Covid-19: Major Thai bank stops exchanging foreign money

[metempsychotic]

14 hours ago, Liverpoolfan said:

That's it, slam the final nail in Thailand's tourism coffin why don't you.

There wont be a single tourist left at this rate.

 

Imagine coming here for the first time. Taxi driver shouts you over for a lift.., hang on a minute mate, just need to change some money.. 

Everyone will fall at the first hurdle!!????

 

So many final nails.

 

Im amazed they never run out,

 

Not even a minute ago I was reading that thailands newly published covid 19 screening policy at airports was the final nail.

 

Which final nail is next?

[SometimezaGreatNotion]

Got a Mastercard from Transferwise (UK money transfer service). Minimal fee to do ACH transfer of $ from US bank to Transferwise account. When use card, dollars are coverted to baht at current market rate (best rate at the moment). It's a debit card so I limit topping up the Transferwise account. 

 

It's works great - has been accepted at any place that accepts cards. 

Edited March 9, 2020 by SometimezaGreatNotion

[moe666]

14 hours ago, Liverpoolfan said:

That's it, slam the final nail in Thailand's tourism coffin why don't you.

There wont be a single tourist left at this rate.

 

Imagine coming here for the first time. Taxi driver shouts you over for a lift.., hang on a minute mate, just need to change some money.. 

Everyone will fall at the first hurdle!!????

 

No you just go to king power or vasu on sukhumvit, more and better rates than at this bank

[riclag]

3 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Social media will certainly have exposed any cover-up. No more secrets these days. Health workers on the front line would certainly have reported the situation, as well as family members of sufferers.

bingo ! You nailed it !

[Admiral Hornblower]

Handling money is the same as handling a dirty tissue. Thousands of people have touched that crumpled 20 Baht note in your pocket, it is covered in all sorts of 'orrible stuff. Baht, Dollar, Pound, Euro and Yuan - makes no difference so to stop changing foreign currency is just plain daft.

[Thechook]

Pointless going to Thailand then if you can't exchange your money to spend

[skorp13]

Brilliant! Bravo guys. To add to their complaining about tourism being down they are now moving to not exchange foreign currency, that ought to bring the tourists flocking in! ????

[SiSePuede419]

Pointless going to Thailand then if you can't exchange your money to spend

 

Wrong.

 

This will only affect criminals who carry only cash from illicit Black Market economic activity.

 

Normal people have a checking account and a debit card which enables them to withdraw the local currency from their account at ATMs located all around the world. ????

 

[metisdead]

Some off topic posts and replies have been removed. 

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Pointless going to Thailand then if you can't exchange your money to spend

 

Wrong.

 

This will only affect criminals who carry only cash from illicit Black Market economic activity.

 

Normal people have a checking account and a debit card which enables them to withdraw the local currency from their account at ATMs located all around the world. ????

 

Many people bring cash because the exchange rate is better at good booths plus you avoid ATM fees.

 

Just another reason for people to cancel their holiday if it becomes more widespread. i can't see stand alone currency booths closing

Edited March 9, 2020 by scubascuba3

[Janner1]

7 hours ago, Traubert said:

It's all consuming ties to China that registered 79,000 cases.

 

I'm afraid I don't follow and apparently neither do you.

Well you are at least telling the truth that you do not follow, for if you had you would know that the Coronavirus latterly covid19 started in China on December 6 last year but was kept very quiet by communist China until a young doctor just 30 years old managed to get a message out to the world in February this year just what was happening, and for his transgression against the communist state he was sent back into the thick of the infection without any projection, not even a mask, until he himself was infected and subsequently died for his honesty.

It was then and only because they could no longer hide it that China came out and told the world almost two months after it started that they had 79,000 infected people and this count was rising along with deaths. And that they had to build up to 5 new isolation hospitals in one week to care for the victims.

Now just to bring you fully up to speed the anger across the world at China’s blatant dis-honesty is building because a virus that needed notification to WHO from the start could now because of many mutations go on to kill many thousands world wide.

It never ceases to urinate me off that people such as you, who know nothing can castigate those of us who actually do follow what is going on and know something, it is wonderful not to be entirely ignorant, you should try it sometime.

 

[Prairieboy]

22 hours ago, webfact said:

The surprise move from Kasikorn or K-Bank came in a directive issued from 5 pm yesterday and is because of the Covid-19 outbreak. 

I suppose it is time they got into the money laundering business to ensure that all paper money is clean!!

[PhonThong]

So, is the money coming out of the ATM sanitized?

[fruitman]

9 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

10 hours ago, fruitman said:

Never heard of a 220 baht surcharge for westerners?! 

Never cared about it, withdrew the max all the time so percentage wise it wasn't that much.

Well the max is 10.000 baht...so 220 baht is 2.2%...and on top of that you pay the use of the atm card to your own bank plus you'll get a bad exchange rate....all in all it's around 5% loss....that's a lot in my opinion....i spend about 80.000 a month in thailand so will loose 4000 baht when using atm's....that's 10 nice meals in Sizzlers....every month..or 100 fried rice menu's from the streetvendors.

[meechai]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

The surprise move from Kasikorn or K-Bank

If I were a customer I would surely close my account.

 

Because if their Executive committee is this ignorant I would not want them handling my banking

[saengd]

1 minute ago, meechai said:

If I were a customer I would surely close my account.

 

Because if their Executive committee is this ignorant I would not want them handling my banking

That would teach them a lesson they wouldn't forget in a hurry! 

