Benefit of getting Thai credit card?

[mogandave]

Yes.

I have a citi card which grants me access to airport lounges twice a year.

There is also a premium card, which has unlimited access to lounges.  However, there is an annual cost for that card (think its 3k or something)

I get 10% discount in Gourmet market and Emqautier/emporium/The Mall group, which is the reason I choose mine, as i work in near Emquaiter and get my lunch in the Gourmet market most days.

A lot of people keep mentioning about having to pre-load Thai credit cards, making them in effect debit cards.  That can be the case with some cards, but not all.  I have a Bangkok Bank account, and they wanted me to deposit the limit on it.  I then applied to Citi and they gave me a real credit card with a limit x 2 monthly salary.
 

Have you actually been able to use it to get i a lounge?

I never could, although I only tried a few times

[BEVUP]

Hello all

Just want to check something & still have one foot in Thai & Auss

* I have 2 Auss bank accounts in different branches BUT ! only have online access 

** 1card is useless since I cant activate due unable to change phone number from here Master card Debit

** The other Visa Credit - they will only send it to your Auss home address (cant even get it sent anywhere else in Auss net alone overseas ) That goes with all banks in Auss

So this leaves me with transferring from Auss accounts (online to my Thai BBK account (Visa Debit )

 

BBK said I have 150,000 bht Debit allowance in 1 day 

Cannot use overseas (due to no roaming Thai phone number ) - Presuming I could still use an Atm (overseas )

 

So now due to Ausses companies & their barbaric ways I need to get a Police Clearance to be a Skilled Labourer

? Do you think it is possible to use my thai Visa Debit card for this & even to make plane / hotel bookings on any world wide site 

Thanks all An experiences

[Mahseer]

What I hate about Thai credit cards is they do not have PIN protection. As a frequent traveller outside the country I have run into numerous problems with card being rendered useless due to outlets being set up only to receive PIN enabled cards.

[mogandave]

You can’t take it in and add the PIN?




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[simoh1490]

I have a UOB Privillege credit card with a 300k limit, the bank offered me the card after banking with them for several years. They don't tie up any of my funds but they do understand my credit history and spending patterns, it's good to have use of the card when making purchases in THB such as flights and hotels, plus it gives me decent discounts on a range of things that I would buy anyway. I don't use the lounge or points system connected to the card plus I nearly always pay it off completely every month, it just provides a little extra flexibility to my existing UK based cards.

[Millian]

On 12/12/2017 at 7:18 AM, mogandave said:

 

Have you actually been able to use it to get i a lounge?

I never could, although I only tried a few times

 

 

Yeah used it a few months ago. It states which lounge you can use in their T&Cs and it's only in Suvarnabhumi. (the premium card is worldwide). 

[Millian]

16 hours ago, Mahseer said:

What I hate about Thai credit cards is they do not have PIN protection. As a frequent traveller outside the country I have run into numerous problems with card being rendered useless due to outlets being set up only to receive PIN enabled cards.

Does the ATM pin also work as the purchase pin? 

 

I've used mine all around the world, but i can't actually remember if everywhere let me sign the receipt or if I used the atm pin anytime. 

[Millian]

On 12/12/2017 at 7:32 AM, BEVUP said:

 

? Do you think it is possible to use my thai Visa Debit card for this & even to make plane / hotel bookings on any world wide site 

Thanks all An experiences

I have used my credit card on websites from many different country , works fine. 

 

That's one of the reasons i needed a credit card, and for deposits in hotels. 

[Mahseer]

7 hours ago, Millian said:

Does the ATM pin also work as the purchase pin? 

 

I've used mine all around the world, but i can't actually remember if everywhere let me sign the receipt or if I used the atm pin anytime. 

No the ATM PIN doesn't work for purchases. According to SCB they are about to launch PIN enabled cards but at present no Thai bank card has this security feature and each recommends signing but as I stated numerous outlets overseas won't touch a card without the PIN feature.

[sitti]

On ‎2017‎年‎12‎月‎14‎日 at 7:42 AM, Mahseer said:

No the ATM PIN doesn't work for purchases. According to SCB they are about to launch PIN enabled cards but at present no Thai bank card has this security feature and each recommends signing but as I stated numerous outlets overseas won't touch a card without the PIN feature.

Which country was that? I have traveled with Thai credit cards to bunch of EU nations, Japan, Singapore. Never had any problem. Also none of US credit cards has PIN , which never had an issue as well.

[Rhys]

For travel, some for ID, the other.. on the whim purchase... that's all.

[richard_smith237]

My Wife & I have flown to Japan for the past 3 years on the trott on Air-Miles from our Citibank card...

No complications there!



