Thai bank account with benefits

[jakestevernson]

Hi all,

 

I am just waiting for my work permit to come through and then will open a Thai bank account that offers various benefits. I was wondering with anyone here could recommend a specific bank and account that would offer a decent range of benefits i.e. mobile phone insurance, fraud protection, etc that is easier for foreigners to use. I assume there would be a monthly fee attached which is fine.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks JS

[BritManToo]

TMB,

Pros: No charges for any ATM withdrawal countrywide + 1.6% interest on your 'all free' savings account.

Cons: 10bht/month 'SMS reporting transactions' charge on the debit card.

[Millian]

Will you be an employee of a company (rather than running your own business)?   I ask, as every company I have worked for in Thailand have required I open the same bank as they use, as such I currently have 4 different bank accounts!   

This is also the case with everyone I know both local and expat.  I'm not sure if it's an actually lawful requirement or just the 'done' thing.

So you might want to check with your new employer first (if you have one) before going to the effort opening a bank you may not use.

[jakestevernson]

Will you be an employee of a company (rather than running your own business)?   I ask, as every company I have worked for in Thailand have required I open the same bank as they use, as such I currently have 4 different bank accounts!   

This is also the case with everyone I know both local and expat.  I'm not sure if it's an actually lawful requirement or just the 'done' thing.

So you might want to check with your new employer first (if you have one) before going to the effort opening a bank you may not use.

Hi, with my school they automatically opened up a Bangkok Bank account, but it is just a basic current account. So I want one with mobile phone insurance and other perks. I am happy to pay a monthly fee. In addition, I would like an account which offers a decent credit card. I have applied for a Credit Card through Bangkok Bank but I believe the Credit Card won't be a Visa or MasterCard.

JS


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[Millian]

Your Bangkok Bank account will come with debit card (do you mean this when you say applied for credit card?), but yeah their debit (not credit) cards are union pay now. However I was given a union pay debit card and told them I would close my account unless they gave me a visa, which they did mail out to me in the end.  This was 6+ months ago though, may have stopped altogether now.

 

I think pretty much all of the local banks in Thailand will not give you a proper credit card. They will give you a visa/mastercard credit card where you have to deposit the balance yourself (at least Bangkok bank does)
 

However, if you pass the requirements (usually work permit, visa, min salary) you can get proper credit cards from Citi and Aon.

Not sure if any banks offer accounts with many perks, I used to get emergency medical insurance with K Bank and SCB I think.  You might be best off checking their sites or in a branch.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, Millian said:

Will you be an employee of a company (rather than running your own business)?   I ask, as every company I have worked for in Thailand have required I open the same bank as they use, as such I currently have 4 different bank accounts!   

This is also the case with everyone I know both local and expat.  I'm not sure if it's an actually lawful requirement or just the 'done' thing.

So you might want to check with your new employer first (if you have one) before going to the effort opening a bank you may not use.

That is definitely not a requirement by law - personal experience company bank <> my bank.

[NCC1701A]

look on bank websites. they all have VIP hipster perk levels.

 

just depends on how much money you put into their bank.

 

https://www.krungsri.com/bank/en/krungsri-prime.html

 

https://www.krungsri.com/bank/en/Exclusive.html

[jakestevernson]

Thanks for the all the replies guys.

I gave a debit card but am waiting for the Bangkok Bank to give me a credit card which I applied for.

My friend told me about this:

https://www.ktb.co.th/en/personal/cards/debit-card/53

It looks pretty good.

JS

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[4MyEgo]

33 minutes ago, jakestevernson said:

Thanks for the all the replies guys.

I gave a debit card but am waiting for the Bangkok Bank to give me a credit card which I applied for.

My friend told me about this:

https://www.ktb.co.th/en/personal/cards/debit-card/53

It looks pretty good.

JS

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
 

So you pay this bank to park your money in their bank and you pay them 1,599 baht plus an entry fee of 100 baht, total 1,699 baht for the privilege and they give you some insurance cover.

 

I would be reading the fine print of the insurance companies PDF brochure before jumping in head first.

 

Good luck

[Cybervlad]

19 hours ago, BritManToo said:

TMB,

Pros: No charges for any ATM withdrawal countrywide + 1.6% interest on your 'all free' savings account.

Cons: 10bht/month 'SMS reporting transactions' charge on the debit card.

1. 1.6% is for separate "no fix" deposit, not for "all free" saving account. And you must meet some condition to get 1.6% (use "all free" minimum 5 times per month). Otherwise you will get only 1.3% (not bad too, comparing with 0.3%-0.5% at other banks)
2. No need to subscribe 'SMS reporting transaction'. Just have "TMB OnTouch" mobile application running, and it will inform you about everything.

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, Cybervlad said:

1. 1.6% is for separate "no fix" deposit, not for "all free" saving account. And you must meet some condition to get 1.6% (use "all free" minimum 5 times per month). Otherwise you will get only 1.3% (not bad too, comparing with 0.3%-0.5% at other banks)

I get the 1.6% on my debit card 'savings' account, after 5x ATM transactions with my debit card.

[murraynz]

why does somebody need mobile phone insurance ????   i cant understand this at all...

sure anything can be insured--AT A COST-- whether insurance company pays out on claims is debateable..????

[scorecard]

Another possibility is to find the magic account you want then open cyber banking with that bank and transfer (perhaps automatically transfer) all the deposits into the account mandated by your employer. 

 

Cyberbanking is pretty easy to set up and easy to use and instantaneous.

 

Another possibility is to have 2 savings accounts with your magic bank, one with an ATM card and just transfer small amounts into that account as needed to try to limit any theft of funds at the ATM machine.  Using cyber banking transfer across own accounts is very easy, takes just a few seconds and instantaneous. With cyberbanking you can quickly and easily check balances and make payments to your credit card etc.

 

 

[rwill]

KTB and SCB have debit cards that give accident insurance and up to 10K insurance if robbed withdrawing from their ATM.  Cost for them is about 1,600 baht a year.  Have never seen a bank with mobile phone insurance.  I suppose you are talking about while using their banking app on your phone.  

 

For example:  https://www.ktb.co.th/en/personal/cards/debit-card/53

 

Edited September 25, 2018 by rwill