Doctor Tom

I fix nothing, if it stops, breaks, disintegrates. or I just get fed up with it, I buy a new one. Most of the crap here is Chinese anyway, so it usually lasts about as long as a tuna sandwich in 36 degrees.

Many of you guys must be using a different 'Wise' to me. Its quick and cheap to use. Yes there is the odd delay, but very rarely and its always on the Thai end. Not sure why others are being charged excessively, in their view. My fees for transfers are way below any when using my debit card in a Thai ATM and the exchange rate is as good or better than any I can get with either a Thai or a UK bank. Very odd.

Just did a wise transfer from UK to SCB, it took 5 seconds to get into my account.

Now that I don't believe, sorry.

Okay, but there must be quite serious restrictions and exclusions for that premium

Okay, maybe not for some individuals

a year? That would financial idiocy

You mean normal business practices? It's all about profit and the natural ebb and flow of companies. Have you checked exchange the rate offered, and for how long, against the cost of transfer, for WU and other providers? I am , so far, happy to pay Wise as I trust the company and they have provided excellent service , and competitive exchange rates, over the 7 years I have been using them. Should me feelings change I will move on, but not yet.

It is the Thai Banking system. I transferred two separate amounts to my g/f bank in the last 3 days, Wise says 3 hours but it was more than 12. The Wise website said both amounts had been transferred to the Thai bank on time. It took a 20 minute call to the Thai Bank call center to get the money released to the account. I have no doubt at all that the Thai Banks are collectively holding on to transfer money to gain market advantage and just playing games. One call , albeit far too long a call, and what a surprise, the money gets released immediately. Wise is okay.

The ball is theirs and its always in their court my friend. You're not even in the game.

Depressingly true rather than funny

My computer also auto fills, as far as I know, all of them do, so long as you select that option on Google Crome .

I renewed mine online today, but I was having trouble earlier in the year, being rejected for no obvious reason. When I did it this time, successfully, I used my computer's auto fill function for the name and address on the TM47. I had completed it manually when it was rejected. I can only assume that there was some slight difference between auto fill and when I did it manually, but what that was I have no idea. Clearly, the system is very sensitive to even the slightest inconsistency between TM 47s information..

For my carcinoma operation at BH Pattaya, I was required to pay, in cash/debit card, a holding amount, pre the operation, based on an estimate of the cost on completion. I presume that a credit card payment would also be acceptable. After the operation the hospital accounts refunded 5,000 Baht.

If you are in Thailand, that is outrageously expensive. If you are in the US, then bad luck mate. If you are in LOS, just work out how much you will pay in premiums over, say the next 10 years and you could build a whole new body for that amount. You Sir are being Royally ripped off.

I did exactly that. I took a bad case scenario of a quadruple heart bypass, with full after care, then added 100 % . That is my minimum medical reserve fund, although I keep more than that. So far my medical bills have been paid using my regular monthly income, not touching the reserve.

Then you are the exception

I self insure, no health cover, bar accident cover on my car insurance. In 7 years I have spent circa 80,000 Baht in hospital fees, including for Wet AMD treatment and a carcinoma removal and after care. I am quite comfortable with no insurance. In both cases I was given a good discount by the consultant because I was self financing. To be honest, with the state of the UK NHS, I would be going private if I was living in the UK, and it would be massively more expensive. My friend had a hip replacement in Thailand and he opted for a Thai government hospital. He had to wait for treatment, but the costs were considerably lower than in an international hospital. My view is that unless you have an underlying serious condition, and none of us really knows if we will develop one in older age, there comes an obvious cut off point, where the cost of insurance, against the cost of private treatment, makes it much more practical to self insure.

Gladly

I'm not

What an odd question. Where do micro biologists retire, or print workers, stevedores, ships engineers, postal workers? Anywhere, everywhere, who cares. I bet its not in a Muslim country, that's for sure. If you are asking where are the most gay friendly countries, well that's a different question. No idea on that score either.

I'd rather just stay around Sattahip and pay an agent

They have been my agent for the past 8 years. My only criticism is that they tend to be at the upper end of expensive.

That's where it falls down for me. I'd pay a Kings Ransom to never have to go to Bangkok'

You can't use this method here, as you need to surrender your old passport by posting it to UK, which you can't do if it contains your original and valid visa and extension stamps in it, which have to be transferred across by Thai Immigration. And what's his wife got to do with it?