Best Credit Card for Expats in Thailand? (for Airmiles, Cashback and Bonuses)

[SS1]

Hi all,

 

I am looking for more information on the best available credit cards for expats in Thailand. I have already done my research on what is needed to get one, so I'm not looking to discuss about the requirements and criteria for qualifying. I don't actually need a credit card but I'm just interested in their bonus schemes. 

 

After doing some research I found there are some nice bonus schemes on certain credit cards and I'm interested to find out more about the best ones for the following:

• Airmiles
• Cashbacks
• Other bonuses

 

I read this article: https://www.thailandstarterkit.com/money/thailand-credit-cards/ and was particularly interested in the following two:

 

1. CITI ROYAL ORCHID PLUS SELECT CREDIT CARD (https://www.citibank.co.th/en/credit-cards/credit-card-royal-orchid-plus.htm)

2. AEON Royal Orchid Plus Platinum Card (http://www.aeon.co.th/aeon/cards/aeon-rop-platinum-card/?&language_id=1)

 

These cards allow you to get 1 ROP mile per 20 baht spent and cost around 3000-4000 baht per year. You also get extra points when booking flights with Thai Airways and with AEON 3% cashback for restaurant, hotel and flight purchases above set amounts. The fees are waived for the first year and second year if you spend above 300k or so. You also get some other benefits like travel insurance and ability to use Thai Airways lounge twice a year. 

 

I have never used any airmiles scheme or a credit card, but it seems like a great deal unless I've misunderstood something. With the Citibank calculator it says by spending THB 117,000 in a year I would get enough miles for a one way ticket back home. I spend this much on my yearly food deliveries alone so it would be easy to get enough points for a nice discount on my yearly trip back to Europe. I realise you can only use points for the airfare (not taxes / other fees) and need to deduct the yearly fees credit card fees, but it would be still a nice discount(?)

Am I missing something, or is there any reason to not get such credit card (if possible to get one in the first place)? 

[badjoke]

Unless you have a work permit  and a stable residence and job you wont be getting a credit card

Edited August 17, 2018 by badjoke

[SS1]

4 minutes ago, badjoke said:

Unless you have a work permit  and a stable residence and job you wont be getting a credit card

I appreciate the feedback, but I'm not looking to discuss the requirements in this thread. I have a work permit and a job paying a decent salary since 3 years. I'm looking to find more info on the viability of the bonus schemes to decide whether to apply for one in the first place. 
 

Quote

I am looking for more information on the best available credit cards for expats in Thailand. I have already done my research on what is needed to get one, so I'm not looking to discuss about the requirements and criteria for qualifying. I don't actually need a credit card but I'm just interested in their bonus schemes. 

 

[FritsSikkink]

You do know that here are quite a few companies charge extra when you pay with a credit card and that credit isn't free?

[suzannegoh]

These cards allow you to get 1 ROP mile per 20 baht spent and cost around 3000-4000 baht per year. You also get extra points when booking flights with Thai Airways and with AEON 3% cashback for restaurant, hotel and flight purchases above set amounts. The fees are waived for the first year and second year if you spend above 300k or so. You also get some other benefits like travel insurance and ability to use Thai Airways lounge twice a year. 

 

I have never used any airmiles scheme or a credit card, but it seems like a great deal unless I've misunderstood something. With the Citibank calculator it says by spending THB 117,000 in a year I would get enough miles for a one way ticket back home. I spend this much on my yearly food deliveries alone so it would be easy to get enough points for a nice discount on my yearly trip back to Europe. I realise you can only use points for the airfare (not taxes / other fees) and need to deduct the yearly fees credit card fees, but it would be still a nice discount(?)

Am I missing something, or is there any reason to not get such credit card (if possible to get one in the first place)? 

Are you sure that you have the math right on the frequent flier miles?  If you get 1 FF mile for every 20 baht spent and you spend 117,000 Baht, then you would get 5850 FF miles.  That doesn't sound like enough to get an airline ticket to go anywhere.

