Pootegg

It is still certainly cheaper to be in Thailand .. been keeping a house and condo mothballed. Utility prices have gone through the roof in the UK. As a former expat now looking to change direction for my retirement I intend to liquidate Thailand and " holiday" in more places and be flexible as getting back to Thailand even as a tourist is just hassle. There are nicer and easier places. No BA flights tells you something .. just booked via Singapore to return in September ...

Tony F has got the right idea. There are so many issues with the second test with rumours flying about . I want to come back but do not want to be stuck in some hospital paying for my wife and I for around 7+ nights If I am clear on arrival and fully 3 jabbed and then I am pretty low risk ... ...

Of course if the recognise the NHS app that evidence of vaccination that would be good without the need for the "gamble" of the entry into Thailand.. I would be booking 2 tickets to Thailand .....

Interestingly since covid struck in the UK I cannot give my toner cartridges away and they are destined for land fill. So many offices have closed with working from home less printing so less toner cartridges required .. I suspect inkjet scanner all in one sales may have gone up for home office use .. and more use of electronic pdf type files . Environmentally if less printing it is better for the environment long term

From my experience of having had problems with local Thai people I went to see him with a translator and a bottle of hundred pipers. Explained my problem he was very understanding and put the two neighbours in their place. I am now friendly with one of the neighbours ..we line each other .. the other just looks with venom. The head man sees us at parties and other social events .. makes the time to come and see me and makes me feel welcome. I see him as an asset and a friend .. I suppose when you have both had a few drinks language barriers vanish . When we needed a pink card he volunteered to complete the forms for me .. no worries . Yellow book no problem . Better a friend than an enemy. We also are friends with the big cheese at the tessabann his wife does a great Krappow. Both guys know us and knows each of them knows us . Surprisingly some of the nicest official type people I have met . I maybe just lucky

Hello Yes I experienced issues with MEA app a few months ago when it seemed to change to chillpay ( or was it chillipay). So much so I got someone else to pay manually the first month while I investigated. Finally I ended up using internet banking link from the App and discontinued using card. Hope that works for you .

I am doing what you want to do . It I have a contract with True and roaming enabled .. I use a separate old phone with the aim card in and no problem pay the bill every month using their app I know I could possibly use a basic top up SIM card but I got stuck with that once before and found this way gave me peace of mind without worry . I also use that phone to have MEA app and also PEA app so can pay bills direct. What ever you do ensure roaming is activated before you leave and confirm that phone number is registered at the bank . Hope to return to Thailand 2 years after I left due to covid .. house is just sitting empty ....

You say you have paid NI for 27years but that is insurance arguably you should consider for those 27 years.You will see other posts suggest what you need to do to satisfy requirements however there are big waiting lists and if after any initial treatment be prepared for the waits .. not quite like Thailand where you can virtually see a specialist the same day .. I am waiting for blood tests results in the UK for over 10 days !!! NHS is a critical again ... Think twice about returning private health care is good in Thailand and the cold damp conditions here in the UK will not do much for your TB?

Interesting comments . MG maybe made in China but so are many Volvo's . Which is also a Chinese owned company ...to be fair the MG recipe for low cost vehicles does not mean low quality. My UK friend owns an MG HS exclusive which was purchased after testing a Volvo at more money .. performance was much better.. and the new generation EV are proving to compete well in this category. You may not appreciate the Chinese Government but the cars are not that bad. And if course if built in Thailand that will help the Thai economy.

If you are seen to be avoiding they can still get you .. 7 year rule may work ....

Be very careful your idea may not work . I undertand some have been caught doing what you are looking at . suggwst checking with a UK lawyer for this. I checked out Age UK and pasted this for info : .Deprivation of assets If someone intentionally reduces their assets - such as money, property or income - so these won’t be included in the financial assessment for care home fees, this is known as ‘deprivation of assets’. If your local council concludes you have deliberately reduced your assets to avoid paying care home fees, they may still calculate your fees as if you still owned the assets. Copied from https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/care/paying-for-care/paying-for-a-care-home/deprivation-of-assets/ Good luck

Yes totally agree with eyio .. call from Skype you can dial a mobile and landline just need to have some credit or take advantage of the Microsoft 365 package deal if you have it. Skype is my default international. Use it all the time to call my bank . You can also use any caller ID number you want just edit settings.

My intention is just that . My circumstances have changed partially due to covid but also for other reasons. I want to cash out my Bangkok properties and return the assets to the UK or USA. If the Pound rise and I sell and transfer from Baht to Pounds that is a decrease rather than an increase. Or am I missing something? My intention is to also change my visa status from an o based on retirement and use shorter visa for shorter stays of 2 to 3 months duration . That will also free up the 1.6m Baht my wife and I have in a bank for the visa . That will give us a bit of spending too!

The values of my fixed assets in Thailand keeps decreasing v GBP. In my case not hard to think why this is a bad thing.

Sorry but when I first read the headline I thought hmm kidney doner card. But seriously worth talking with the UK bank to try and get a card sent to you .. other expats I know seem to have them sent over.. depends on the bank I suppose . Because of the hassle with Credit cards in Thailand as effectively they are preloaded in most cases with your money.I stuck with the principles of a debit card which is also easier to obtain and less hassle . In Thailand I decided not to be caught again so went pretty much the whole hog for debit card types and got a visa card from CIMB and a MasterCard from Bangkok Bank and a Union Credit from Bangkok Bank as I was planning a trip to China before covid. I also have a debit card from Tisco which is not useful so avoid them . ( Standard chartered sold all their retail business to them a fee years ago so automatically issued ). Like you I wanted to make sure everything worked. My co-op bank in the UK debit card AND credit card works fine and First Direct debut works ok in Thailand but sometimes I found I have to have my UK phone for the odd text verification . Good luck