silomrama

K web card is for online shopping. Debit card can not be used for online shopping and is marked 'electronic use only' = ATM's shops, etc. UNLESS this has changed in the last 2 months.

VISA debit card (definitely Bangkok Bank B FIRST card. other banks' card, need to check with issuing banks) can be used for onine shopping, i.e. ebay. You need however to tell branch officer to activate the card for online shopping.

Do you have an idea, what fees occur (in percent or flat fees) if I request payment in THB? (customer still in Europe)

To give you an idea we requested yesterday payment of USD2500.00 from payPal and the amount we will actually receive at Bangkok Bank in around 1 weeks time will be THB69,582.12. At current exchange rates USD2500 = THB74150!

You can transfer USD from Paypal account to Bangkok Bank account in Thailand via Bangkok Bank New York Branch. This will allow Bangkok Bank to receive your funds in USD and Bangkok Bank will convert your USD funds with its rate in Thailand which is better that Paypal rate. However, you need to link your account with Bangkok Bank New York first. For details on how to do this, please go to bangkokbank.com>transferring funds>tranferring money from USA to Thailand>Paypal payment for international ecommerce. You will also receive funds quicker using this route.

Do you have an idea, what fees occur (in percent or flat fees) if I request payment in THB? (customer still in Europe)

To give you an idea we requested yesterday payment of USD2500.00 from payPal and the amount we will actually receive at Bangkok Bank in around 1 weeks time will be THB69,582.12. At current exchange rates USD2500 = THB74150!

.. The bank will set your yearly limit and you have to renew every year...

and just how do they decide how much you can transfer ? presuming of course that there is no set limit.

Most countries have rules against sending money out of the country and will require paperwork etc. if it is more than a certain ammount. Thailand is no acception to this.

I will move your question to the banking section, as your question is not visa related and you will get more answers there.

If your source of funds for the transfers out of Thailand were remitted in from abroad, you should be able to transfer out easily. Just show the bank evidence of funds from abroad going into your account i. e. credit advice of inward remittance when ordering wire transfer out of Thailand.

If your source of funds for the transfer out of Thailand originated within Thailand, banks may need to ask for other documents to understand what is the source of funds.

If you need further advice or assistance , please go to bangkokbank.com and send your enquiry and contact address from there.

I got hit with this extra charge about a year ago. I have used the system about 4 times and only got hit once. I asked my UK bank what it was all about. In fairness, they told me that the extra charge was possible from the receiving Thai end, in the small print, to do with foreign transfers. After a very long chat with my UK bank it seems that there is no pre-requisite for what triggers the extra charge; I thought it might be when the amount hits a certain limit, or perhaps when the handling agent gets the cold shoulder from his wife. The handling agent was Kasikorn bank and they told me that they are open that they charge so much for transferring to my account once it hits Thailand. When I used their formula, the amount was still far lower than the 'Charge'. The thing that's irritating me is that we just don't know if we're going to be hit with this extra charge.

Thai banks will claim their charges from foreign banks when foreign banks send them payment order instructing that full amount be paid to recipients in Thailand without any fee deduction, and charges in Thailand are to be collected from foreign banks later on. ("charge OUR option" in bank terms).

The charges Thai banks will claim from foreign banks ("charge OUR option") are usually higher than the charges Thai banks will deduct from remittance proceeds before paying out to recipients in Thailand ("charge BEN option" - around THB 200 - 500) because there are additional processes for Thai banks to claim charges from foreign banks and they get paid later on.

To avoid this kind of charge, make clear to the sending banks that charges in Thailand are to be paid by recipients in Thailand (use charge BEN option).

I have done both. The Bangkok Bank route seemed to be faster...and was cheaper than my bank (USAA). I got the funds in one day. The wire transfer was much harder as I have to call them and they ask all kinds of questions...even though this is a regular transfer I do...got the funds in 2 days or so.

So for me, and my bank, the Bangkok Bank route is better. Plus, I can check on the internet when the funds have arrived.

I guess that you didn't use the BBK branch in London as mentioned by the OP.

The incident mentioned in the opening involved paying wire transfer with a personal check a few years ago. BBK London may have taken too long to ensure that a personal check of a walk-in customer would not bounce before effecting the international transfer.

What BBK London offers now is using internet banking facilities of UK banks to transfer good and cleared funds from an account at a UK bank to an account with BBK Thailand via BACS and BBK London Branch. Transferred electronically and with no paper check involved, funds should arrive faster as is the case of transfer via US ACH and BBK New York (provided that one's UK internet banking facilities allow one to transfer funds via BACS to BBK London.)

Just an FYI to those who are Bangkok Bank customers, iBanking offers International Transfers (outbound) so you can send money out of Thailand. They do hundreds a day, a very popular service for expats.

It is only 300 Baht a transfer. Here is the link

http://www.bangkokbank.com/Online%20Bankin.../pages/ift.aspx

Good luck.

Thanks , very useful , will apply for this one to.

