Jingthing

The only utility of harassing (and repelling most) travelers is as a political scapegoating tool. Thai culture seems to have a penchant for irrational xenophobia. This is not about the health of Thai people. We have the answer to that. Vaccinations!

Most infections have nothing to do with travelers. Get a grip. The virus is with us. GET VACCINATED AND BOOSTED. Travel restrictions are not the answer.

I agree that it is not illegal to fake being a U.S. resident to keep firms happy, but the fact remains many firms are actively smoking out expats and they don't want their business. So expats are often forced to live in ethical grey areas about honesty. There are cases where legal issues come into play. For example when renewing a state driver's license you may be compelled to swear and sign that you are really a state resident. If you aren't that must surely be a criminal matter if that was ever actually pursued.

No.

No! Part A will be free for most. Its nuts not join A at 65 if free. I was signed up automatically for A as an open expat. For B the enrollment organization which happens to be social.security same as A wants expats to know the rules. Expats not included in benefits but big issues if you move back. Typical advice is if you're certain you won't move back then don't take B. But as we all know plans change.

Looking forward to this one when available. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss?

I'm not sure Capital One is fully expat friendly. My impression is that many people still fake US residency with them but they are not aggressive with smoking out expats. People like them because of their favorable international ATM policies. I think they recently added 2FA where you must have a US based mobile account in your name and voip and google voice not OK.

It's already mainstream medical advice that certain people such as the immune compromised should get a second booster. There is also a train of thought that the term booster is a misnomer and that only people with the third shot are fully vaccinated. The truth is this is messy and researchers continue to learn more over time so it is arguably folly to say never about anything.

Well everyone is entitled to an opinion, right?

Putting this in historical context.

The sides are not equivalent.

Yes that sort of tactic is very common. Faking US residence.

The premise of this topic is very deceptive. The investment is in getting unbanked people banked.

I can't take anyone seriously that doesn't get the reality that the U.S. is experiencing historically severe problems. That's real. To wit: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-15/how-much-are-home-rents-rising-prices-surge-by-record-in-hot-us-housing-market?srnd=wealth&sref=9YK1BnKg https://variety.com/2022/film/features/ken-burns-documentaries-benjamin-franklin-donald-trump-pbs-1235182021/?utm_source=digg Is it any wonder that for many or even most American expats in the world, repatriation is a LAST RESORT?

Hmmm. Do you happen to have a very large account with them?

Look at the list of qualifying organizations at SDFCU.

They are a good organization to support but you can get entry into SDFCU much cheaper. I used a US consumer organization. 5 or 10 bucks.

Yes.

I haven't needed OTPs. I think they have a program if you choose to do that. No, I've only done direct SWIFT and it's been very fast. I did determine that if it's over 10K USD they will probably call you and ask some annoying questions.

It's a credit union. Not a bank. You need to join something initial. Like a consumer organization. I think it cost me 5 or 10 bucks one time. They are somewhat quirky and very security minded but officially accept expats. But you could still be rejected for other reasons. It's easier to open initially with a US address and driver's license and change the record later but you can open with a passport. I use them to direct deposit my social security check so YES on that! Online SWIFT wires are 25 dollars. Federal Credit Union in DC, VA, & SC | SDFCU

The question is clear. It may be interesting to know the percentage of boosted expats compared to the percentage of boosted Thais and other regions / countries. I recently read the boosted rates in Europe are about 50 percent and in the US 27 percent. So how do the expats here size up?

Not answering your specific question, but can address how banks know (or begin to suspect and then investigate) that a customer is living abroad. EXPAT ADMITTING IT! Logging in all the time from abroad Trying to contact with your U.S. phone number and it not working See a VOIP US number could raise a red flag Customer using a mail forwarding service as their main address Customer unable to do 2FA (no US cell phone in their name) Mail sent to the US address on record sent back. Mail sent to the US address requiring response not responded to Issues with activating a new ATM card Some financial institutions are more aggressive about this than others, but the trend is not good. If you've already moved abroad, opening a new U.S. based account is very difficult and impossible with many firms. Future expats should open many accounts where they move because over time they will lose some (or all) of them. Open a backup expat friendly account at SDFCU There is no perfect answer anyone can give you! This is a moving target. Policies change (generally getting less expat friendly). The U.S. financial system never promised expats a rose garden.

Who knew? https://www.cnet.com/news/why-wordle-had-two-different-answers-in-one-day/ Why Wordle Had Two Different Answers in One Day Fans of Wordle took to social media Tuesday to express frustration and confusion about the game's latest move. The problem? Wordle, which was acquired by The New York Times in late January, was showing two different answers to Tuesday's word riddle, Wordle 241.

Happily for gay men, this is a straight men's problem. But I will pipe in. Why not ask them?

Many or even most US banks don't want expats if you're honest with them. This has been an issue for many years especially after the Know your customer rules arrived. I suggest opening with SDFCU which will deal with expats at least as a backup. https://www.sdfcu.org/ For other accounts I fake it. US phone number US address Logins online showing US not Thailand But now more and more banks are requiring two factor authentification with a US cell phone in your name! Acceptance of voip numbers / google voice on the way out. This can be a major PITA.