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[Mahseer]

1 hour ago, sitti said:

Which country was that? I have traveled with Thai credit cards to bunch of EU nations, Japan, Singapore. Never had any problem. Also none of US credit cards has PIN , which never had an issue as well.

Most recently India and Pakistan and previously Malaysia (KL & Kuching).

 

Was talking with UOB recently and staff there said they had no problem signing for Thai cards in Japan, Taiwan and Korea so options exist.

[mogandave]

I go to India once a month and no pin can be an issue, but if you insist you have no other way to pay they’ll make it work.


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[faxx]

When I tried to join Fitness First I offered to pay for a year in advance in cash to avoid monthly debits and to save some. They said the published rate was for customers with Thai credit card, only. If I wanted to pay cash I would need to pay around 5000 Baht more per year. Same for bank account debit ....

 

At the end I neither got the a credit card nor did Fitness First earn my membership fee.

Edited December 17, 2017 by faxx

[HLover]

The biggest benefit is you will be referred to as an Alien instead of alien.

[Metapod]

On 9/24/2017 at 3:09 PM, NanLaew said:

Those that already have a Thai credit card (and not simply a secured one) by dint of being here since Methuselah or having a legit job, paying taxes, etc., will be along to say how great it is or how easy it was. If you are not working legitimately in LOS or not planning to outstay your welcome, I wouldn't bother. Having a good credit rating in Thailand isn't one of those stepping stones to great financial rewards and fiscal happiness... even if you are working, living or retired here.

Even if you have a work permit and have been here for years, it is a HUGE pain in the ass to get a credit card here.

[mogandave]

Even if you have a work permit and have been here for years, it is a HUGE pain in the ass to get a credit card here.

I gone one without much difficulty the first year I was here.

[Mahseer]

3 hours ago, Metapod said:

Even if you have a work permit and have been here for years, it is a HUGE pain in the ass to get a credit card here.

I just switched from SCB to Bangkok Bank and told them I wanted a credit card and had no problem aside from having to deposit one months card limit. Also had a card with SCB but there policy was for double the limit but straight forward in securing. I have never had a work permit and here on a retirement 'visa'.

[YT3k72Em]

If you have a work permit, Krung Thai Bank / KTC card is pretty easy to get. Just fill out the form and provide the paperwork (bank statement, payslips, passport).  I think salary requirement is 50,000.

 

No deposit required. They have the new paywave cards that allow contactless payments if you ask for it.

 

Here's the application form:

https://www.ktc.co.th/sites/cs/assets/support/download/document/creditcard_register_formen.pdf

[Rhys]

Insightful thanks...

[BobbyL]

Think I will apply for one soon. Citi sounds like a good option. 

 

 

[Argus Tuft]

Just to add to info on this thread - Malaysia went "chip and pin" about 15 months ago, and shops won't accept Thai cards without a chip on them any more.

[inThailand]

Since most home country credit cards have dropped foreign charges, get a real credit card.

[BobbyL]

5 hours ago, inThailand said:

Since most home country credit cards have dropped foreign charges, get a real credit card.

Not always easy though. If you are paid in THB into a Thai bank account then it is far easier to pay off a Thai credit card, than it is p !ssing about transferring money to another country to pay it off. 

[inThailand]

1 hour ago, BobbyL said:

Not always easy though. If you are paid in THB into a Thai bank account then it is far easier to pay off a Thai credit card, than it is p !ssing about transferring money to another country to pay it off. 

It can be so easy. Automatcic direct payment pays my credit card balance every month. Nothing to do.

[BobbyL]

2 minutes ago, inThailand said:

It can be so easy. Automatcic direct payment pays my credit card balance every month. Nothing to do.

From a Thai bank account to a foreign credit card? 

[inThailand]

10 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

From a Thai bank account to a foreign credit card? 

Never needed to try. I do use local auto direct pay for my PEA electric bill.

 

If you have a choice of a bank account here or at home which would you chose? Why not the same for a credit card?

[mogandave]

If you earn your money in Baht, ii is cheaper and easier to have a Thai bank account and and credit card.

 

If you earn (of have) your money in another county, it is cheaper to have a bank account and credit card in that county, assuming you have a good, no fees card.

 

I work for a US company, so my salary is paid in USD to my US account, and my expenses are reimbursed in THB to my Thai account.  

[smutcakes]

On 12/19/2017 at 11:19 AM, Metapod said:

Even if you have a work permit and have been here for years, it is a HUGE pain in the ass to get a credit card here.

What rubbish. Perhaps if they deem your job unstable, or for some reason they see you as a risk. I have a BB and Krungsri one, both organized within 15 minutes in the branches, especially the Krungsri one.