[Antonymous]

That Citi deal sounds good, but I have no experience using that one or Aeon. I have been using a Thai Amex platinum card (plus a supplementary) for about 20 years which costs 4,000 baht (plus 2,000 baht) a year and gives airmiles on Thai and useful discounts on upmarket hotels and shops. I've found two problems with it though which might also apply to these other premium cards:

 

1. Very few outlets in Thailand accept it

2. The majority of discount outlets are in Bangkok only (I live in Chiang Mai) so I rarely make use of that

 

Very hard for you to find out in advance how many outlets would accept your card as the card issuer won't disclose this information.

[suzannegoh]

17 minutes ago, suzannegoh said:

 

 

 

Are you sure that you have the math right on the frequent flier miles?  If you get 1 FF mile for every 20 baht spent and you spend 117,000 Baht, then you would get 5850 FF miles.  That doesn't sound like enough to get an airline ticket to go anywhere.

I think that I see where you got that number.  What you're missing is that to get enough points to fly to Europe once per year you'd need to spend 117,000 baht per month not 117,000 baht per year.

Edited August 18, 2018 by suzannegoh

[HampiK]

I think for some cards it depends how much your salary is or how much money you have in the bank.

There are some cards with good bonus if you have the cash. It's as always, if you have some money you will become more for free.

I would recommend you check Kasikorn, Bankokbank, SCB what they have. Many of the banks also have some privilege cards, with additional bonuses.

 

Edited August 18, 2018 by HampiK

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, suzannegoh said:

Are you sure that you have the math right on the frequent flier miles?  If you get 1 FF mile for every 20 baht spent and you spend 117,000 Baht, then you would get 5850 FF miles.  That doesn't sound like enough to get an airline ticket to go anywhere.

 

I was just about to ask the same thing, he probably did his math as some do back at soon, der...uhm...117,000 baht x .20 = 23,400 baht

[sitti]

I have more than 10 credit cards from Thai banks now. These are 4 cards I use the most frequent:

 

SCB My Travel MasterCard: I earn 17 ROP mile per 17 baht.

 

Citi Prestige Visa Infinite: Earn 2 point for every 25 baht in Thailand. And 3 points for every 25 baht worth in foreign currency. You can convert to various airline miles, not just ROP, for 1 miles per 2 points. I mainly use this when I spend in foreign currency like US Dollar and Euro. Also you get tons of benefits for frequent traveler.

 

AEON Visa and JCB Royal Orchid Plus Platinum Card. I do have both Visa and JCB of exact same card. You still have to pay annual fees for both. I particularly like JCB because many Japanese owned restaurants and stores offer discounts for it. 

 

Unlike Amex, if stores accept credit cards, you can always use these cards. I had a few stores didn't accept JCB but it is far more accepted than Amex in Thailand.

[4MyEgo]

Credit cards were and still are designed as traps from my opinion, as are debit cards, now I know a few keyboard warriors will try to convince us otherwise.

 

Do you remember when they first talked us into getting an ATM card for free so we wouldn't have to go into the bank and see the teller, i.e. less waiting time while they culled the poor tellers, everything was for free right, and then it all changed, charges started coming and being added, I don't know of any other contract in the world they can constantly change between a client and the provider, its automatic, now that's powerful.

 

Ok ok, so lets ask ourselves why we have a debit card, its an extension of our savings account, right, and most of us would pay a fee to the bank to have a savings account, a fee to have our money in their bank so they can lend it to others such as those that want a credit card, and the banks will charge them a very high interest rate while they pay us pretty much nothing, and on top of that, wait for it, they will charge us afee to use our debit card on purchaser's, i.e. using our own money, and if we use our debit card in another ATM they will charge us a fee, if we deposit money in another branch of theirs in another province, they will charge us a fee, all these fees because we want to put our money in their bank.

