Credit Card through aThai Bank

[watgate]

If one were to apply for a Thai Credit Card at a Thai Bank how difficult would it be to get a credit card? Are their maximum limits based on your income? What about if your card is stolen or someone fraudulently uses your card to purchase things. Are you liable for the whole amount of the illegal purchase or are their limits as to how much you would be responsible for in the event the card was illegally used? I assume the card would be in thai baht and if you were paying a bill online which was in US Dollars I take it the current rate of exchange would be used for the payment. Is my assumption correct?  Also, I would need a credit line at least large enough to purchase an airline ticket or book some trips and are credit lines typically large enough to handle these expenditures?  In the US you are protected in the event of a credit card being fraudulently used and I am wondering if there are similar safeguards with Thai credit cards or is it more credit card user be aware?

Edited December 28, 2017 by watgate

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, watgate said:

If one were to apply for a Thai Credit Card at a Thai Bank how difficult would it be to get a credit card?

If one doesn't have a job and work permit, the bank will only offer a secured credit card. I have seen minimums of 50,000 baht quoted which would cover most full-fare economy tickets. I would assume the larger secured deposit you make, the happier the bank will be. Paying the monthly bill in US$ would probably be more expensive due to forex rates so maybe best to transfer US$ quarterly into an account that's backing the credit card (same bank) and do monthly bill payments in baht from that.

 

There are horror stories about local banks not having the same fraud protections as a foreign bank issued  card. In this regard, do due diligence and check which bank offers the best security. But if it still appears weak compared to international standards, keeping the (secured) limit as low as possible will probably be the best bet.

Edited December 28, 2017 by NanLaew

[allane]

Re Post # 2:  minimum maximum.  I too have seen reference to a B 50,000 limit for regular (i.e. "unsecured") credit cards, at least initially.

[Aussieroaming]

I just got a Wisdom Credit Card, however it was as the secondary user, not the primary and credit limit was set at 1M baht at our request, with credit availability spit equally between the two cards. Reason for being the secondary card holder....no Thai WP. 

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Aussieroaming said:

I just got a Wisdom Credit Card, however it was as the secondary user, not the primary and credit limit was set at 1M baht at our request, with credit availability spit equally between the two cards. Reason for being the secondary card holder....no Thai WP. 

That's from Kasikorn and is aimed at deposits of 10 million baht and up (for the primary card holder). Their web page mentions all the preferential treatment, lounge access, mall park-and-wash, golf course green fees. etc., but I didn't see any mention of enhanced security anywhere in the sales pitch.

[dotpoom]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

That's from Kasikorn and is aimed at deposits of 10 million baht and up (for the primary card holder). Their web page mentions all the preferential treatment, lounge access, mall park-and-wash, golf course green fees. etc., but I didn't see any mention of enhanced security anywhere in the sales pitch.

I have mentioned this before. I was sent two credit cards by K bank. Mas. and Visa. I didn't ask for them or want them, didn't even activate them. I only keep a small amount in this bank. I am on a retirement ext.

[55Jay]

OP:  You mention and compare US credit cards often.   Might be too obvious a question but..... do you have a US credit card right now?

[Aussieroaming]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

That's from Kasikorn and is aimed at deposits of 10 million baht and up (for the primary card holder). Their web page mentions all the preferential treatment, lounge access, mall park-and-wash, golf course green fees. etc., but I didn't see any mention of enhanced security anywhere in the sales pitch.

Correct, Kasikorn. The 10M had to go into a fixed term deposit for a min of 2 months (6 if you want to see any interest, which is crap anyway). I personally would have preferred a frequent flyer points based card, but the Wisdom was the easier one to get. 

[asiamaster]

Bangkok Bank. You need to put 100.00 THB in a separate fixed deposit account which you may not withdraw unless you cancel the card. Your credit limit is then also 100.000 THB.

[baansgr]

21 minutes ago, asiamaster said:

Bangkok Bank. You need to put 100.00 THB in a separate fixed deposit account which you may not withdraw unless you cancel the card. Your credit limit is then also 100.000 THB.

