Highlandman

It's a semantic difference. True cashless systems bypass the use of cash altogether; meaning QR codes that deduct money from your bank account or digital wallets that charge your bank account or debit or credit card. Another example are physical debit and credit cards and in the past, cheques or checks as well.

I was going to add, there is a Thai payments network called "Thai Payment Network" I understand all locally issued debit cards are on this network in addition to whatever internationally recognized payments network they're associated with such as VISA/Mastercard or UnionPay. This means that theoretically, it's possible to limit acceptance to domestic cards (as is done in Myanmar) to those on the TPN, meaning those transactions would be conducted through that network and NOT Visa/Mastercard etc In such cases, signs would indicate acceptance of TPN and there would be no Visa or Mastercard signs as these aren't accepted. If memory serves me right, a small number of merchants did exactly this, maybe 5-10 years ago, but since the proliferation of QR codes and the fact most small businesses have never accepted cards to begin with, you'll now find that when cards are accepted, the major international networks are covered in pretty much all cases. Of course, sometimes you may find VISA cards are accepted but not Mastercard, though this applies only in a minority of cases. Essentially, if a merchant accepts credit /debit cards, your card will be accepted but acceptance is still relatively limited compared to cash and QR codes. QR codes seem to be accepted by 90-95% of merchants in Thailand these days. QR codes can't be used to pay road tolls in Bangkok and intercity expressways. For those, you need to use either the easy pass, M-Flow (only on 2 expressways so far) or cash; an increasing number of tollways accept tap credit cards too (Visa/Mastercard). From what I've seen, ALL cash booths are being converted to eventually accept credit cards too. So far more than half already do.

Credit and debit card acceptance started around the same time. I don't recall when exactly, might have been around 5 years ago. 10 years ago, 711 was cash only.

Russians can only get anything done or make payments/withdraw money in Thailand if they have a UnionPay card. UnionPay is Chinese. Visa and Mastercard as well as Diners Club and Amex have all left the Russian market. Mir I think it's called is the Russian payments network. I've not seen it accepted anywhere in Thailand, but China's UnionPay is widely accepted. Any Russian previously holding a Visa/Mastercard/Diners Club or Amex card would have already switched over to a UnionPay card by now.

Nonsense. Can you read? He used his card 2 hours ago. Unless something has changed in the past 2 hours then there is no issue. We get it; the digital wallet has changed. What has NOT changed and most likely won't (and can't) is the acceptance of PHYSICAL VISA/Mastercard cards issued in other parts of the world. Again, a terminal capable of swiping a locally issued VISA or Mastercard will be equally capable of swiping such a card issued outside the country. How can there possibly be a difference when it's the same company? Besides, VISA and Mastercard are American companies. If Thailand wants to limit acceptance to its own cards then it would have to limit to debit cards issued on their local network. For example, Myanmar of all countries has their own payments network called MPU. Their cards can ONLY be used in Myanmar. They won't work for anything outside of Myanmar, not even ATM Withdrawals. Conversely, MPU is often accepted by merchants who won't accept Visa or Mastercard. While the sanctions that apply to Myanmar aren't as strict as they were pre 2013, VISA and Mastercard are effectively NOT accepted anywhere outside a few hotels and malls in Yangon and Mandalay anymore. This contrasts with the pre Covid/pre coup situation where credit cards were increasingly accepted even in places like Dawei and Kawthaung.

Other than the digital wallets and all, it's obvious that when a VISA or Mastercard logo appears, ALL cards on those networks regardless of where they're issued are accepted. There's no such thing as a "local VISA network" that excludes foreign issued VISA cards. The only times I've seen such restrictions are online; for example, a US based merchant only delivers domestically and thus if you use a foreign issued card with a foreign billing address its blocked (although I've seen sites where there is a work around). More commonly though, foreign issued cards are accepted but shipping is only within the US, meaning for deliveries to Thailand you'd need to use a parcel forwarding service.

Any credit card can be used regardless of where its issued. They use the VISA or Mastercard networks. If I'm not mistaken UnionPay also works. Again, if you use the physical card. I'm not talking about the wallet which is obviously the purpose of this thread you started.

In a wallet.

Yes even well established foreigners/expats who are CEOs of successful Thailand based companies earning 500,000+ Baht a month struggle to acquire mortgages through Thai banks as the policy seems to be "mortgages for Thai citizens only". UOB and MBK finance do mortgages for foreigners but down payments can be as high as 50% as Thai lenders don't do no deposit or low deposit home loans. The highest I've seen is 85% being financed but usually it's lower. The chances someone who washed up in Pai on a tourist visa acquiring a mortgage with no work permit and a visa type that requires him to do regular visa runs is slim to none.

Food courts aren't cashless. You're merely paying cash to buy a stored value card and you receive change in cash when you return it. Your example isn't what is considered a "cashless" payment method.

If you're struggling with coins it's probably because you're developing arthritis or something. Normal people no matter their age have no issue with them. Even I won't, when I visit Switzerland soon, which uses the Franc, the currency with the most coins in the world. Even decades ago, the 5 Franc denomination was already a coin.