 

As for wanting to have the privilege of obtaining a credit card for say 4,000 baht plus 2,000 baht annually to pay them  very high interest rate charges while they give me peanuts on my debit card and also charge me an annual fee for having my money in that savings account, plus charge me for all the other things as I mentioned on the debit card, do you see where I am going wit this.

 

Like I said, credit cards are a trap, now let's not even talk about exchange rates with foreign debit or credit cards and the rorts that they have come up with to charge you if you use their ATM's and also get trapped into getting a lower exchange rate over the visa rate.

 

I think I am done, credit cards with frequent flyer deals etc etc are for those who are broke IMO, cash is best, and if you think I am going to allow an airline to charge me an admin fee for using my debit card, your are kidding, paying for the ticket at Big C is saves me 95% of the admin fee, as the fee is 5 baht, not one to throw money away, only when I am having a blast of a time, but then again, it is my choice and I am getting what I want, not being dictated too or rorted, call me the black sheep if you like....lol

Edited August 18, 2018 by 4MyEgo

[HampiK]

41 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Credit cards were and still are designed as traps from my opinion, as are debit cards, now I know a few keyboard warriors will try to convince us otherwise.

 

Do you remember when they first talked us into getting an ATM card for free so we wouldn't have to go into the bank and see the teller, i.e. less waiting time while they culled the poor tellers, everything was for free right, and then it all changed, charges started coming and being added, I don't know of any other contract in the world they can constantly change between a client and the provider, its automatic, now that's powerful.

 

Ok ok, so lets ask ourselves why we have a debit card, its an extension of our savings account, right, and most of us would pay a fee to the bank to have a savings account, a fee to have our money in their bank so they can lend it to others such as those that want a credit card, and the banks will charge them a very high interest rate while they pay us pretty much nothing, and on top of that, wait for it, they will charge us afee to use our debit card on purchaser's, i.e. using our own money, and if we use our debit card in another ATM they will charge us a fee, if we deposit money in another branch of theirs in another province, they will charge us a fee, all these fees because we want to put our money in their bank.

 

As for wanting to have the privilege of obtaining a credit card for say 4,000 baht plus 2,000 baht annually to pay them  very high interest rate charges while they give me peanuts on my debit card and also charge me an annual fee for having my money in that savings account, plus charge me for all the other things as I mentioned on the debit card, do you see where I am going wit this.

 

Like I said, credit cards are a trap, now let's not even talk about exchange rates with foreign debit or credit cards and the rorts that they have come up with to charge you if you use their ATM's and also get trapped into getting a lower exchange rate over the visa rate.

 

I think I am done, credit cards with frequent flyer deals etc etc are for those who are broke IMO, cash is best, and if you think I am going to allow an airline to charge me an admin fee for using my debit card, your are kidding, paying for the ticket at Big C is saves me 95% of the admin fee, as the fee is 5 baht, not one to throw money away, only when I am having a blast of a time, but then again, it is my choice and I am getting what I want, not being dictated too or rorted, call me the black sheep if you like....lol

Some of your arguments are correct. 

But credit cards can be free of charge. But yes you have to read very carefully what hidden fees could be involved. And the word credit card as many American use it... I think that is a bad Idea. For me a credit card is a card where i can pay for something.. and then at the end of the month I will pay the whole amount back to the credit card company (so not have to pay the high interest rates). For me the card has advantages vs cash. Even when it in reality make no sense. Many stores ask the same price for credit or cash. Then of course I prefer the card. As i have some bonus on it. Even when I not use the bonus.. I still not need to pay the money right away and can pay it back in average about 20 days later. Then the admin fee you talk about. yes you always should think of if it is worth to use the credit card or not. But sometimes if you not have one.. your life will be much more complicated.

 

Example you need to buy something from an internet shop and they only accept credit cards… OK you can say I will look somewhere else.. but this is already another hassle.

Everybody for themselves. 

But to tell that frequent flyers are for broke i think is harsh.

