another year. http://www.mypay.co.th/en/index/

I believe you would have to exit and re-enter the country in order to get a 30 day visa-exempt stamp.

Went through Customs around Midnight Late Sunday/Early Monday. Everything seemed normal. Several 747's worth of people walked past the customs officers without even a second glance.

I'll swing by. Solo.

This is a football for all but one country in the world.

Have you ever seen a Canadian Football?

To the OP, I have a similar length flight from the midwest US. The last leg is usually from NRT or HKG, and by that point it is my usual sleeping time, and am tired enough to sleep the last 6 hour flight and be wide awake in Thailand in the middle of the night. LOL. The worst part of the trip is getting there.