And if you spend 20,000 i suppose that needs to be replenished 

[simoh1490]

UOB offered me their credit card with a 300k limit and I accepted, no funds are tied up but I've been banking with them for many years and have several different accounts with them. I also pay a 5k per year fee for the card which includes insurance should I default on any payments that are due so the bank is fully indemnified - I have a retirement visa.

[watgate]

55JAY Yes I have a credit and debit card from a bank back in the US. My concern going forward is if I decided to live in Thailand full-time and I was unable to get my renewal cards then I would have a problem. I therefore am investigating alternative solutions. Unable to get my renewal cards because they were lost or stolen in transit, or the bank would not send them to Thailand since I was residing there full-time. I realize this sounds a little paranoid but am trying to assuage any concerns  I have going forward.

[Dazinoz]

16 hours ago, asiamaster said:

Bangkok Bank. You need to put 100.00 THB in a separate fixed deposit account which you may not withdraw unless you cancel the card. Your credit limit is then also 100.000 THB.

I just got 2 credit cards from Bangkok Bank. Only used 50,000 in fixed account. Obviously my credit limit is also 50,000

[Dazinoz]

15 hours ago, baansgr said:

And if you spend 20,000 i suppose that needs to be replenished 

If you spend 20,000 on your card obviously it needs to be paid back. You can not spend any of the money in the fixed account as it is locked away until credit cards cancelled. My fixed account shows a ledger balance of 50,000 but an available balance of 0. 

[bravo19]

If you spend 20,000 on your card obviously it needs to be paid back. You can not spend any of the money in the fixed account as it is locked away until credit cards cancelled. My fixed account shows a ledger balance of 50,000 but an available balance of 0. 

Can you see your fixed account in your online banking side? After i applied for credit card at bangkok bank and opened a fixed account, i tried to add it with ibanking to see it online but it didn’t work, i got the message i should contact my bank branch.
When you got you cards how did you activate them? By phone or online with ibanking? The staff told me i can do this only by phone?
I didn’t receive my card yet, still waiting


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[Dazinoz]

1 hour ago, bravo19 said:

Can you see your fixed account in your online banking side? After i applied for credit card at bangkok bank and opened a fixed account, i tried to add it with ibanking to see it online but it didn’t work, i got the message i should contact my bank branch.
When you got you cards how did you activate them? By phone or online with ibanking? The staff told me i can do this only by phone?
I didn’t receive my card yet, still waiting


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

I had a problem with how long it took mine. It took a bank staff member from the credit card section to see my post on TV to sort out problem. When cards arrived (at different times) they called the activation centre from the bank and I had had to confirm a few details. 

 

Back to the fixed account. When I got home after opening I did add it myself through the app. It added instantly. It showed the full balanced of the account. When my first credit card was activated I went online to add it. I then noticed my balanced showed 0 baht. Clicking on that account showed a ledger balance of the full amount but an available balance of zero.

 

i tried to add my first credit card and received an email telling me it would take 3 to 5 business days to add. A week later I tried again. Same email. Another week and my second credit card had arrived so I went to bank to collect it. I asked about adding to ibanking. Same story. So I explained to them what I had done. So a few phone calls to head office showed they did not add it because I had 2 passport numbers on my account. They asked me which was valid and showed me computer screen. I said this one expired five years ago and this one still current so I think this one is the valid one. So more paperwork and was told had to goto head office to remove old passport number. After done I will be able to add my cards. Said about 2 weeks. That was about 2 weeks ago so just waiting now. 

[bravo19]

I had a problem with how long it took mine. It took a bank staff member from the credit card section to see my post on TV to sort out problem. When cards arrived (at different times) they called the activation centre from the bank and I had had to confirm a few details. 
 
