thaisail

8 hours ago, Crossy said:

You made the same mistake as I did, assuming an Android TV would be like a giant smartphone.

 

https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/how-to/how-to-sideload-apps-on-android-tv/articleshow/87100257.cms

 

I have been trying to screen share my Samsung Galaxy S20+ with my old Samsung Smart TV and I was advised to download SideLoad. I tried but so far still can't screen share from my phone to my Samsung Smart TV. But using Google Home, I can easily screen share to my Android TV box!

7 hours ago, jnak said:

My credit card is from chase bank. Interesting. So it shouldn’t have ever stopped taking the credit card in the first place if it’s not 3DS 2.0 right?

 

And how about Capital One? Does anyone know if they are 3DS 1 or 2.0?

I contacted Capital One and could not get a clear answer. I switched over to Navy Federal Credit Union and now have 2 different cards with them. One gives me 3% cash back on restaurants and the other gives me 1.75% cash back on everything. Capitol One is giving me 2% but only until August. I will no longer pay the $59 annual fee so I will drop them after 10 years as a good customer. The quality of the customer service at NFCU is far better than Capital One where you get someone in Manila or Nicaragua on the phone most of the time. 

4 minutes ago, thaisail said:

The below was from an email sent by a tour agent in Vientaine the day before I want to Cambodia. 

 

 

 

Could you help to make sure with the Embassy if in Laos can do a VISA run. 

 

You can enter Laos on the bridge from Nong Kai and do PCR Test at the hotel as at the moment still do not have PCR Test team to stand by at the border.

 

You have to stay in Laos all that time as below outline:

 

Day 1: 7 Feb 2022: Vientiane - Arrival (COVID19 Test/PCR Test) Quarantine 

Day 2: 8 Feb 2022: Vientiane - Waiting result

Day 3: 9 Feb 2022: Vientiane - If result negative then you can go for your VISA

Day 4: 10 Feb 2022: Vientiane - get VISA (COVID19 Test/PCR Test) (PCR Test result will be approximately 6 hours)

Day 5: 11 Feb 2022: Vientiane - Departure Day

Company in Vientaine is called EXO Travel. I did not choose to go to Laos because there were no scheduled flights from Vientaine to Bangkok at the time. The lady at the agency claimed that Laos Airlines was flying one flight per week but it was a charter flight and I had doubts that the Thailand Pass would work on a charter flight. 

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

That is not possible at this time. The land border crossings are closed.

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

That is not possible at this time. The land border crossings are closed.

I was told by a tour agent in Vientaine that I could have crossed the bridge in Nong Kai and there would have been a special van that would have taken me to a place for a Covid test and then to the hotel that was booked as part of the tour. As soon as I would get a negative result, I would be free to continue the tour or go to the Thai consulate for my Visa. I will try to copy and paste the information provided by the Laos tour agency. Of course it could have been bad information provided by an over optimistic tour agent.

On 2/21/2022 at 4:33 PM, BuckoA said:

Hi. You can apply for the Thai Pass before you go to Cambodia for the visa. 

Yes but the only issue was the Thai insurance requirement which you need to buy in order to get the Thailand Pass. The AXA insurance states that if you are in Thailand you are not eligible. I contacted my insurance agent in Phuket and she said to just state that you are not in Thailand and buy the insurance. Three days later I was in Cambodia. I got my Thailand Pass the day before my flight to Cambodia. Hope that doesn't invalidate my insurance!

On 2/21/2022 at 9:38 AM, Faranguz said:

Hi @thaisail,

thanks for sharing your experience.

 

I've been in Thailand for a while, arrived with tourist visa and then used a couple of COVID extensions.

Now I can't get a new one.

 

Your thread is the first piece of information that seems to show an alternative solution.

Do you think in my case can work as well?

Have you used Covid extensions before?

