Bangkok Bank ATM Requires Switch to Union Pay

[nanglong218]

BBK are not going to worry about my meager  funds.  In a free economy you make your own choices.  Deny me choice and I'm out of here.  I'll look for a new bank  because walking around with a wallet full of cash is so old.     We don't do this any more.  

Oh Thailand,  what a wonderful trek back in time you are.    Hello,   it's 2018, or 2561 , whatever

 

[JLCrab]

I don't know as I have no reason to know but if PTT, BigC and others do not as of today accept a Bangkok Bank UnionPay debit card they likely soon will. 

[buick]

8 hours ago, Confuscious said:

I have a Foreign Currency Account is USD with Bangkok Bank, and I wanted to open a second Foreign Currency Account in EUR.

The lady which opened my first FCA presented me a printed paper with the NEW requirements for opening a Bangk Account.
I could still use the existing Bank accounts, but for a new account I would need to fullfil the new requirements.

I look briefly trough the list and left Bangkok Bank.

Impossible for a Retirement to bring all the required documents.

Bangkok Bank has become almost impossible for foreigners to open a Bank account.

 

could you let us know the branch where you have your FCA and were denied a second one ?  these days it seems the branch makes a difference.  i think bangkok bank has only a few branches that deal with FCA, but not sure, i once saw a long list of branch names where you could open one, which was contrary to what i was told.

[jackdd]

31 minutes ago, buick said:

i think bangkok bank has only a few branches that deal with FCA, but not sure, i once saw a long list of branch names where you could open one, which was contrary to what i was told.

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBankThai/Documents/Site Documents/GPSD/FCDServiceBranch_En.pdf

172 branches in BKK alone, so more than a few

[nanglong218]

2 hours ago, JLCrab said:

I don't know as I have no reason to know but if PTT, BigC and others do not as of today accept a Bangkok Bank UnionPay debit card they likely soon will. 

Why the confidence,  the world works on visa/mc/paypal.  

[lou62]

7 hours ago, nanglong218 said:

BBK are not going to worry about my meager  funds.  In a free economy you make your own choices.  Deny me choice and I'm out of here.  I'll look for a new bank  because walking around with a wallet full of cash is so old.     We don't do this any more.  

Oh Thailand,  what a wonderful trek back in time you are.    Hello,   it's 2018, or 2561 , whatever

 

 

Some people (like me) prefer cash as that's what we're used to.

[nanglong218]

2 hours ago, lou62 said:

 

Some people (like me) prefer cash as that's what we're used to.

All in a biscuit tin under the mattress yes. Each to their own.

[JLCrab]

10 hours ago, nanglong218 said:

Why the confidence,  the world works on visa/mc/paypal.  

My confidence (if any)  is with BigC and PTT

[Different]

Just go to any BB branch and insist to get Visa debt card (comes with chip no) she/he will tell you to wait a week or two. Never take no for an answer specially in LOS because sometimes they are pushy.

Edited March 11, 2018 by Different

[Confuscious]

14 hours ago, buick said:

 

could you let us know the branch where you have your FCA and were denied a second one ?  these days it seems the branch makes a difference.  i think bangkok bank has only a few branches that deal with FCA, but not sure, i once saw a long list of branch names where you could open one, which was contrary to what i was told.

I opened my first FCA at Bangkok Bank in Silom Rd (Head Bank) in 2009.
I tried to open a new FCA at Bangkok Bank in N. Ratchasima and They asked for the documents according the new banking rules.
I went to my Embassy in Bangkok to ask weither I could get these documents and I was told that the Embassy does not supply these documents.
I went then to the main office of Bangkok Bank in Silom, only to get repeated that without these documents they would not open a FCA.

 

[buick]

3 hours ago, Confuscious said:

I went then to the main office of Bangkok Bank in Silom, only to get repeated that without these documents they would not open a FCA.

thanks for the info.  i also opened my FCA at the Silom main office (in feb 2016).  some of these document requirements can be confusing, sometimes due to the translation.  on a related thread, a member indicated he/she was not able to get 'the embassy letter' from their embassy, although they did not disclose their nationality.  i went to the US embassy with the form letter from bangkok bank.  the US embassy threw that in the trash but provided one of their own.  that was accepted by bangkok bank.  i'm just trying to understand if this issue is related to your embassy.

[buick]

17 hours ago, jackdd said:

172 branches in BKK alone, so more than a few

i think that is the list i saw, although i didn't realize there were so many pages.  i have a friend in bangkok who works as a 'visa agent'.  he has contacts at bangkok bank.  when we meet for beers and such, i always like to ask about his work, how many overstayers did you deal with last month, how many retirement visas did you process, etc..  and in this discussion he had mentioned that FCA accounts were being refused in some of the smaller offices.  he didn't know why (customers didn't qualify or office just didn't do it anymore).  it wasn't a long discussion but i got the feeling it might be best to stick with the silom branch as a foreigner opening an FCA in bangkok.  if i'm lucky, i can meet him with his bangkok bank contact one day and find out what is going with getting any type of bank account from bangkok bank these days !!

[MikeN]

I just had a quick look at the BKK Bank website, and the new Unionpay cards do not seem to be paywave compatible ? Did n’t the banks make a big thing not so long ago about the speed and convenience of paywave ? Now BKK Bank is going backwards.....

I also read a bit about how to use the unionpay cards....apparently the ATM will tell you to select the chip application, you have a choice of TBA or Unionpay. Guess which one you have to select ? No, not Unionpay but TBA (Thai banks association?). Very logical, NOT.

[Lammbock]

You still can get Visa Credit Cards from Bangkok Bank. (not debit cards)

Edited March 11, 2018 by Lammbock

[JLCrab]

I went into my Bangkok Bank home account office today to get a new chip debit card and (pointing to the VISA logo on my old card) said that I wanted a new VISA debit chip card and not a UnionPay debit chip card and they said: OK.

[stoney79]

Good news!!  Just returned from Bangkok Bank Head Office.  Since yesterday, Nov. 5, 2018, they have started to issue Be1st MasterCard Debit cards.