Bank of Bangkok and my pension

[1happykamper]

I currently receive my usa pension via a special account at Bank of Bangkok.

 

Is this bank still the only bank that will accept my American pension?

 

My reason for wanting to leave bank of Bangkok is they are still refusing to give me a debit card with a visa or mastercard logo.. Out the nearly useless union pay.

 

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[saakura]

Do you mean Bangkok Bank as there is no bank by the name of "Bank of Bangkok" ??

[lopburi3]

You can deposit your pension anywhere - but Bangkok Bank is the only choice of ACH US domestic transfer and as you say it is a special account believe you are talking direct deposit of federal SS or Pension and again only Bangkok Bank offers that ability.

[1happykamper]

Do you mean Bangkok Bank as there is no bank by the name of "Bank of Bangkok" ??

Sorry. Yes of course you are correct

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[rodknock]

on that type of account they can not issue a debit card. you are required to go to the bank to get your money or transfer it to a regular account that issues a debit card.

no there are no other banks that get direct deposit.

you can still get a visa card, they have to order it and takes a week. you have to push them. make sure you tell them you need it to make purchases on line! the union pay card is useless and can not use for on line purchases.

what i do is an ach transfer to bkk. bank in n.y. it takes 2business days to get to my account. it is cheaper than swift. it goes to a regular account not the locked direct deposit account. a little effort to set it up, but when done works great. the only time i have an issue is when a u.s. holiday is followed by a Thai. holiday when all the banks are closed.

[lopburi3]

As said above there is no option for a debit card for "special accounts" used for US government direct deposit so you must be talking another account or the account is a normal savings account and you are not getting government direct deposit (private deposits can go into a normal account).

[Madgee]

If they at offering the smart cards then they should offer the visa debit card.

 

Just ask for the Be1st DEBIT Card and insist!  The other cards are smart cards.

If you really want to kick a stink up, print out the link off their website below.............and take it in.

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBankThai/Documents/Site Documents/Other/debitbe1stdue2019_En.pdf

 

Life is a game of patience and tolerance in this Land of S.........      Smile and leave the grimace for later. 

 

 

[dddave]

I've had a Bangkok Bank account for 12 years.  When they recently tried to replace my expiring Visa debit card with the Union Pay card, I insisted on the Visa and spoke with the branch manager.  She relented and I got my Visa card.

I think there is probably a lot of pressure on the bank staff to push the Union Pay card so they pretend that there is no option...but there is if you just politely insist.

[Rhys]

Does not Bank of America, in Bangkok on Wireless Road handle SSN as well?

[lopburi3]

4 minutes ago, Rhys said:

Does not Bank of America, in Bangkok on Wireless Road handle SSN as well?

No.

 

Quote

Go Direct – Are you still receiving Social Security, VA or other federal benefits by paper check? You are required by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to switch to electronic payments. The U.S. Department of the Treasury can deposit your benefits into a U.S. bank account or into a special direct deposit Bangkok Bank account (the only direct deposit account available in Thailand). For more information about opening a direct deposit account with Bangkok Bank, including terms and conditions, contact your local Bangkok Bank branch or the Bangkok Bank main office at 02-230-1323. Note that direct deposit to a Bangkok Bank account via ACH (U.S. ABA Routing Number) is a U.S. domestic funds transfer; international SWIFT codes do not apply.

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/federal-benefits/

[Rhys]

5 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

No.

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/federal-benefits/

 

  thanks for the insights... may start this next year... cheers mate happy holidays, be merry and have good cheer.

[lopburi3]

I suspect you could do as many other and have deposit made into a US account and then transfer what you need to Thailand if you want to use specific bank.  I have direct deposit of OPM pension to USAA account in states and then use web to transfer what I want visa ACH to my normal Bangkok Bank account.  Do not have to visit bank with this method and have funds outside Thailand for USD expenses. 

[Berkshire]

OP can still get a BKK Bank visa/mastercard, separate from his ATM card....if he's creditworthy.

 

[lopburi3]

9 hours ago, Berkshire said:

OP can still get a BKK Bank visa/mastercard, separate from his ATM card....if he's creditworthy.

 

Not nearly that easy - he appears to be retired and local credit cards are normally restricted to those with work permits/local income unless he wants to tie up funds in a fixed account for what amounts to a debit card.

[Berkshire]

1 hour ago, lopburi3 said:

Not nearly that easy - he appears to be retired and local credit cards are normally restricted to those with work permits/local income unless he wants to tie up funds in a fixed account for what amounts to a debit card.

