Conno

If this is how it actually turns out then having a Wise account is no longer fit for purpose for expats registered using a Thai address. If you can't choose when to exchange and then there's an additional charge to send to your Thai bank, we might as well just send the money directly to our Thai bank in the first place. One transfer, one fee. Account closed.

In all honesty apart from the OP link I don't see many people reporting they have directly received anything. Can't even find that page on the Wise website by searching for it directly. Plus I'll repeat what I posted earlier, my account is a total Thai based one, address is here and it was opened here, no notification for me either.

Yea this is how it is looking to me also i.e. the PayPal road. Absolutely pointless having it if this is what they have planned. Your Thai bank details is probably what they are referring to when they state 'In April, we’ll email you to request some additional verification documents, in line with the Bank of Thailand’s regulatory requirements'. I imagine that what the below statement actually means is most likely you will only be able to add funds to your Wise account from a Thai bank account after May. Some people after chatting with the help desk said otherwise, but they probably don't even know the full details themselves yet.? The changes appear to be completely reversing the accounts usefulness for expats. Bye bye Wise from me too if this turns out to be the case.

Ballpoint I can see why you would assume that [ref notification] but I opened my Wise account in Thailand with my Thai address and I haven't received any email or notification either. What do you mean by 'Physical Wise account' just a manner of speech I presume as aren't all Wise accounts virtual by their very nature? Totally agree though with your idea of saying what's the point of a Thai Baht Wise account if you are not Thai? The whole purpose of having it is so you can hold your home countries currency for sending here as and when you need or wish to, eg attempting to catch the most favorable exchange rates etc. All of the account numbers, IBANs, sort codes etc formats on my Wise account are associated with my home country not Thailand so no idea how that will change either? Maybe this is what you are implying when you were saying physical. If this becomes a totally Thai based account I don't think it will be very useful anymore so I'll probably be closing it.

For your sake stay lucky and keep them.

At a guess I would say it is probably related to this. https://thelegal.co.th/2026/01/19/bank-of-thailand-proposes-stricter-documentation-requirements-for-inbound-foreign-exchange-transactions/

None of them will be valid if this chap wins the election 🤑

100% Amen to that. You only have to look at what centralised authorites did to the Canadian truckers aaaaand to the ones who just supported them with donations. Can it be any clearer really?

Just like to add that I'm not some old technophobe Luddite, before someone makes that connection. I'm a Bitcoiner and embrace this form of decentralised cashless money but with some caveats. Cash is an option that has to remain intact. Cash is an essential alternative for privacy and for when the lights don't work, war, natural disasters, civil unrest, technological hacks glitches bugs etc. We all know there are 3 things guaranteed in life, not just the recognised 2 of death and taxes, it's death taxes and S***....... because S*** happens. Decentralised is the key takeaway here. Decentralised, trustless and permissionless with a scarce supply. This is a very different type of cashless money than the one we are discussing in this thread. Some may disagree and argue this point but for me personally that is a completely separate debate. All I am doing is pointing out I'm not against technological progress, far from it. Like all tools man creates, they are double edged swords. A hammer can be used to build a house or crack a skull open. It's not the tool that is the problem, it's the intention of the person using the tool that matters.

Hopefully just not yet, as they are still a revenue stream with some coming with a built in insurance deal as one post highlighted. Rest assured though if I'm correct before we hit Z, debit cards will be removed as an option.

My guess is that this will gradually accelerate, not too fast ABCDEFG remember, take is slowly. It is inevitable in my view unless there is a major pushback and we both know how unlikely that is to happen. Look at society today, especially the youth, their faces are glued to those screens. This vid is from the Convid era but it's still worth a watch today especially the finance aspects. Glad I'm old and not 16. I can't imagine what life is going to be like for that person when they are at retirement age.

Semantics. Of course they are, but they are one of the options still available to facilitate access to cash. Just as the phone apps [for now] can still be used to access cash at an ATM. I imagine they will eventually start phasing out ATMs and the only way to access cash will be at a branch, with all the usual questions of 'why do you want cash?' Which we are already being conditioned with and made to feel guilty for even asking, then that option of over the counter cash will be closed too. My point, which I'm sure you already understood, but had to nitpick anyway, is that gradually they are slowly nudging the great unwashed into their cashless society dystopia. Go from A to Z in one move and you have a revolution on your hands. Go from A to Z gradually via BCDEFG and the vast majority won't even notice or care. It's called the totalitarian tiptoe and it is how you train the unthinking hairless apes amongst us.

Exactly, I'm not even going to respond to those posts 5555. https://x.com/newstart_2024/status/1993329048886690133 I actually found the Max Igan X clip from Ben over at Integrity Legal. Ben's memory of the past 5 years seems pretty intact. unlike some.

You just don't get it do you, or you are choosing not to. Another post already pointed this out to you. Who determines what is odd? who determines what is dubious? Hey if you still have trust in the system after what we all went through the last 5 years then you are an authoritarians wet dream,

But I thought all these banking apps were supposed to be for our protection? 55555. Apparently not, can't recall this ever being an issue with a bank book and cash? https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3135266/police-send-ai-deceiving-ai-scam-alert

Give me the Planet like 20 years ago. This isn't heading to a more 'convenient' way of doing things, That's just the marketing scam.

DripDripDrip you aint seen nothing yet. Wait until the cashless society. Enjoy.

Thanks for your input, you highlight many valid points. I'm going to agree with you that this Chaing Rai Times article seems to be a mix between inaccuracies, spin and speculation. The most glaring point for me is the fact that this is the only publication reporting some of these claims? Until they start surfacing elsewhere, and considering the implications of some of the points they should, then I'm calling it rubbish too.

I see both yours and Caldera's perspective. Can't deny we are seeing an accelerating trend regardless what may or may not be coming next. Noticed on another thread something along the same lines, CIMB Bank are ending debit card services in 2026 apparently. All of it is related to the less privacy and more control agenda.

Well if it was true it would be big news, so your question is relevant. Suppose that's why the moderator DrJack54 said ignore it.

I'm hoping this is specific to this minor bank and not banking policy for all banks. However, after saying that I'm not hopeful. as once again this has all the hallmarks of corralling everyone into the nightmare cashless society agenda. Drip drip drip it goes, slowly boil the frog and the majority won't notice or even care. First it was online banking being shut down, now the elimination of debit cards. Soon there won't be any option other than using the phone apps.

5555 noted.

Yes this was my point behind posting this Chaing Rai Times news story. The thread Upnotover directed me to [I have now read all 6 pages] is only covering the already well publicised short term border run type visa changes. This linked story is reporting some really rather different and fundamental long term changes, which if correct could also impact those on long term visa's. I asked my Thai partner to do a search in Thai and there is absolutely nothing anywhere else reporting what this Chiang Rai Anna Wong [AI Maybe?] article is saying. I suppose until this is reported and discussed in multiple different places it's yet another wait and see, in the Land Of Wait And Sees.

Cheers bud. That one seemed to be focused on the border run issues but do admit I didn't read through all 6 pages. Moderators can close this one down if that's the case. Cheers.

Anyone know anything about some of the pretty serious changes [if accurate?] highlighted in this recent news story. If it can be believed, things seem to be targeting not just short term visa holders. but long term visa holders too? https://www.chiangraitimes.com/politics/thailand-policy-shifts/