Back to the fixed account. When I got home after opening I did add it myself through the app. It added instantly. It showed the full balanced of the account. When my first credit card was activated I went online to add it. I then noticed my balanced showed 0 baht. Clicking on that account showed a ledger balance of the full amount but an available balance of zero.
 
i tried to add my first credit card and received an email telling me it would take 3 to 5 business days to add. A week later I tried again. Same email. Another week and my second credit card had arrived so I went to bank to collect it. I asked about adding to ibanking. Same story. So I explained to them what I had done. So a few phone calls to head office showed they did not add it because I had 2 passport numbers on my account. They asked me which was valid and showed me computer screen. I said this one expired five years ago and this one still current so I think this one is the valid one. So more paperwork and was told had to goto head office to remove old passport number. After done I will be able to add my cards. Said about 2 weeks. That was about 2 weeks ago so just waiting now. 

Thanks so much for your answer. I have been waiting for my card for almost 6 weeks but I know now it can take more than 8 weeks or longer. But i have time because I am not in thailand now, will reply here when I get my card


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[JayBird]

UOB with secured cash in fixed savings account. However you can easily increase your limit temporarily.

 

If you open account with 100k limit, but transfer cash from your savings account to the credit card ( as if paying) of 200k, the limit becomes 300k until you use up the funds.

 

Helpful if you need to make large transactions once a year (ie 2 business class tickets back home) but the rest of the year hardly use it.

[speedtripler]

On 29/12/2017 at 4:26 PM, asiamaster said:

Bangkok Bank. You need to put 100.00 THB in a separate fixed deposit account which you may not withdraw unless you cancel the card. Your credit limit is then also 100.000 THB.

It can be any amount you like 

Mine can go up to 3 million baht, split between the visa and mastercard or all on 1 card, also can get a secondary card for wife's or mia nois etc

[asiamaster]

On 12/29/2017 at 4:50 PM, baansgr said:

And if you spend 20,000 i suppose that needs to be replenished 

No because you credit card spending is taken out of your savings account. The fixed account is only there as a guarantee in case you don't pay your credit card bills. Quite understandable as a foreigner could just do a runner...

[bravo19]

After 6 weeks i had applied for a credit card i called bangkok bank to ask about the status of my application. After some calls about my branch and the credit card department of the main office i got the answer that my application was rejected because i have only a tourist visa. Does anyone here have successfully applied for a credit card recently with a tourist visa? Or is it only possible with a non-immigrant visa? (Without a work permit)


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[speedtripler]

3 hours ago, bravo19 said:

After 6 weeks i had applied for a credit card i called bangkok bank to ask about the status of my application. After some calls about my branch and the credit card department of the main office i got the answer that my application was rejected because i have only a tourist visa. Does anyone here have successfully applied for a credit card recently with a tourist visa? Or is it only possible with a non-immigrant visa? (Without a work permit)


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I got a couple of platinum cards with  a tourist/ visa but I have a good history with my branch and the staff are very friendly

 

If I go to a branch who don't know me, I get a lot more aggro and frustration

[new2here]

I applied at the end of December 2016 - I think it was around the end of the first week of December (2016) and I got my Visa on December 29 and my MC the next day -- just before the end of year closure.

 

I did ask that the new cards be branch delivered as opposed to EMSed to my residence.

 

I got an SMS from BBL telling me the card was ready for P/U.

 

I qualified purely off Thai-based income and history of work and salary history above their minimum.

 

My colleague (who I suspect earns less than BBLs minimum salary floor) got a card too, but had to do the "pledged" account option.

 

His pledged account DOES show on his BBL iPhone app, but the balance showing is only the interest paid at the end of the first 6-month term and not the larger balance that is/was pledged for the card.

 

His orange bank book does show the full balance (pledge plus interest) and updates as such. There is a red stamp in his book that essentially says (as the bank reports) "this account is used as collateral and may not be withdrawn".

 

I also agree with the previous post - go to/use a branch that knows you (and assumably likes you) AND seems like they really want you to get approved... some branches seem like they don't care or act like only a document drop center while others will go the extra mile if you will, to help you get approved to re extent that they can.

 

 

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[bravo19]

I got a couple of platinum cards with  a tourist/ visa but I have a good history with my branch and the staff are very friendly  

If I go to a branch who don't know me, I get a lot more aggro and frustration

 

The staff in my branch office was very kind and friendly and they told me i can apply for a credit card if i open a fixed deposit account what i did. I filled out many documents and they told me i will get my card in about 2 weeks.