Perhaps...but doesn't hurt to ask.  I mean, if the OP is that desperate for a credit card.  Or he can keep his BKK Bank account to receive his pension and open another account at, say, SCB.  Then he can just transfer funds online from his BKK Bank account to his SCB account.

[1happykamper]

12 hours ago, rodknock said:

on that type of account they can not issue a debit card. you are required to go to the bank to get your money or transfer it to a regular account that issues a debit card.

no there are no other banks that get direct deposit.

you can still get a visa card, they have to order it and takes a week. you have to push them. make sure you tell them you need it to make purchases on line! the union pay card is useless and can not use for on line purchases.

what i do is an ach transfer to bkk. bank in n.y. it takes 2business days to get to my account. it is cheaper than swift. it goes to a regular account not the locked direct deposit account. a little effort to set it up, but when done works great. the only time i have an issue is when a u.s. holiday is followed by a Thai. holiday when all the banks are closed.

Correct, I have 2 accounts.. one that receives the SS pension and then I go to the bank to transfer.

[seajae]

they gave me one of those stupid chinese union pay  cards after my visa expired and no western country online would accept it so I changed it over to a visa with them, had to order it from the Bangkok head office. The manager at my bank didnt want to do it & argued with me  so I would say they are on a commission to get people to use them but I ended up going  sh*t face on her and demanded a visa or I would cancel my account and lodge a complaint with head office, she backed down pretty quick. They do have visa cards as advertised in their brochures, ask to talk to the manager or simply contact head office and tell them.

Edited December 8, 2017 by seajae

[BEVUP]

12 minutes ago, seajae said:

they gave me one of those stupid chinese union pay  cards after my visa expired and no western country online would accept it so I changed it over to a visa with them, had to order it from the Bangkok head office. The manager at my bank didnt want to do it & argued with me  so I would say they are on a commission to get people to use them but I ended up going  sh*t face on her and demanded a visa or I would cancel my account and lodge a complaint with head office, she backed down pretty quick. They do have visa cards as advertised in their brochures, ask to talk to the manager or simply contact head office and tell them.

So what about the Rabbit card everyone is mentioning 

Doesn't that have a Visa logo 

They tried to give me a Union card since mine was degrading a bit I just told the dumb one no they are Mai Dee & after talking she said only good for Thailand - So I replied if a thai goes on an overseas holiday they have no money ( dumb asses)

[NanLaew]

10 hours ago, BEVUP said:

So what about the Rabbit card everyone is mentioning 

Doesn't that have a Visa logo 

They tried to give me a Union card since mine was degrading a bit I just told the dumb one no they are Mai Dee & after talking she said only good for Thailand - So I replied if a thai goes on an overseas holiday they have no money ( dumb asses)

The BB Rabbit Visa card is a credit card.

 

The BB Rabbit debit card is UnionPay as are the three others illustrated on their website. The Be1st Visa debit card information is not shown but has the downloadable pdf that was posted earlier. They are certainly trying to bury the damn things!

Edited December 8, 2017 by NanLaew

[Suradit69]

On 12/7/2017 at 9:23 PM, lopburi3 said:

I suspect you could do as many other and have deposit made into a US account and then transfer what you need to Thailand if you want to use specific bank.  I have direct deposit of OPM pension to USAA account in states and then use web to transfer what I want visa ACH to my normal Bangkok Bank account.  Do not have to visit bank with this method and have funds outside Thailand for USD expenses. 

Yes, I was about to say the same. I have SS and pension, etc deposited in my Bank of America account in Chicago. I transfer however much I want, when I want from BAC to Bangkok Bank in NY using a free domestic transfer. Once the money is deposited in baht to my Bangkok Bank account here they send me a SMS message with the transaction details and the money is available by ATM.

[Jeffrey346]

Very easy solution that has been posted here at TV many times.

 

Go to  https://www.usdirectexpress.com/  They are approved by SS.  Open an account and they will have your SS deposited each month.

Now you can do a direct deposit to Bangkok Bank New York for $1.50. Bangkok Bank NY will charge you $5.00 and Bangkok Bank Thailand will charge B200. This deposit is considered cash and no need to go to the bank here in Thailand.

