jfchandler

I noticed an odd thing...in the past few days... And wondered if it's begun happening with anyone else....

For the past year, I have met my daily cash needs by using a variety of U.S. bank ATM/debit cards and withdrawing money from the Thai bank ATM that happens to be closest and most convenient to my home, which is an Siam Commercial Bank ATM right next to one of their currency exchange booths.

No matter what USA debit card I used, always the same type transaction and no surcharge/fee involved.

Then in the past week, I made four different withdrawals in the same manner, one each on the 12th and 13th with no fee. And then, I made other withdrawals on the 14th and 15th, and suddenly started seeing a 20 baht per transaction fee assessed which shows up on the printed SCB ATM receipt... even though the withdrawal amounts and the ATM card used were the same as I always typically have done where there was no fee...

So, perplexed about that, I went back, and pulled out of my file folder piles of past SCB ATM withdrawal slips over the past few months...and checked each one, and found NONE that had any fee assessed -- none except the two receipts I had received in the past two days....

Which makes me wonder, have they for some reason started assessing a new withdrawal fee... Because, at my end of things, I'm doing nothing different now than I've done for all these past months... If so... interesting timing, that just happens to coincide with the sudden rise in the value of the dollar and weakening of the baht...

I was going to call SCB's call center to inquire about this...but thought I'd check with others here...to see if anyone else is having the same experience...

PS... I checked the records for my USA bank account that I'm pulling the funds from. It shows just a single withdrawal amount for each transaction, and no separate ATM fee being assessed. My USA bank does refunds for other banks ATM charges. But since the SCB 20 baht charge isn't showing up as a separate fee at the U.S. end, I'm not sure I can get them refunded. Based on the resulting exchange rates, it looks like SCB is just tacking their fee onto my withdrawal amount, and passing the total along to the U.S. bank as a single amount.

Thanks to TheCatMan for the post above regarding the Isan House restaurant on a side soi to Sukhumvit Soi 4 (Nana). Went there last night with the TGF for the first time, and had a surprisingly pleasant and unexpected experience...

I knew nothing about this restaurant other than the TV mention above, except for the fact that we both really like Isan food. But knowing the area, I figured it would be some small, sweaty shop squeezed in among the many bars and such around Nana... But boy... was that ever the wrong idea....as we soon discovered...

As we walked there, we soon discovered a couple of things.... As had been suggested, the restaurant isn't actually on Soi 4, but rather a side soi... And, the side soi is really at the far back end of Soi 4, on the left hand side, just before you get to the Woraburi Hotel. So walk or take a tuk tuk far far back into Soi 4 and then hang a left just before you get to the Woraburi... Then, what you'll be on is a long, not well lit, but quiet residential street with pretty much only houses.... At that point, I began to wonder if we had gone astray, except, we kept seeing signs along the road for the restaurant, so we kept walking...

Finally, after a couple hundred meters, we hear people talking and see ahead some lantern lights hanging from a large tree and we come upon the restaurant, right in the middle of a quiet residential area pretty much with only houses. And the restaurant is a new, modern, lovely expensive looking house... but the eating area is outside in a beautiful, modern garden with the big lanterns-adorned tree, fountains and plants. The eating area has both regular tables and chairs, and also traditional wooden platforms for sitting on the floor around low tables with Thai cushions... It is a lovely, quiet, romantic setting.

The menu is pretty extensive, with most of the regular Isan choices, as well as regular Thai food and other choices... Nothing cheap or plastic here... Everything served on dishware and glasses... The service was very good and attentive, always nearby, but not pushy or bothersome... just right, I'd say. And the prices are about what you'd expect for this caliber/style of restaurant, averaging around 150 baht for the typical entree. Our total bill for 4 dishes, two non alcoholic drinks and two orders of rice came to about 800 baht.

We had som tam with raw clams... larb moo, stir fried duck with cashew nuts, and sun dried beef, along with both regular and sticky rice... All of the dishes were well prepared and tasted good... My GF doesn't like her food too spicy, so we ordered medium, and everything came out a bit tame for me.. But all in all, a very pleasant, satisfying meal...

They're open from 11 am to midnight every day... And to our surprise, they also have their own tuk tuk, so when you're finished, they're happy to drive you back to anywhere along Soi 4, including all the way back to Sukhumvit Road. Although we were there late and missed it, the staff told us they also have Thai music and dancing performance every night from about 7:30 until 10 p.m., so we'll have to catch that next time...