[keithcresswell]

3 hours ago, Antonymous said:

That Citi deal sounds good, but I have no experience using that one or Aeon. I have been using a Thai Amex platinum card (plus a supplementary) for about 20 years which costs 4,000 baht (plus 2,000 baht) a year and gives airmiles on Thai and useful discounts on upmarket hotels and shops. I've found two problems with it though which might also apply to these other premium cards:

 

1. Very few outlets in Thailand accept it

2. The majority of discount outlets are in Bangkok only (I live in Chiang Mai) so I rarely make use of that

 

Very hard for you to find out in advance how many outlets would accept your card as the card issuer won't disclose this information.

I find that Amex is accepted at most large stores, Big C, Tescos, Central, Power Buy etc but rarely at the smaller ones. And, so far, each year the have waived the fee when Ive asked then to.

[4MyEgo]

10 minutes ago, HampiK said:

Some of your arguments are correct. 

But credit cards can be free of charge. But yes you have to read very carefully what hidden fees could be involved.

People with credit cards should find out how many interest free days they had and how that worked with their monthly statement cycle. “Say you have a 55-day interest free card. On day one of your statement cycle you’ll get 55 days but on day 30 you’ll only get 25”, this in my opinion is a trap, because when you make a 2nd purchase in that cycle its not 55 days interest free, its 25 days interest free, and there are not many people aware of this.

 

“The most common mistake people make is misunderstanding the words ‘up to’, they see it as 55 days interest free. Most credit card payments are due at the end of a cycle, usually in line with a statement, so it’s not always the same number of days interest free for every transaction — it depends on when you made the purchase as to how many interest free days you will receive for that transaction.”

 

10 minutes ago, HampiK said:

But to tell that frequent flyers are for broke i think is harsh.

 

As long as you're getting back more in equivalent rewards than you're paying to earn the points, you may eventually earn enough for a free flight. But beware of credit card fees or buying more expensive plane tickets in order to earn points.

 

With stiff competition for passengers, you may save more than the points are worth simply by buying the cheapest ticket. Unless you fly often and are prepared to get your head around a very complicated (and ever-changing) system, don't let the pursuit of frequent flyer points dictate your itinerary.

 

And before you think about spending any extra money in order to earn points, weigh up the reward benefit by multiplying the points, for example by 0.01 – the result will be the approximate dollar value of your points.

 

11 minutes ago, HampiK said:

Everybody for themselves. 

Absolutely, but its always good to make others aware of what they may not be aware of, then its up to them.

[Antonymous]

55 minutes ago, keithcresswell said:

I find that Amex is accepted at most large stores, Big C, Tescos, Central, Power Buy etc but rarely at the smaller ones. And, so far, each year the have waived the fee when Ive asked then to.

I'll have to try that! Once when I called them to say that I'd like to cancel the supplementary (Mrs A wasn't using it enough to make the fee worthwhile) they immediately offered to waive the fee that next year. But I never thought of trying that with the main card.

 

Regarding stores that accept Amex, whether Amex is going to pay for itself depends on which outlets that you spend most money at during the year. It will be good for some users and not for others. Before getting an Amex you should consider where you are likely to use it and find out if they accept it or not (which is a hassle of course).

 

I try to use the Amex whenever I can and use a Mastercard as a secondary card (which is accepted everywhere). End of the year I find that I have spent much more on the Mastercard. Amex isn't accepted by my car dealer/service, or by my preferred petrol station, or by my health insurance, accident insurance or by several other big companies and big ticket items, which is annoying.

 

I still manage to get more value in airmiles than I spend in fees, so I have kept it.

 

 

[keithcresswell]

8 minutes ago, Antonymous said:

I'll have to try that! Once when I called them to say that I'd like to cancel the supplementary (Mrs A wasn't using it enough to make the fee worthwhile) they immediately offered to waive the fee that next year. But I never thought of trying that with the main card.

 

Regarding stores that accept Amex, whether Amex is going to pay for itself depends on which outlets that you spend most money at during the year. It will be good for some users and not for others. Before getting an Amex you should consider where you are likely to use it and find out if they accept it or not (which is a hassle of course).