[Dan5]

On 12/7/2017 at 7:48 PM, rodknock said:

on that type of account they can not issue a debit card. you are required to go to the bank to get your money or transfer it to a regular account that issues a debit card.

no there are no other banks that get direct deposit.

you can still get a visa card, they have to order it and takes a week. you have to push them. make sure you tell them you need it to make purchases on line! the union pay card is useless and can not use for on line purchases.

what i do is an ach transfer to bkk. bank in n.y. it takes 2business days to get to my account. it is cheaper than swift. it goes to a regular account not the locked direct deposit account. a little effort to set it up, but when done works great. the only time i have an issue is when a u.s. holiday is followed by a Thai. holiday when all the banks are closed.

I don't know what if any is the difference with SS payments and regular transfers. But I transfer money to Thailand by doing an ACH transfer from my bank in the USA to the New York branch of Bangkok Bank.And yes, as soon as I did that, they disabled the debit card connected to that account. Told me I could open another account with a debit card. But I didn't bother. I just transfer money to my other bank account at K Bank, etc.  Actually it seems like a good precaution, not having a debit card associated with it since I keep a lot of money in that account that receives the transfers from the USA.

[lopburi3]

28 minutes ago, Dan5 said:

I don't know what if any is the difference with SS payments and regular transfers. But I transfer money to Thailand by doing an ACH transfer from my bank in the USA to the New York branch of Bangkok Bank.And yes, as soon as I did that, they disabled the debit card connected to that account. Told me I could open another account with a debit card. But I didn't bother. I just transfer money to my other bank account at K Bank, etc.  Actually it seems like a good precaution, not having a debit card associated with it since I keep a lot of money in that account that receives the transfers from the USA.

Are you sure it was not after a direct government payment into your Bangkok Bank account?  If just a normal transfer from a US bank there would not be any reason to limit your access - they do that as they are responsible for repayment to US Government for any money taken after death.  But if sent to US bank first the US bank would be on the hook. 

[1happykamper]

On 07/12/2017 at 9:23 PM, lopburi3 said:

I suspect you could do as many other and have deposit made into a US account and then transfer what you need to Thailand if you want to use specific bank.  I have direct deposit of OPM pension to USAA account in states and then use web to transfer what I want visa ACH to my normal Bangkok Bank account.  Do not have to visit bank with this method and have funds outside Thailand for USD expenses. 

Oh really? So can transfer money via ACH or a wire to the normal Bangkok bank account? Wire is expensive.. ACH is free.. but I thought ACH was only to the bangkok bank in NYC? Im confused. It happens 

[lopburi3]

Bangkok Bank NY is the transfer point - you ACH to there routing and provide your local Thailand account number.  You do not have an account with New York branch.

[henry15]

My pension from an EU country is send directly to my Kasikorn save account. On that account I have an Visa debetcard and an Master creditcard.

The only fees are an 200 Bht Kasikorn transferfee. Transfertine is 12 working  hours

[PETERTHEEATER]

Last week, having been refused an application for a VISA Debit card on my account because they are no longer issued by BBL, I sent a message to BBL Headquarters via their website Contact option asking for confirmation that VISA Debit cards are no longer available this being bank policy and pointing out that their website needs amendment to delete this card option. To date, no response.

The UnionPay Debit card is near useless. I receive my pensions ex UK via the BBL London Branch into a GBP account with BBL HQ Bangkok and transfer into my THb account as required. I am now considering opening an account with KTB who offer VISA Debit Card from stock, yet another account and passbook!

 

 

[1happykamper]

Bangkok Bank NY is the transfer point - you ACH to there routing and provide your local Thailand account number.  You do not have an account with New York branch.

Does 8th local account you refer to have to always be that special locked account? That accord still in chiang mai and every time I transfer money from that I'm hit with several hundred baht fee..i know.. I should open one more locally..

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[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, 1happykamper said:

Does 8th local account you refer to have to always be that special locked account? That accord still in chiang mai and every time I transfer money from that I'm hit with several hundred baht fee..i know.. I should open one more locally..

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8th local account???  Have no idea what that is about.  The special account for ACH transfer is only required if you have direct US Government pensions paid into it.  It is to prevent money being removed if you have already died as Bangkok Bank would be responsible for repayment.

[carken]

Go online, open USAA Bank account

Put your Thai mailing address on the account

Contact SS and change Direct Deposit to USAA Bank

USAA Bank will mail you a debit card to your Thai address

Use Debit card to withdraw money every month

You will be charged ATM fee of 220Baht each time you

use debit card ... USAA Bank will rebate the ATM fee to

your account, up to $15(USD)