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Posted

Hi there,

We plan to stay in Samui for a couple of months from June. What would people here reckon the best practise is in terms of accessing funds - i.e. open a Thai bank account and transfer funds accross, use existing cards at ATMs to draw money from your overseas account, etc?

Also, if we're looking at renting a house, is it best to speak to an agent or just drive around (do places for rent just have a sign and a phone number out the front)?

Cheers

Posted
Hi there,

We plan to stay in Samui for a couple of months from June. What would people here reckon the best practise is in terms of accessing funds - i.e. open a Thai bank account and transfer funds accross, use existing cards at ATMs to draw money from your overseas account, etc?

Also, if we're looking at renting a house, is it best to speak to an agent or just drive around (do places for rent just have a sign and a phone number out the front)?

Cheers

I would use existing ATM's, you might safe a bit on the exchange rate.

No need to go through an agent, just drive around in the area of your liking, most places have a sign and phone number, or just pop in.

Posted

Sorry to disagree with you "Coconut" but I've just spent a nightmare two weeks looking for a 4 month rental. I need not have bothered! And I've lived here for 7 years!

Maybe I am a bit "picky" but with a budget of 20k per month I just could not find anything that was value for money. Sure, half the Island is for rent: but wait 'til you get there! Half the places advertised as furnished merely contained a bed, table and 4 chairs and a TV. When I did find a fully furnished place the price rocketted. In trying to negotiate a discount I was confronted (on more than one occassion) with the "logic" of:-

"Sorry, cannot do. We not have customer for 1 year and have to get back money" !!! :o

Then there were the roads that would defeat a mountain goat; Neighbours from hel_l; Next doors constuction site;

And so on and so on.

In the end I turned to the Islands agents and within days they came up with the goods.

My advice; contact the online agents, be specific in your needs, ask for location maps and photographs of the property, electricity costs. Let them do the running about and it'll save you a lot of headaches.

Good luck

Posted
Sorry to disagree with you "Coconut" but I've just spent a nightmare two weeks looking for a 4 month rental. I need not have bothered! And I've lived here for 7 years!

Maybe I am a bit "picky" but with a budget of 20k per month I just could not find anything that was value for money. Sure, half the Island is for rent: but wait 'til you get there! Half the places advertised as furnished merely contained a bed, table and 4 chairs and a TV. When I did find a fully furnished place the price rocketted. In trying to negotiate a discount I was confronted (on more than one occassion) with the "logic" of:-

"Sorry, cannot do. We not have customer for 1 year and have to get back money" !!! :o

Then there were the roads that would defeat a mountain goat; Neighbours from hel_l; Next doors constuction site;

And so on and so on.

In the end I turned to the Islands agents and within days they came up with the goods.

My advice; contact the online agents, be specific in your needs, ask for location maps and photographs of the property, electricity costs. Let them do the running about and it'll save you a lot of headaches.

Good luck

depending on how much you want to spend for a month on rent if you have a big budget then go to an agent if not drive around and find 1 yourself,agents dont normally hold many cheaper style houses.walk in to your local watering hole and the landlord will sure know who wants to rent a house and guide you in the right direction :D

Posted

Cheers for the advice on that, we'll give it a couple of days of hunting, if nothing is forthcoming when we'll try an agent. Our budget is flexible, we're not after dirt cheap but we don't want to pay silly prices for something. I've bookmarked a few properties over the internet from here as well. Fingers crossed we can find something.

Posted

loads of houses for rent try monkey theatre road lots of signs for rent. ATMs are ok i suggest Nationwide if you are from the UK no charges and better exchange rate i get 69 to the pound with nationwide and 66 baht with Hsbc plus a charge.loads of houses for ent in Choeng Mon and Bangrak. ask how much they charge for electric and water. water should be free and electric about 3.5 baht per unit. some charge 7 or 8 baht and charge for water. Check the meter when you move in.

when i go i take a grand in cash and put it in Thai bank as an emergency fund in case ATM card gets lost or stolen, some times banks stop withdrawls from ATM as they think they may be fraudulant, then you are stuck. also a few travellers cheques as back up

Posted
loads of houses for rent try monkey theatre road lots of signs for rent. ATMs are ok i suggest Nationwide if you are from the UK no charges and better exchange rate i get 69 to the pound with nationwide and 66 baht with Hsbc plus a charge.loads of houses for ent in Choeng Mon and Bangrak. ask how much they charge for electric and water. water should be free and electric about 3.5 baht per unit. some charge 7 or 8 baht and charge for water. Check the meter when you move in.

when i go i take a grand in cash and put it in Thai bank as an emergency fund in case ATM card gets lost or stolen, some times banks stop withdrawls from ATM as they think they may be fraudulant, then you are stuck. also a few travellers cheques as back up

Cheers Rak, I'm thinking of having a decent amount of cash on me for emergencies, then a bank card and a visa card. How widely accepted are travellers cheques - I havent really used those in over a decade due to the extra fuss.