 

I try to use the Amex whenever I can and use a Mastercard as a secondary card (which is accepted everywhere). End of the year I find that I have spent much more on the Mastercard. Amex isn't accepted by my car dealer/service, or by my preferred petrol station, or by my health insurance, accident insurance or by several other big companies and big ticket items, which is annoying.

 

I still manage to get more value in airmiles than I spend in fees, so I have kept it.

 

 

I only learned about waiving the fee when I read a comment on Thai visa a few years ago.

As well as the points, Amex does offer some insurance cover if using the card to to pay for flights, and 90 day refunds on purchases.... allegedly. 

[sitti]

1 hour ago, 4MyEgo said:

People with credit cards should find out how many interest free days they had and how that worked with their monthly statement cycle. “Say you have a 55-day interest free card. On day one of your statement cycle you’ll get 55 days but on day 30 you’ll only get 25”, this in my opinion is a trap, because when you make a 2nd purchase in that cycle its not 55 days interest free, its 25 days interest free, and there are not many people aware of this.

 

“The most common mistake people make is misunderstanding the words ‘up to’, they see it as 55 days interest free. Most credit card payments are due at the end of a cycle, usually in line with a statement, so it’s not always the same number of days interest free for every transaction — it depends on when you made the purchase as to how many interest free days you will receive for that transaction.”

 

 

As long as you're getting back more in equivalent rewards than you're paying to earn the points, you may eventually earn enough for a free flight. But beware of credit card fees or buying more expensive plane tickets in order to earn points.

 

With stiff competition for passengers, you may save more than the points are worth simply by buying the cheapest ticket. Unless you fly often and are prepared to get your head around a very complicated (and ever-changing) system, don't let the pursuit of frequent flyer points dictate your itinerary.

 

And before you think about spending any extra money in order to earn points, weigh up the reward benefit by multiplying the points, for example by 0.01 – the result will be the approximate dollar value of your points.

 

Absolutely, but its always good to make others aware of what they may not be aware of, then its up to them.

In my case, using credit cards are totally worth it for me. I don't care about high interest rates because I always pay them off each month. I use my cards like how I would use cash. 

 

I spend at least 100,000 baht a month. Last year when we went on cruise trip, I spent well over a million baht that month. With my spending on my cards, I easily earn enough miles for free multiple round-trip first or business class from thailand to US or Europe. 

 

And services I get from my Citi card alone worth paying it's high annual fee. I especially like free limousine service and airport assistance that an agent escort me from getting off a car to all the way to the lounge or departure gate. Even with first class ticket, you still have to wait in line at one point like immigration. But I don't have to wait at any line.

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, sitti said:

In my case, using credit cards are totally worth it for me. I don't care about high interest rates because I always pay them off each month. I use my cards like how I would use cash. 

 

I spend at least 100,000 baht a month. Last year when we went on cruise trip, I spent well over a million baht that month. With my spending on my cards, I easily earn enough miles for free multiple round-trip first or business class from thailand to US or Europe. 

 

And services I get from my Citi card alone worth paying it's high annual fee. I especially like free limousine service and airport assistance that an agent escort me from getting off a car to all the way to the lounge or departure gate. Even with first class ticket, you still have to wait in line at one point like immigration. But I don't have to wait at any line.

There are the exceptions, or the 0.01% that pay them off at the end of the month or cycle and use the cards to their advantage, unfortunately black sheep are far and few between to the rest of the flock around the world.

 

Australians owe a total of $45 billion in credit card debt, according to a new study by the corporate regulator. And about half of us make repeated low repayments and remain in debt month after month, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission research finds.

 

When it comes to ones financial health, minimum payments on your credit cards are poison. A $2,000 credit balance with an 18% annual rate, with a minimum payment of 2% of the balance, or $10, whichever is greater, would take one 370 months or just over 30 years to pay off.