Another looney conspiracy theory? As if the well trained staff of a chain restaurant or Cafe such as "After You Cafe" which has like a dozen cameras everywhere would even think of doing that. Thais are honest people for the most part they don't steal.

Well that's a strange choice of yours. It also makes your life more complicated. You might want to reconsider. People like you are the reason a cashless society could be upon us within just a few years (China is already there). Already there is a proliferation of cashless cafes and restaurants (mostly located inside malls, though not exclusively) and their number grows by the year. Fortunately, these places accept debit and credit cards as you would expect but the fact they don't take cash is deeply concerning.

At 711 or where? Credit card acceptance at 711 only began relatively recently. "Years ago" only cash was accepted.

Absolute nonsense If you find it difficult to pay with a 100 Baht bill something is wrong with you. Local vendors absolutely prefer cash. I've never had a vendor tell me otherwise. Also, I don't always carry my phone and I usually don't have excess funds in my local account nor do I topup my phone balance unless I wish to browse the internet or use GPS on my phone. I usually withdraw the entire balance of my account very quickly and that won't be topped up until I next make a transfer. More reasons why this absurd QR code system doesn't work for me. Credit cards make sense because you're using borrowed money, which you pay back later. QR codes are for lazy people who can't be bothered going to the ATM. They make money management difficult.

Interesting. Yeah, I've only been there once and would never consider living there. If I were to reside in Mae Hong Son, it would be somewhere like Mae Sariang (my favorite town in the province), Ban Rak Thai (my second favorite) or Mae Hong Son town (quite a decent place in its own right). Pai is like the Phangan of the north. Full of druggies, new age hippies and weirdos who believe they can change the world.

I wouldn't place that in the same category. Bill made an observation, it wasn't a criticism per se.

He's right about that My Pai family Facebook group. The worst expat Facebook group I've ever encountered in Thailand. I was blocked from posting for a month for once making a mildly politically incorrect comment (nothing to do with Thais). Come to think of it I might be blocked now; haven't seen anything from that group in my feed in over 6 months, not that I care as I don't use the group anymore.

Other countries don't have a 90 day reporting system. Neighboring countries such as Cambodia make it very easy to stay long term with no requirement to ever show up in person to immigration.

So he's gay? Weird... Can you explain the falling out he had with a nurse?

Yeah watching that video he made I can see he has no idea about how to act in a "tactful" manner. While we can all agree that Thais blindly obey authority, the way he said that 98% of them got vaccinated (the actual percentage was closer to 85%) was a bit rude. I am constantly praising those Thais that do speak up and are able to think for themselves. They may be a minority but they do exist. The conscientious objector to military service recently in the media has my upmost respect. I salute his courage and conviction in the face of a law that violates human rights and needs to be abolished.

Thais don't hate whiners. They often whine a lot themselves. Thais can't accept even the slightest criticism. I see it all the time on social media, particularly where Cambodia or Cambodians are concerned. Thais endlessly praise their country, claiming they have the best roads anywhere and that Cambodian roads are basically dirt tracks. When Cambodians make a minor joke, 10 unemployed Thais spend all day on social media attacking Cambodians by posting memes and calling them slaves and all manner of insults.

I agree. If I were him, I'd be so deeply offended just by being told to stop criticizing the country and not being allowed to speak my mind, I'd immediately leave the country before things get out of hand. I would instantly know, this isn't the place for me. Of course, I know the country very well and wouldn't be so stupid as to do what he did. I wouldn't even run a YouTube channel on a tourist visa to praise the country as YouTubing without a work permit is a bit of a grey area even if you're a 2 week tourist. No chance of me publicly criticizing a country, especially one I'm trying to establish myself in. Everything that could have gone wrong, has gone wrong in his case. I don't understand why so many farang seem to screw things up and then end up prostrating themselves in a vain attempt to try and continue living in the country, especially people who really don't have any strong connections with the country or need to be here. I don't know anything about him, but living in Pai I can draw a few conclusions: 1) he can't speak Thai 2) he's newly arrived 3) due to 1 & 2, he really has no connections to the country, no wife, no children, no local friends as he hasn't been here long enough so he really has no reason to continue living here, especially when the authorities have basically given him an ultimatum.

However, the mask announcements at airports seems to be a continuous thing ongoing since March 2020. While I didn't travel by air during Covid, when I first started visiting the airport in late June 2022 just after the mask mandate was scrapped, sending off some friends, there were announcements. Then in August when I flew out they were still being made (although I barely noticed them). Then in September/October 2022 (Swiss airlines was actually handing out masks at the end of the flight in October 2022 claiming they were mandatory in the terminal). I told the cabin crew that was not the case. Other airlines weren't doing this or making such announcements. However, the mask announcements continued throughout 2023, in April, September and December as well as February 2024. No other country in the world is making announcements for something that isn't mandatory anymore. Something very strange going on in Thailand.

Free of what? I think that is a misnomer because Thailand has never been free...except from European colonization although even that is debatable because the Dutch and the Portuguese certainly set up their own communities and trading colonies in various parts of Thailand a few hundred years ago though granted this isn't quite the same thing as taking the entire country in the name of a colonial empire.