Below, you can see their postcard photo, which is an accurate display, and their business card and map...

Hi,

Now that we all know that to be allowed to open a bank account with a tourist visa depends on the branch (as well as renewing your passbook...) can you tell me

WHERE TO OPEN A BANK ACCOUNT WITH TOURIST VISA ON SUKHUMVIT OR PETCHABURI ?

I need somebody who did it lately as some friends are coming this week and need a bank account, but I don't want to have to ask to all branches.

Thanks.

I've always heard on this forum and from my friend's personal experience that Kasikorn in Bangkok is the easiest to open an account with just a passport. They have a policy to be foreigner friendly unless this changed in the last few months. So, just find a Kasikorn branch. There will be many on both of the roads you mentioned. You should have no problem.

The BKK Bank branch on Sukhumvit Road at Soi 10 generally has a good track record... But be aware, there have been posts here lately about BKKB's company policy being to ask for a letter of recommendation from people on tourist visas seeking new accounts. Whether they would follow that rule probably depends on which way the wind is blowing that day... See the prior post in this thread from Lopburi... And yes... Kasikorn has a good reputation for being farang friendly....

Someone recently suggested the Coliseum brew pub on Sukhumvit near Thong Lor as a good place for a night out...

Obviously, they're a bit out of touch, since the place was demolished back in 2006/07 to make way for the Sansiri condo project....

What I can't figure out, though, is there was talk the Coliseum didn't just close, but instead relocated somewhere... But, I can't find any definite reference to whether it ultimately died, or still survives in some new location???

Anyone know the ultimate fate of Coliseum????

I agree with Nan....

I think we'll all be much, much happier when the price of fuel gets so expensive that no one at all can fly... Then, the airport/airline lounges will be blissfully quiet and peaceful, with no teeming hordes of boorish ex-pats or noisy Thai families bothering everyone.... Not even any jet noise either...

Ooops.... gee.... I guess there won't be anyone there bothering anyone... and... there won't be anyone there to be bothered either.... just Nan... all by herself... alone in the quiet, peaceful airport.... What a delight!!!

If I'm reading it correctly its $230 per sector i.e. $460 for the round trip

Johnb

I wondered about that too...whether they meant that surcharge price applying to each way or the entire roundtrip flight....

They used the term "per sector," which I don't recognize in American-speak. But if they meant the same as "per segment", that would mean that surcharge amount for each one-way segment.

What the hel_l is "per sector"????

Thanks for the info and update.... You're post above is about as clear a guideline/roadmap as I've ever seen spelled out.... Anyone ought to be able to know where they stand, using those categories...

Now, if the BKK Bank folks will just follow their own procedures... branch to branch and time to time....

That would be consistent with how they treated me...here in BKK...about nine months ago...

I had a business visa, but no work permit then... So I asked for and got a savings account, B1st debit card and internet banking -- just what you indicate a long-term visa would entitle one to....

It was clean and easy...no problem or complication.... The visa stamp is in one's passport, so really all they wanted to see was my passport.

If you're in touch with them, and/or working with them on this... you might also clarify regarding your post above....

In which of those situations above would the B1st debit card also be permitted... or.... would it automatically be permitted, if requested, any time they're opening a new savings account??

Bangkok Bank nationwide policy (I happen to be doing some work with them at the moment on this very subject):-

1) Resident with appropriate paperwork (show home & alien certifiactes) - savings or current account & internet banking.

2) Working with a working visa (show passport & wp)- savings or current account & internet banking.

3) Long term visa (show passport) - savings account & internet banking.

4) Short term visa / stamp (show passport plus letter from embassy, home bank or trusted Thai) savings account only.

The higher up this list you are the more additioonal services you will be entittled to.

There's an excellent new booklet, in English, that can be picked up from major branches.

That kind of hierarchy kind of makes sense.... But, a big question of intrepretation would be...what does that bank construe to be a "long-term visa"....

For example...

--student visas that are basically 1 year renewable??

--B business visas without work permit??

--O/O-A retirement visas??

--O married with Thai visas??

Just passing this along for informational purposes.... I was trying to catch up on the details of some of my credit cards, so I'd be sure to know which ones to use how and where... U.S. vs. Thailand....