I never had a covid extension but I was offered one in January but the next day when I walked into the office the IO received a message from Bangkok HQ saying that anyone with a long term Non O extension would no longer be permitted to get the 60 day covid extension. So I had no option other than to leave Thailand to get a visa.

On 2/20/2022 at 6:52 PM, BangkokReady said:

You can't get visa exempt/on arrival?

Maybe you can now. At the time visa on arrival was not possible.

On 2/20/2022 at 3:12 PM, MajorTom said:

I think its a misunderstanding. I recently applied and paid for a Cambodian e-visa with a foreign credit card. Zero problems.

Perhaps the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has fixed this payment problem! I did my E-Visa on February 5.

1 hour ago, EricTh said:

 

Now that there's no more time constraint, it is advisable to setup a Transferwise account in just something like this happens again or you need to transfer money to Thailand from the USA in the future.

 

How long would it have taken to do a transferwise wire transfer?

On 2/20/2022 at 10:03 AM, DrJack54 said:

Folk on extensions retirement also need to live on money, however their funds are basically frozen in a Thai bank if using money in bank method.

The financial requirements for married guys is a joke.

Should be same requirements as for retirement. 

The argument that wife can contribute to living expenses via having a job is a nonsense. 

Being on a marriage visa extension has the benefit of being able to work in Thailand if there is an employer that will arrange the work permit. The retirement visa will prohibit work so that could be why more money is required. I was also told that the requirement for the retirement visa was 800k for three months before your extension expiry date but that as soon as you extension is approved, you can take take out 400k as long as you maintain that balance until 3 months before your extension date when you must increase your minimum balance to no less than 800k for the final 3 months before the extension expires. (Correct me if I am wrong, Joe)

On 2/20/2022 at 9:40 AM, aussiexpat said:

"However, there is a problem with payment. First you have to have a Cambodian phone number and be able to receive the OTP code on a Cambodian SIM card. I tried to pay the $36 USD charge with several bank cards from the US and from Thailand also and none would work without receiving the Cambodian OTP to type into the payment window"

 

I really don't get this bit about requiring a phone in Cambodia to get an OTP for payment. Anyone applying for a tourist visa while outside of Cambodia would of course not have a Cambodia phone. Also, isn't the OTP sent by your bank to the phone number you have registered to them?

 

The part about finding some random official in Cambodia willing to pay for you just doesn't make sense either...who would do that? And why the whole Singapore friend transfer, if you transferred $70 to friends account why didn't you just transfer it direct to the Cambodia official? None of this payment makes sense?

 

If you read my post carefully, you will see that I transferred the equivilant of $70 in Thai Baht to my Singapore friend's Thai bank account. That is simple to do with the Thai bank mobile apps.

As for sending money from a Thai bank to a Cambodian bank after 6pm on a Friday, that just doesn't seem to be possible. If anyone knows another way I could have done this transfer in 12 hours on a Friday night, I would love to know about it.

On 2/20/2022 at 9:40 AM, aussiexpat said:

"However, there is a problem with payment. First you have to have a Cambodian phone number and be able to receive the OTP code on a Cambodian SIM card. I tried to pay the $36 USD charge with several bank cards from the US and from Thailand also and none would work without receiving the Cambodian OTP to type into the payment window"

 

I really don't get this bit about requiring a phone in Cambodia to get an OTP for payment. Anyone applying for a tourist visa while outside of Cambodia would of course not have a Cambodia phone. Also, isn't the OTP sent by your bank to the phone number you have registered to them?

 

The part about finding some random official in Cambodia willing to pay for you just doesn't make sense either...who would do that? And why the whole Singapore friend transfer, if you transferred $70 to friends account why didn't you just transfer it direct to the Cambodia official? None of this payment makes sense?