Any Idea on limits as I can find nothing on BKB website either

Cheers

There are two limits: a USD 20,000 per transaction limit (transfer over this amount requires customers to fill in a BOT exchange control form) and a yearly limit which will be based on the total amount of your annual salary as shown in your employer's confirmation letter submitted to the Bank. This letter should also specify the the term of your contract.

Another option, depending on the amount: mark the cheque "For Deposit Only", and mail it to your own bank in Canada, for deposit in your Canadian bank account. Time involved is only in the transportation of the cheque.

Then use your ATM card to withdraw the money here. Aeon if you don't want to pay the 150 baht fee.

It'll probably cost about the same in converting anywhere from $$ to baht.

Thats the way I would do it, but i dont have an account in Canada. I started another thread about how to open an account in Canada from here, what would be the best way to do that, or can i do that? Would the HSBC offshore account work in this case or be an option?

Can you start an online account from here?

Bangkok Bank cashes US and UK governments checks instantly or within a few days and will definitely consider doing the same for Canadian government checks as well provided that the amount is not too large and you have opened an account with the Bank for some time.

Ask your Bangkok Bank branch to call their Foreign Notes and Drafts Section, Global Payment Services Department at Silom Head Office to look into this matter for you before taking any other option.

Not a good idea to send funds from Australia or anywhere else to Thailand in THB, anyway. Senders should always insist that funds are sent in foreign currencies, not in THB. Banks in Thailand generally offer better exchange rates than banks outside Thailand.

The advice you got is strange. None of the major Thai banks announced that they would increase their incoming international funds transfer fee. (min THB 200, max THB 500). Nor is there any plan to change the interbank BAHTNET fee, either. (Bahtnet is used to transfer proceeds of international funds transfer between banks).

One Australian bank recently advised Thai banks that as a matter of policy they would automatically convert all AUD payments below a certain amount to Thailand into THB using its own exchange rate. If their exchange rate is not better than that of banks in Thaialnd, this will result in lesser amount of funds paid to customers in Thailand.

I have heard from many people that claim to have opened a bank account with no more than a passport. I have heard the passport and a letter from the embassy. I got denied at Siam Commercial Bank in the mall with a current non O visa, a letter of employment (not in thailand), Thai drivers license, a letter from the embassy, and my wife standing there with her account book from that bank. I have come to the conclusion that it is only the branch you go to as to weather they will give you an account or not. It has been about 2 years since I tried last. I am coming home in a couple of weeks and want to try again. Can everyone who has a bank account in BKK please leave me some info so I can make a list of places to try.

1) Branch name and location that let you open the account.

2) What documentation you had to provide to open the account.

KASIKORN BANK Seacon Square branches just take some money and passport SCB are no good there, the decision is down to the individual branch manager even if the banks policy is different.

Bangkok Bank in the ground floor of Siam Paragon opens (savings) accounts (with debit card) for foreigners. All you need is an address in Thailand, your passport and a letter from your embassy/consulate (they will try to call your embassy/consulate so make sure you go to the bank at a time when YOUR embassy/consulate is open).

I found Kasikorn Bank to be the easiest - they opened 3 (savings) accounts for me (Euro, Bath and US$). All I had to present to them was my passport, an address in Thailand and I deposited my cash with them there and then.

The only problem that I have with Kasikorn bank is: I can check my Thai bath account online and transfer money from that account BUT I cannot access my Euro or Dollar accounts online - that is what I really wanted the most... Every time I want to stock up my Bath account I have to go into the bank and withdraw the Euros (or dollars), exchange those and pay the money into the Bath account. I'm not at all pleased with that.

Unfortunately due to the language barrier, nobody at the bank was able to explain to me WHY I cannot use online banking for my Euro and dollar accounts. Can anybody here shed some light on that or better still, suggest a bank in Thailand that DOES offer online banking for Euro and Dollar accounts?

Bangkok Bank offers internet access to its foreign currency deposit accounts. You can view foreign currency accounts and transfer funds from USD or Euro accounts to THB account online. Check out its website bangkokbank.com

I'll be staying in Thailand for at least another 10 months. I've been here for several months now and sometimes I need to withdraw a huge sum of money. The limit is 10,000 baht daily and I also have to pay $5 for each transaction, whether or not it goes through.

I would like to open a bank account here in Bangkok. Do you know of any good banks that would allow an expat/foreigner to open an account with them? I live along Soi 3 near Fortune Tower.

Also, if anyone is into off-shore banking, let me know. I'd be interested.

Thank you.

But if you take morte than 20 000 $US or his equivalent you must report when entering the country.

I have the following question.

Next year I will move up to Thailand and will bring much more than that amount in Euro, cash to Thailand, due to the high transfer rate. If I don't report it will I have problems when I like to put that money in my FCD account at my local bank. And because I'm a believer in Murphy's law who sais what can go wrong wil go wrong, what will happend if Thai costums at Suva find that money without reporting it.

The fact that you believe in Murphy's law makes that transfer rater look cheaper

Does it not?

Just to carry into TL much more than 20k USD in Euro as you say makes me shudder.