So, I have one Master Card through HSBC Bank in the U.S., and couldn't find anywhere on the credit card's web site the detail of their foreign currency fee % for purchases made outside the U.S., such as in Thailand... So I inquired of them by e-mail, and got the following answer:

"MasterCard converts any charges incurred in a foreign currency adjusted by 3%,

into a US dollar amount effective as of the processing date of the

transaction. MasterCard retains 1% and we retain 2% of this adjustment

factor.

The foreign transaction fee will post as a separate charge on your statement

with the description Foreign Transaction Fee Finance Charge."

I can move money from my SCB account to an overseas account online but there's a catch. It has to be for either "family support" or "education". And you have to fill out a paper form and get it approved in Bangkok in order to add an account. Then you can add it to your online account and away you go. I don't know yet if they would count "family support" as supporting yourself meaning you can transfer money from your Thai account to an overseas account in your name as well. Anyway, once approved you can do it online.

Jimjim, I have an SCB account and have seen their information on that approach, but have never pursued it or gotten into the details of it.....

1. Have you actually used it, and if so, for what purpose?

2. If so, what kind of documentation, if any, did they require?

3. The approval process you mentioned, is that a one-time set-up thing, or a every transaction type thing?

4. What are the fees/percentages involved from SCB?

Thanks much...

Would you...(or anyone ) know if you can open a BKK bank New York branch account while in the USA?

The BKK Bank office in New York is not a consumer branch, so they don't "open" consumer accounts there regardless of your location. But once you have opened a BKK Bank account somewhere in Thailand, you can use the BKKB New York office and their ABA # as a connection point between U.S. accounts and your Thai BKK Bank account.

That capacity is not unlimited, and not always easy to set up online. But there has been a lot of discussion and experience with that shared in other threads here on TV... And I myself have used it/done it in that way. You are linking your U.S. bank account to the BKK Bank ABA #, and your Thai BKK Bank account number. The New York branch charges a small handling fee and then forwards the funds onto your BKK Bank account here.

Because of U.S. banking (money laundering) restrictions, though, if I recall correctly, the general expat advice seems to be to make sure any single transaction of that sort stays under $10,000 (including any bank fees involved). When people have tried larger amounts than that, their U.S. banks seems to balk and sometimes freeze/disconnect the linked accounts.

And, don't try asking your U.S. bank about this approach. Because, based on people's experience, they won't know about it, and/or will tell you it cannot be done.

A..U... adds a different aspect about "sponsoring" which also has another meaning/use...

One Thai grad student I knew in the U.S. was going to teach here at a Bangkok university. So they financially and visa supported him to go to the U.S. to get his master's degree. But once he finished in the U.S., he had a contractual commitment to come back to Thailand and continue working as a teacher for his sponsoring university for something like 8 years.

In one way, that's kind of good, because he won't have to worry about job security. But in another way, 8 years is a LONG time to be indentured to someplace... PS... he is getting a regular salary for his teaching (not working for free, of course). But he's not free to leave that job until his time commitment is satisfied.

I believe, some Thai companies and government organizations do the same kind of arrangement with their staff... tho not sure how widespread that is. Most of the Thai students I knew in the U.S. were there on their own, based on money from their families.

Thank you - very interesing indeed I am learning - I am over in six weeks and will need to pay my bills by direct debit. Mobile phone v.s. what I will try to do, standing order (or commitment) to a Thai electrity bill? It is an interesting one. IMO Internet Banking CANNOT be used send funds off shore it is used to monitor your account only!

It's been interesting...and a learning experience for me also.... Unlike in the U.S., the Thai banks here (at least SCB and BKKB that I deal with) are pretty limited in just who you can have for online bill payments. You can't just add anyone...but instead, only those on their fairly limited payee lists.....

So, with SCB, I can pay all my True bills online -- True Move for mobile phone, True Digital Entertainment for DSL and True Visions for cable TV. But for my home phone thru TOT, I have to pay thru BKKB (not SCB).... Of course, I believe you can pay all of those just by going to 7/11, for a small fee for each payment.

And, about Internet banking thru Thai banks, yes, it's basically to monitor your Thai account. Though lately, the Thai banks have begun offering online resource to move/transfer money to other Thai bank accounts that you also may have, such as between your BKKB and SCB accounts, again, usually for a small fee.

But moving money outside Thailand from your Thai bank account online is something that I don't believe is available...just as it's pretty difficult trying to go the other direction from another country to Thailand strictly online.