[meechai]

34 minutes ago, saengd said:

That would teach them a lesson they wouldn't forget in a hurry! 

Whoosh....right over your head

 

Nothing to do with teaching them a lesson

[FritsSikkink]

4 hours ago, fruitman said:

Well the max is 10.000 baht...so 220 baht is 2.2%...and on top of that you pay the use of the atm card to your own bank plus you'll get a bad exchange rate....all in all it's around 5% loss....that's a lot in my opinion....i spend about 80.000 a month in thailand so will loose 4000 baht when using atm's....that's 10 nice meals in Sizzlers....every month..or 100 fried rice menu's from the streetvendors.

Maybe your max is 10K, depending on the bank, I could get between 20 and 30K and choose the right option to get a good rate.

[Just Weird]

15 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

19 hours ago, Just Weird said:

Not sanctimonious in the least, they've also stopped handing out Thai baht.  Obviously.

Headline says different.

It doesn't matter what the Thaivisa headline says, if Kasikorn not exchanging currency at their booths then they are not handing out Thai baht there either, by definition; that's the reason most people exchange their currency, so that they can be handed Thai baht!

[Just Weird]

17 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

you realise everyone here plus other countries are skeptical at the number of victims in Thailand?

You should realise that what you claim is not the case and that you do not represent the opinions of "everyone here".

Edited March 10, 2020 by Just Weird

[Peterbilt]

30 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Maybe your max is 10K, depending on the bank, I could get between 20 and 30K and choose the right option to get a good rate.

Depends on the bank and the model of ATM they are using.
I only use the ATMs of Krungsri Bank since they have a 30,000 BHT limit. Next is Bangkok Bank with 25,000 BHT limit, the rest of the major banks has a limit of only 20,000 BHT.
When on vacation I also use my credit card to get the necessary cash. Luckily my cc company does not charge me anything for doing so, just have to pay the dreaded 220 BHT fine for using a foreign cc.
When withdrawing the max amount of 30,000 BHT I get a slightly worse rate (220 BHT fine included) than changing cash at those yellow TT booths in Pattaya. But not getting my passport copied is more important to me than saving a few Baht.
 

Edited March 10, 2020 by Peterbilt

[Just Weird]

17 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

17 hours ago, Susco said:

No I only know about the TV cynics.

 

You have a credible link where other countries have cast doubts about the Thai figures?

Yes, here's a recent one. Quatar banning passengers from Thailand.

 

https://pattayaone.news/qatar-bans-passengers-from-pakistan-13-other-countries-amid-coronavirus-fears/

Your link doesn't mention the Thaivisa cynics' view at all, it doesn't mention doubt about the figures.

[JHolmesJr]

14 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

It doesn't matter what the Thaivisa headline says, if Kasikorn not exchanging currency at their booths then they are not handing out Thai baht there either, by definition; that's the reason most people exchange their currency, so that they can be handed Thai baht!

That's ....Just Weird.

[scubascuba3]

3 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

You should realise that what you claim is not the case and that you do not represent the opinions of "everyone here".

Your usual negativity only represents you. Get out and talk to people and you might see things differently

[Just Weird]

17 hours ago, 0zr0cks said:

17 hours ago, Susco said:

I read it a few times, but can you point me where in the article it even remotely insinuates that Qatar casts doubts on the official figures?

 

 

Ummm! The ban does it by implication 

No, it does not. 

[Just Weird]

15 hours ago, fruitman said:

On 3/9/2020 at 11:29 AM, FritsSikkink said:

Never heard of an ATM? Ridiculous decision though.

Never heard of a 220 baht surcharge for westerners?! 

That doesn't stop them from taking money from the ATM but have you never heard of the thousands of other exchange facilities all over Thailand?

Edited March 10, 2020 by Just Weird

[Just Weird]

15 hours ago, Janner1 said:

This virus would have been defeated in weeks if certain governments including China had in the beginning and now told the truth

This virus would have been defeated in weeks if China, and only China, had told the truth and not tried to cover it up as that's where it originated and also where the doctor who first warned about it was arrested for that warning and subsequently died.

Edited March 10, 2020 by Just Weird

[Just Weird]

15 hours ago, rhyddid said:

Basic common sense

Mask are good if someone in a short range cough or sneeze near you, to protect from droplets 

Nonsense.

 

Basic common sense would be to take notice of the professionals, the WHO, that has stated innumerable times that ordinary face masks, of the type that so many people are clamouring to buy now, do not give that protection!

Edited March 10, 2020 by Just Weird

[Just Weird]

14 hours ago, metempsychotic said:

On 3/9/2020 at 8:46 AM, Liverpoolfan said:

That's it, slam the final nail in Thailand's tourism coffin why don't you.

There wont be a single tourist left at this rate.

 

Imagine coming here for the first time. Taxi driver shouts you over for a lift.., hang on a minute mate, just need to change some money.. 

Everyone will fall at the first hurdle!!????

 

So many final nails.

 

Im amazed they never run out,

 

Not even a minute ago I was reading that thailands newly published covid 19 screening policy at airports was the final nail.

 

Which final nail is next?

Many Thaivisa posters have an endless supply of coffin nails but very few of them have the hammer needed to knock them in.

[Just Weird]

12 hours ago, Thechook said:

Pointless going to Thailand then if you can't exchange your money to spend

What?

 

Every other bank in Thailand will exchange currency as will every other exchange booth, there are thousands of places to exchange currency, have you ever been through an airport?

Edited March 10, 2020 by Just Weird