But the staff in the branch don’t decide if you get a credit card or not! They have to send all documents to the main office and only the staff of the credit card department in the main office will decide if your application will be approved or not!

After my application was denied by the main office, the staff in my branch was confused about this decision and called main office and ask for the reason. And the answer was the rules have changed and foreigner with a tourist visa can’t get a credit card anymore!

 

 

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[HampiK]

On ‎29‎.‎12‎.‎2017 at 9:09 AM, Aussieroaming said:

I just got a Wisdom Credit Card, however it was as the secondary user, not the primary and credit limit was set at 1M baht at our request, with credit availability spit equally between the two cards. Reason for being the secondary card holder....no Thai WP. 

 

Even without a Thai WP you could be the primary card holder of a Wisdom Credit Card.

Normaly the Primary is the person who holds the money.. the secondary card will be issued to the partner.

 

The secondary card also have some disadvantages compared to the primary:

- No acces to Airport Lounges

- No Health Checkup

- and more privilege which only goes for the Primary card holder...

 

 

[speedtripler]

3 hours ago, HampiK said:

 

Even without a Thai WP you could be the primary card holder of a Wisdom Credit Card.

Normaly the Primary is the person who holds the money.. the secondary card will be issued to the partner.

 

The secondary card also have some disadvantages compared to the primary:

- No acces to Airport Lounges

- No Health Checkup

- and more privilege which only goes for the Primary card holder...

 

 

Ask yourself would you really use the The airport lounge and the health check up in a hospital you will not go to and the gym or sauna but only during non peak hours 

 

They're are usually conditions attached to most of the "incentives" on these cards so while it looks like a lot of benefits many will be "you can only go between x and y hours" or on certain days of the week,or a limited number of times per year etc 

 

I wouldn't make a decision based on anything except the rates of the card itself

 

[HampiK]

2 hours ago, speedtripler said:

Ask yourself would you really use the The airport lounge and the health check up in a hospital you will not go to and the gym or sauna but only during non peak hours 

 

They're are usually conditions attached to most of the "incentives" on these cards so while it looks like a lot of benefits many will be "you can only go between x and y hours" or on certain days of the week,or a limited number of times per year etc 

 

I wouldn't make a decision based on anything except the rates of the card itself

 

Yes I would use the airport lounges, which mostly are not that bad.

And about the Health checkup what is wrong with for example Samitijev Hospital?

The Fitness I never would use, because have a nice fitness room at the condo so no need for them.

 

But you are right, this should not be the the decision maker. But this are nice additional benefits.

[Aussieroaming]

6 hours ago, HampiK said:

 

Even without a Thai WP you could be the primary card holder of a Wisdom Credit Card.

Normaly the Primary is the person who holds the money.. the secondary card will be issued to the partner.

 

The secondary card also have some disadvantages compared to the primary:

- No acces to Airport Lounges

- No Health Checkup

- and more privilege which only goes for the Primary card holder...

 

 

I asked for another Primary Card, offered the obligatory fixed term amount and was rejected. Maybe if I had jumped up and down I might have gotten a different result but who knows. I wasn't fussed about the perks actually, just wanted a spare credit card in case I ditched my Aussie one. i normally fly business, so the airport lounge access is neither here nor there, but it is handy for some people who prefer economy class.

[speedtripler]

56 minutes ago, HampiK said:

Yes I would use the airport lounges, which mostly are not that bad.

And about the Health checkup what is wrong with for example Samitijev Hospital?

The Fitness I never would use, because have a nice fitness room at the condo so no need for them.

 

But you are right, this should not be the the decision maker. But this are nice additional benefits.

Nothing wrong with that hospital, unless it's more hassle to go there than the one you normally attend (for me it would be) 

 

In the airport, I rarely have much time to waste hanging around

If I do I check out the shops or grab something to eat and a beer

 

 

Also the gym would be useless to me as I have membership to a better one and I read before you  can only go during off peak hours etc 

 

Most of the "attractive benefits"  are not worth that much tbh...