HSBC Premier accounts are an exception to that, if you want to tie up a minimum $100,000 balance with them. In that case, I believe you can go online to move money between your non-Thai HSBC account and your Thailand-based HSBC account. But, because of Thai banking restrictions, HSBC as a non-Thai bank can only have one branch (and ATM location here), that being near Silom Road/Saladaeng BTS in Bangkok.

BKKB, on the other hand, has its New York branch with its own ABA number, which means you can move money online, with some limits, from U.S. bank accounts to the BKKB New York branch using their ABA routing number, and then have it credited onward to your local Thai BKKB branch account.

I just checked my BKK Bank savings account, and find I am getting no interest...but don't keep money there...anyway..

However, regarding the comment above about Internet banking with them, when I opened the account, I did ask for and receive Internet banking access, so I can log-on from anywhere....

The one thing you need to have with them to activate Internet banking is a working Thai mobile number, because that's where they send a code that is part of the activation process.... If you're physically outside Thailand and cannot receive SMS on your Thai mobile, then you wouldn't be able to complete the process.

However, that's a different thing, than farangs not being able to have Internet banking with BKK Bank... They most certainly can. And again, in my case, it was a savings account opened only with a business visa and no other documentation required.

There is a related and parallel thread running now on TV..that covers similar ground... Anyone following this thread here should check the other one... as well....for additional information....

Sorry...I should have clarified.... the letters of recommendation route at BKK Bank posted by Lopburi above pertained to students (those on education visas) and tourists (those on tourist visas, and perhaps visa exempt entries...)

I have no reason to think BKK Bank has changed the very easy route I went (just walk in the door with my passport) for people who have business visas..but not work permits...

3. The rules change from bank to bank, branch to branch, clerk to clerk, customer to customer and day to day.

Not wanting to beat a very tired horse here...but I opened my bank accounts in BKK with neither a work permit nor a retirement visa... Only a business visa...

The BKK Bank branch on Suk Road near 10 has a good reputation and worked for me. Never said a word about wanting/needing a work permit.

I also had success at the SCB Branch in Siam Square, and was advised by the SCB Call Centre to also, if necessary, try the SCB Branch at Siam Paragon, though I didn't need to take that extra step.

The SCB Call Centre advised me that under their policy, no work permit was needed, just a one-year visa. But when I got to the branch, the first thing they asked was for a work permit. After a fair amount of talking back and forth, showing them the BKK Bank account I'd already opened, and citing the advise from their own Call Centre, they went ahead and opened.

The above quoted comment is certainly apt. There may well be rules bank to bank and branch to branch. But at least in the past and up until recently, it's been abundantly clear that the implementation varies widely by location.

PS - Lopburi recently posted an except from the current BKK Bank web site that talked about various ways of qualifying through letters of recommendation (though I had to do NONE of that when I opened my account less than a year ago).

It seemed to me, the easiest among the bunch, was just getting a letter of referral from your home country bank and having that sent to BKK Bank.

Buying votes? What a bunch of BS! The voting booth is private and people vote the way they want. Even the up country locals are amused that a politician would attempt to buy their vote. They simply can't believe that politicians could be stupid enough to TRY to buy votes. Vote buying is a crutch for people who can't accept the fact that their candidate or party didn't get elected.]

The factions of my Thai family in Buriram and Petchabun have both, without prompting, confided that they know Taksin and his cronies were corrupt. Their view was that they would vote for whoever offered them the most money.

Based on personal experience, I would tend to believe the second view above is the accurate one, in far to many cases.... Did vote buying make a difference in the past election? Of course it did!!!!! Enough to give the Democrats an outright win... probably not... Enough to have materially changed the election outcome in terms of the votes/seats that ended up going to different parties... Certainly so.

It took the PPP some weeks and much wrangling to finally come up with a coalition government of five parties.... So, it seems clear the resulting government and its policies could have been materially different even if there had been a modest weakening of their "electoral mandate" because, for a change, more people were voting with their hearts rather than because someone greased their palms....

This topic comes up so often. Wouldn't it be a good idea to have a pinned topic about successful bank account openings with date, branch, information required and length of time taken? It really is hit-and-miss as we all know so surely information like this would be really useful? Just a thought ...

MODERATORS.... I think the above is a good suggestion.... It would give people a place to recount their specific success/failures...without having to start a new topic/thread every time... Can we do a pinned topic?????