 

You are right about the Cambodian phone number requirement. It absolutely didn't make any sense. But that is one of the sections that must be completed in the on line application for the E-Visa. I put in the Cambodian phone number for the hotel I was going to. If I had known someone in Cambodia with a mobile phone, I would have put down  that number on the form and then called him to get the OTP. But you are correct about the system with the OTP should be going to my phone number that I provide my bank. But you may know that for example, foreign cards used to purchase on line in Thailand are often rejected because of the banking regulations in Thailand. I had to stop using my Capital One US credit card for on line purchasing in Thailand and I had to switch to another US Bank card to be able to purchase on line in Thailand. So this problem is most likely caused by some idiot in Cambodia who set up the payment system. No doubt it will soon be corrected.

On 2/20/2022 at 9:11 AM, EricTh said:

 

Maybe the big boss realized that some people have been cheating the system by recycling the money. They have the discretion to do that.

 

Putting 400k just for 2 months isn't a big deal. Compare with retirees who has to put 400k for 12 months, and 800k for 5 months in a year.

 

I am surprised immigration didn't require marriage extension holders to put 400k for the whole year.

Plus I have had the 400k in my Kasikorn account for the entire 12 months. However, on December 27, just before the end of the US tax year, I moved half of the money to my wife's Kasikorn account so that I wouldn't have to file an FBAR for the IRS in the US. My extension renewal date was February 15. I was advised against this by everyone but I felt confident that I could win my case with the 40k per month transfers in from Schwab to Bangkok Bank every month foe the pasr 18 months. I regret not reading more of this forum about what the others have been going through to get their marriage extension during Covid. Had I done my research, I would never have made such a careless move. But I took a chance and lost. I would have avoided this visa run if I had applied for the Covid 60 day extension which was offered to me by the IO. He actually asked me to come the next day and he would have given me that extension. But the next morning, he showed me the message from Bangkok that ordered them to stop giving the 60 day Covid Extension to anyone with a long term visa extension. So he really had no option but to tell me to "Go to Laos!"

On 2/20/2022 at 9:05 AM, EricTh said:

@thaisail

 

Regarding the transfer of money to Cambodia, why didn't you use Instrarem or Transferwise?  It is easy and exchange rate is better than going through your friend in Singapore.

There were time restraints and when I tried to set up an account with Transferwise with Schwab Bank a year ago, it was not possible to set up at that time. It was on a Friday evening when I had to make this transfer so that I could start working on the Thailand Pass for two people my Thai wife and me. My friend in Singapore was able to do that transfer is less than 12 hours and by Saturday morning the money was in his account. I was very happy to just get this job done and I didn't mind the extra cost.

On 2/20/2022 at 9:03 AM, EricTh said:

That should be the way how Thailand should welcome visitors with rapid test at airport , no quarantine and no insurance. Cambodia is doing it right and hope they will get more much-needed tourism money.

There was an insurance requirement but through my insurance company in Phuket, I was able to pay only $40 for the 5 day period. But that $40 was for 2 weeks which was the minimum time period. The policy was a European one from France and it was for $50,000 of covid and medical insurance.

On 2/19/2022 at 11:24 PM, Cletus said:

"showing more than 40,000 baht wire transfers from my US bank each month for the past 12 months to my Bangkok Bank account but here in Chiang Khan that method of verifying income is not accepted by the big boss"

 

Thanks for your very detailed report.

So you showed the money transfers and that was not accepted? Uhm? The big boss...what? Why did you surrender and didn't fight for your rights, considering all the troubles of a visa run in the Covid era?

How do you fight against the government? In the the US, any foreigner can be denied entry by an American immigration officer. As you must know, each immigration office in Thailand acts independently and once they make their decision normal that is the end of the discussion. The only option I was aware of was to make a complaint to Bangkok about them not following the law. But I still have to deal with this same official when I go back in April for my one year marriage extension and complaining to Bangkok might make that process even more difficult. I can tell you more about what transpired after I was told to "Go to Laos" but a public forum is the right venue to talk about this. 

On 2/19/2022 at 11:07 PM, BKKTRAVELER said:

Glad you had a nice trip overall, I always enjoyed going to Naga World in Phnom Penh in the past. Didn't get to see their second hotel though.