Posted
loads of houses for rent try monkey theatre road lots of signs for rent. ATMs are ok i suggest Nationwide if you are from the UK no charges and better exchange rate i get 69 to the pound with nationwide and 66 baht with Hsbc plus a charge.loads of houses for ent in Choeng Mon and Bangrak. ask how much they charge for electric and water. water should be free and electric about 3.5 baht per unit. some charge 7 or 8 baht and charge for water. Check the meter when you move in.

when i go i take a grand in cash and put it in Thai bank as an emergency fund in case ATM card gets lost or stolen, some times banks stop withdrawls from ATM as they think they may be fraudulant, then you are stuck. also a few travellers cheques as back up

Cheers Rak, I'm thinking of having a decent amount of cash on me for emergencies, then a bank card and a visa card. How widely accepted are travellers cheques - I havent really used those in over a decade due to the extra fuss.

widley accepted at all banks and money exchange of which there are many. lots and lots of banks to choose. dollar or sterling cheques equally well accepted

Posted (edited)
Cheers Rak, I'm thinking of having a decent amount of cash on me for emergencies, then a bank card and a visa card. How widely accepted are travellers cheques - I havent really used those in over a decade due to the extra fuss.

You may want to rethink that Visa card. They have a 3% foreign currency exchange fee. I get paid in the US and take money out here (in Estonia) with my bank's Visa check card and over the past 2 years that 3% has cost me over $1000 (which I accepted as "cost of doing business" and cheaper than bank transfers). Discussing this over lunch with some friends the other day one pulls out his Capital One card - NO FOREIGN CURRENCY FEE. So yesterday I called and applied for the Capital One card and should get it in a couple weeks.

Which brings up a good point - Is Capital One accepted in Thailand? Anyone know?

Edited by koheesti
Posted
Cheers Rak, I'm thinking of having a decent amount of cash on me for emergencies, then a bank card and a visa card. How widely accepted are travellers cheques - I havent really used those in over a decade due to the extra fuss.

You may want to rethink that Visa card. They have a 3% foreign currency exchange fee. I get paid in the US and take money out here (in Estonia) with my bank's Visa check card and over the past 2 years that 3% has cost me over $1000 (which I accepted as "cost of doing business" and cheaper than bank transfers). Discussing this over lunch with some friends the other day one pulls out his Capital One card - NO FOREIGN CURRENCY FEE. So yesterday I called and applied for the Capital One card and should get it in a couple weeks.

Which brings up a good point - Is Capital One accepted in Thailand? Anyone know?

As far as I'm aware Capitol One are purely the card issuer.Certainly in the U.K you would still have to chose whether to have their Visa card or Mastercard.

Posted

By your spelling of Travellers Cheques, I will assume that you are from the UK.

In this case, you should obtain a Flexaccount from the Nationwide Building Society. Their Debit Card doesn't levy a Withdrawal Charge nor a Foreign Exchange Transaction Fee.

http://www.nationwide.co.uk/current_account/default.htm

If you are quick, you may get it in time.

For overseas purchases, obtain a 'No Foreign Exchange Transaction Fee' Credit Card;

http://www.nationwide.co.uk/creditcard/default.htm

http://www.audi.co.uk/audi/uk/en2/financia.../audi_card.html

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/jump...ediaId=34100665

Posted

Good info, Jiujitsu.

OP, I always found a house by asking about, but if your term is shorter, maybe an agent is better for you.

I'm not keen on the Monkey Theatre road -- many burglaries there, the prices are excessive, you need a vehicle, and there is always construction noise.

Posted
By your spelling of Travellers Cheques, I will assume that you are from the UK.

Not quite, I'm actually from one of the colonies (New Zealand). I've called a number of banks and found one that doesn't charge a % for cash withdrawls so will go with them.

Visa apparently imposes a .7% fee for overseas currency transactions so I will use a bank card.

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