Rolo89

I don't use cards if I can help it. Too many times they've hit the button to charge me 3% extra exploitative fee to pay in USD rather than in THB and let the bank do a live conversion without a huge markup. Keep using cash and stop all the encroachment of surveillance and control. We don't want everywhere to end up like China where it's normal to scan your face to pay.

How stupid do you have to be? Everything gets scanned thesedays and advanced AI now deployed at places like Heathrow to automatically detect the cases that need to be searched. It's not the 90s anymore

Israel will have done their best to protect civilians, but when the enemy is as evil as Hamas sadly people in the wrong place pay the ultmate price.

Nonsense. Wine is still stupidly expensive. I'm not paying Thai prices.

I didn't say it has clean air or good pavements? But Vietnam is a lot cheaper and it's closeness to the coast makes the air a lot better than Thailand. Although yes all the factories near HCMC etc does often give toxic days. Most of the country is green at the moment. Meanwhile Thailand is orange

Thailand is eastern european price with awful air quality, death trap pavements and scams everywhere. Not suprised people are going to countries that represent value.

Thanks, having no luck in BKK. Will try elsewhere!

What bank and what branch? I'll try it

When was this though? I know people that opened them at the end of 2024 without issues, then it got more difficult but people could still open with agents. But in April 2025 agents aren't even taking money to help open accounts as they can't.

It is uniquely Thai - a visa that allows you to stay long term and be a tax resident. But also makes it very difficult to get banking. In other countries if you have the visa to live for 5 years then banking is not an issue at all. Like a Thai living in the UK for 5 years would have no issues with walking into just about any bank and getting an account, or use one of the many neobanks to sign up online in 5 mins.

Thais can open a UK bank account if they have a visa to reside in the UK for years. Foreigners in Thailand with a 5 year DT visa can't easily. They could last year and earlier in the year with an agent. But right now in April 2025 it's difficult.

I told the full story. I'm not a retirement visa but a DT visa.

I think marriage and retirement visa makes it easier, DTV is basically a tourist visa. They've been burnt with too many dodgy people and are worried about fines.

Tried a dozen branches now (in expat areas), they all say no and try each other. Spoke to an agent a few weeks ago and they said it was possible but would have to travel to Pattaya. Then the next day said their bank (Bangkok bank) in Pattaya was no longer accepting foreigners and they would be back in contact when they were. Heard nothing since. So think even agents can't help at the moment. It used to be possible if you bought an expensive product from the bank, but apparently not anymore.

Foreign cards, but it would be nice to pay by QR code

On the DTV and was planning on paying Thai tax, but since tightening the rules on banking it's impossible to get a bank account until you have a work permit. My DTV allows working for my foreign company remotely in Thailand, but how can they expect me to pay Thai tax if I'm not even allowed to open a bank account?

A shame, leaves the others with more power in the market. Which is what they want and then can increase prices.

I'm more concerned about the safety of the thousands of high rises that are being left to those with vested interests to check if they're safe!

Yes it's very worrying all the buildings they've declared are perfectly safe from a quick check. There could be another earthqake at any time and these already weakened buildings might not fare so well.

It really isn't there could be a stronger, longer earthquake that hits the area at any time. If this happened during monsoon with a high water table the damage done to BKK could be so much worse. Condo sellers would tell you otherwise.

No. There can be a closer, longer and stronger earthquake hit BKK. If this is during monsoon could be really really bad for BKK. The other day was just a taster.

There could be a strong earthquake that levels most of BKK tomorrow with it being built on jelly. Or it could be in 300 years. No one knows.

Admitting 1% of checked buildings are unsafe and could collapse is huge. I wonder how many of the 200 they've deemed at amber risk are actually red and how many of 31'000 safe actually have no structural damage. Private companies would supress disclosing the real state of their buildings.

The assurance is to their shareholders, this has exposed just how risky bangkoks soft soil is from earthquakes over a thousand km away. Lets see how much high rise condos can sell for in the next few months and how much owners have to pay to fix the damage from the minor earthquake this time.

Sends alarm bells ringing. How can they have started on structural repairs from the day of the earthquake? These things need to be invesigated properly and a proper assessment would take place about a week after the event rather than right away.