I had a similar experience... For some reason, once you get past the first account opening, the others seem to go much easier... If Bank B realizes/knows that Bank A has already opened the door to you, then it seems easier for the folks at Bank B to go along...

So if I was starting anew, once I'd get the first account in hand, I'd be sure to bring that passbook and bank card along with me for any other account opening requests.... And if the folks there are giving you a hard time, just whip out the other bank's materials and lay them down on the counter for all to see... It really can help.

About nine months ago, I opened a new savings account with BKK Bank in Bangkok, including Internet banking and their B1st debit card, with only my passport and a business visa.

I did the same with Siam Commercial at the same time. But some of their branches kicked up a fuss, so I had to call their Call Centre to confirm their policy, which at least at the time was, they'd open a new account for anyone with a business visa, even if one didn't have a work permit.

The local SCB Branch that ultimately opened the account coughed and sputtered when I arrived. But I asked to talk to the manager, and explained the Call Centre's guidance. He ended up relenting, but wanted to see my apartment rental contract as proof of residency... I hadn't brought that with me that day, since no one had indicated I'd need it... So I asked if I could bring it back later, and they agreed and opened the account... also including Internet backing and their debit card....

Again, at least at the time, my branch of BKK Bank didn't care a whit about any proof of residency or anything about Embassy letters. But as often is the case in Thailand, your mileage may vary. What's good today is gone tomorrow and the reverse.

I wouldn't get too hung up about the supposed rules, however... Even when you know what they are at a given point in time, that doesn't mean each and every branch is going to be following them in the same way. They all seem to operate on their own tracks, based on the preferences or whims of those locally in charge.

As already stated above, Kasikorn is generally reputed to be the easiest to deal with...and BKK Bank usually has been very accommodating as well, particularly at their branches in farang populated areas. If I was starting anew, I'd just go in and ask before going document crazy. You may find (or not) it's a lot easier to accomplish that the policy would suggest. If not, you're no worse for wear....

Skype relies on Internet bandwith to carry voice content. And, in general, there is much greater/less crowded Internet bandwith WITHIN Thailand compared to Internet traffic vs. capacity going between Thailand and the outside world...

So, in general, you should get a much better call quality for conversations inside Thailand compared to those going international....

However, for example, if the other parties you're talking with in Thailand potentially have a dial-up (slow) connections, which aren't really ideal for voice, then they would have trouble hearing you clearly and you'd likely have trouble hearing them...not because of your connection but because of theirs....

I also use Skype and other VOIP services for international telephony...And I likewise noticed that all my connections were lousy at the end of last week...for some unknown reason... Evenings here are usually the worst, because that's when shared capacity DSL lines are most used when people are off work in the evenings... Late nights and mornings/daytimes seem to go better.

I should add... re your comment about "sponsored..." In Thailand, that term has a whole different connotation relating to farang men paying money to women who work in bars....

But in the U.S. setting... "sponsored" would mean her finding a U.S.-based employer who would be willing to sponsor her for a U.S. business employee visa, I believe they're known as H visas... That's a fairly involved process, and one that, at least in the Los Angeles area's large Thai community, would happen fairly rarely... unless she had some very special family connections/influence or a particularly unique employment skill...

I agree with Britmaverick...there is no single answer for young Thai women...especially those who are able to land themselves in a U.S. university setting...which usually means her family has some kind of financial resources...since she couldn't be there...otherwise....

Ask about her parents...what they do..where they live... their jobs... That will give you some kind of clue about her family background and customs....

In my former life, I worked at a large U.S. university that had many Thai students...and I came to know many.... And while their attitudes certainly covered a wide spectrum... the behaviors you describe are pretty far at one end of the spectrum even for Thais.... Thai women talk about being first generation... meaning traditional...or 1.5 generation... meaning part traditional and part modern style for their lives....

Part of that may just be her polite way of not wanting to go too far, too fast with someone she's just met/known... especially far away from her home and roots. She may not have had a farang BF before...which also could contribute to some wariness about your interaction....

If she's there on a student visa, that usually can be continued for some years, depending on if her family or other backer can continue paying for her school and expenses, and she makes reasonable academic progress... After completing her studies, she would be entitled usually to an additional one year of OPT.... practical training time, in some kind of university-sponsored work environment...

After that... basically, it's back to Thailand...unless she marries an American to gain legal status or goes on the lam....