 

Like I said earlier, they are a trap, perhaps I should rephrase that, they are a trap for the masses and you are one of the rare ones that I refer to as a black sheep, it's a good term in the meaning.

 

I suppose you could also refer to me as one as well, as I don't have one, and when I did have 4 back in the old days, they were used exactly how you are using yours, the reason I had 4, is because I owned investment properties and would buy things on credit when renovating them one at a time, unfortunately back then they didn't have frequent flyer points or anything like that, and even though they do today, you have to be one who uses them a lot.

[SS1]

Thanks for all the replies guys, very helpful. 

 

9 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

You do know that here are quite a few companies charge extra when you pay with a credit card and that credit isn't free?

I've noticed this with domestic airlines, however I don't think most restaurants, online shops etc. charge anything extra for using credit cards. It's a good point to note, however. 

 

7 hours ago, suzannegoh said:

I think that I see where you got that number.  What you're missing is that to get enough points to fly to Europe once per year you'd need to spend 117,000 baht per month not 117,000 baht per year.

Haha! Here is where I must have gone wrong. I'm so bad with basic maths and now it starts to make a lot more sense. I think to make such card useful, you need to be spending a lot of money regularly. I try to save 60-70% of my income for the future so it might not be that beneficial for me at the end of the day. 

 

It does indeed say "MONTHLY SPEND ON YOUR CARD IN A YEAR (BAHT)"  ?

 

Also to note (related to other comments) the cards I suggested are both VISA cards and I have never seen a place that doesn't accept visa. As mentioned by a few as well, I don't need any credit and would always pay back on time so interest rates are not an issue. I never spend more money than I have... back in uni I remember everyone else always maxing out their overdrafts but if I had £0 left that meant eating leftovers and not going out clubbing for me! 

 

I think one could build up quite a lot of points on one if you're using it for your regular life expenses as well as purchasing any more expensive items like motorcycles, cars, furniture and electronics. 

 

Bottom line is I need to do some calculations on my yearly spending to decide whether it's worth it.. 

[Antonymous]

25 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

There are the exceptions, or the 0.01% that pay them off at the end of the month or cycle and use the cards to their advantage, unfortunately black sheep are far and few between to the rest of the flock around the world.

 

Australians owe a total of $45 billion in credit card debt, according to a new study by the corporate regulator. And about half of us make repeated low repayments and remain in debt month after month, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission research finds.

 

When it comes to ones financial health, minimum payments on your credit cards are poison. A $2,000 credit balance with an 18% annual rate, with a minimum payment of 2% of the balance, or $10, whichever is greater, would take one 370 months or just over 30 years to pay off.

 

Like I said earlier, they are a trap, perhaps I should rephrase that, they are a trap for the masses and you are one of the rare ones that I refer to as a black sheep, it's a good term in the meaning.

 

I suppose you could also refer to me as one as well, as I don't have one, and when I did have 4 back in the old days, they were used exactly how you are using yours, the reason I had 4, is because I owned investment properties and would buy things on credit when renovating them one at a time, unfortunately back then they didn't have frequent flyer points or anything like that, and even though they do today, you have to be one who uses them a lot.

OK I get it: you don't like paying interest on credit cards. But the stats you quote are somewhat wrong. Most people (not 0.01%) are transactors who pay off their balance every month.

 

Personally I have always, even in my student days, paid the balance in full every month. It is absolutely clear to any cc holder what the interest charges are. Given the extortionate rates of interest charged by cc's you'd be a fool, or incredibly desperate, not to pay off in full. Used sensibly, as most people do, they are very useful and can save you money.

Transactors versus revolvers

"Card issuers divide the world into two groups: “transactors” who use their cards for purchases and pay off the balances each month; and “revolvers” who carry balances on their cards, paying interest charges month to month.

To pure transactors, the balances on their cards aren’t really debts at all, since any purchases will be paid off before interest charges are applied.

The percentage of U.S. households revolving credit card debt from month to month has been rising recently to 38 percent in 2018 after steadily falling from 41 percent since 2010, according to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling."