 

Anyway, just the fact that you had to go through bribing a Cambodian official and go through all the trouble (Singaporean connection) shows that things are still messed up for international travel...

I never felt that way about that Cambodian official. I really feel that he was trying to help me. He used his own money from his own bank account to pay his government for my E-Visa before receiving any money from me. He asked me for only $47 and he had to pay $36 for my E-Visa. He even sent me a scan of his ID card so that I could see that he was not trying to rip me off. So his "service charge was only $11. While the Singapore Bank charged $20 and the official's own bank in Cambodia charged him another $10. That is why I sent $50 to him and then he only received $40. I didn't have to put the exta $10 into his bank account in Phnom Penh but I promised to send him $50 which was $3 more than he asked for. I also invited him for a drink at our hotel because of how nicely he treated us. He never came by for a drink in the end and I regret this because he saved me hundreds of dollars by offering to help out with my visa so I would not have to spend 3 days in Bangkok going to the Cambodian Consulate. So please do not call it a bribe because I do not feel it was that way. 

On 2/16/2022 at 5:36 AM, Crossy said:

We are certainly in the market for an EV, the MG ZS is very nice and well priced but a tad small.

 

If they come along with a 7 seat SUV with a decent range at a not too stupid price**, I'm in!

 

** Let's say "not too stupid" = 20-25% over the equivalent ICE model.

MG brought a EV test model to our house in Chiang Khan from Loei. I was very impressed with our test drive but my Thai wife keeps telling me that the MG cars in Thailand are not reliable. I think she might be referring to the MGs with IC engines. I was very impressed with all the high tech options. The price was affordable and we checked out the charging station at the dealer in Loei. I think the only thing holding me back is the issue about being able to charge the batteries on the highway in Thailand. PTT would have the best locations for charging stations and this will bring plenty of customers to the Amazon coffee shops and the other distractions at many of their locations. 

I heard a rumor that there will be be big changes coming to Thailand next year in the EV market. If only the Thai government would subsidize the EV industry like many counties in Europe. But the best would be if Tesla would enter the Thai market!

What about creating an EV thread in the Auto section so we can follow this emerging industry?

8 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

Why have you left the welfare of the Dog to the last minute before traveling back to Isaan.

If the care needed is specialist, surely the Animal should have been seen sooner by a Vet.

We have taken her to a vet in Issan and they don't really know what is causing the problem. We left our dog with a professional trainer while we went to Cambodia on a visa run. The trainer thinks there is some sort of fungus on her skin and he told us that he would treat her for this while we were in Cambodia. He was unable to get the medicine reqired for her so we are looking for a place we can go to get medicine for her before the long drive home. We can go anywhere in Bangkok. 

We need help with our Labrador who swims every day on our farm in Chiang Khan, Loei. We are in Bangkok with our Lab right now but we have to go back to our farm on Wednsday so we need find a specialist Vet real fast! 

We need help with our Labrador who swims every day on our farm in Chiang Khan, Loei. We are in Bangkok with our Lab right now but we have to go back to our farm on Wednsday so we need find a specialist Vet real fast! 

Can anyone recommend a Ford dealer for service in Bangkok near Bang Na? It looks like I have to replace the valve cover gasket on my 2011 2.5 liter engine and yesterday the radio died so I may need a new radio. This is the last year if the old style Ranger just before they started building the All New Ranger in 2012. Has 180,000 Km and now more than 12 years old. This will be the first major repair since purchased new in Phuket in 2012.

We are going on a visa run to Cambodia today for a 5 day trip and I want a reputable garage that can get me the truck fixed and ready to make the long trip back to Loei after we finish the Test and Go and Test and Go Again in Bangkok. We can go anywhere in the Bangkok area to find the best Ford Ranger mechanic in the area. It doesn't have to be a Ford dealer garage but has to have a qualified and reputable Ford Ranger service mechanic. But it has to be TODAY!