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-card-debt-statistics-1276.php

[suzannegoh]

46 minutes ago, Antonymous said:

OK I get it: you don't like paying interest on credit cards. But the stats you quote are somewhat wrong. Most people (not 0.01%) are transactors who pay off their balance every month.

 

Personally I have always, even in my student days, paid the balance in full every month. It is absolutely clear to any cc holder what the interest charges are. Given the extortionate rates of interest charged by cc's you'd be a fool, or incredibly desperate, not to pay off in full. Used sensibly, as most people do, they are very useful and can save you money.

Transactors versus revolvers

"Card issuers divide the world into two groups: “transactors” who use their cards for purchases and pay off the balances each month; and “revolvers” who carry balances on their cards, paying interest charges month to month.

To pure transactors, the balances on their cards aren’t really debts at all, since any purchases will be paid off before interest charges are applied.

The percentage of U.S. households revolving credit card debt from month to month has been rising recently to 38 percent in 2018 after steadily falling from 41 percent since 2010, according to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling."

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-card-debt-statistics-1276.php

Another article that google searching turned up says that only 35% of card holders in the US don't carry a revovling balance.  The discrepancy might be because in the article you quoted they expressed the number of "transactors" as a percent of the total number of households rather than the total number of cardholders.  But either way, it's not so rare that people pay off their full balance each month.
http://time.com/money/4213757/average-american-credit-card-debt/

Edited August 18, 2018 by suzannegoh

[suzannegoh]

1 hour ago, SS1 said:

Thanks for all the replies guys, very helpful. 

 

I've noticed this with domestic airlines, however I don't think most restaurants, online shops etc. charge anything extra for using credit cards. It's a good point to note, however. 

 

Haha! Here is where I must have gone wrong. I'm so bad with basic maths and now it starts to make a lot more sense. I think to make such card useful, you need to be spending a lot of money regularly. I try to save 60-70% of my income for the future so it might not be that beneficial for me at the end of the day. 

 

It does indeed say "MONTHLY SPEND ON YOUR CARD IN A YEAR (BAHT)"  ?

 

Also to note (related to other comments) the cards I suggested are both VISA cards and I have never seen a place that doesn't accept visa. As mentioned by a few as well, I don't need any credit and would always pay back on time so interest rates are not an issue. I never spend more money than I have... back in uni I remember everyone else always maxing out their overdrafts but if I had £0 left that meant eating leftovers and not going out clubbing for me! 

 

I think one could build up quite a lot of points on one if you're using it for your regular life expenses as well as purchasing any more expensive items like motorcycles, cars, furniture and electronics. 

 

Bottom line is I need to do some calculations on my yearly spending to decide whether it's worth it.. 

 

Usually the cash value of the kickback will be 1% to 2%.  If you're looking for a way to rack up a lot of points, a card from a US bank that is partnered with an airline might be worth considering.  They typically give you a signup bonus of around 50,000 miles and then 1 or 2 miles per dollar spent.  The guy that runs this website has studied that to death; you can see what cards he recommends here:  https://thepointsguy.com/cards/

 

[JayBird]

UOB Bank

visa credit card

Privmiles

15thb to 1 air mile

18thb to 1 air mile if not spend enough.

Easy to get even if you don't have a job or work visa (cash secured credit card)

 

Easy to pay balance at any time through web site.

 

Can use in any country, online and in stores.

 

As an added treat, their ATM card is fee free in most of South east Asia.

 

I've seen nothing better any where out here. Whether or not its a plus, UOB is not a Thai company.

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On 8/18/2018 at 2:57 AM, FritsSikkink said:

You do know that here are quite a few companies charge extra when you pay with a credit card and that credit isn't free?

Actually very few. I use my Visa card from my American bank for all my purchases at places that take credit cards and the only place that charges me the 3% is the pharmacy but the prices there are so cheap it’s worth it.

the miles I get from  this card pays for my flight home every year.