HSBC offshore used to do the same routine of not sending cards to Thailand.

They have changed and send them by registered mail for the last 5 years or so.

Don't know why the change, I don't think it's any more secure now.

17 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

I had my NatWest MasterCard ( unfortunately they have stopped issuing Visa credit but still have Visa Debit ) sent from my daughters address.

In the NatWest banking app I could freeze the card and unfreeze it when it arrived.

A very practical service, especially in the case of theft or loss .

The email sent by NatWest saying to get it sent to a friend/relative and then collect it in person do not let it be sent by mail or courier that I got I simply threatened to CC to all the international courier companies and, low and behold, my debit card arrived 2 weeks later by first class mail. They just need a little push sometimes.

 

4 hours ago, Chicken George said:

 

I bank with HSBC back home so to say and they have not sent a card over here for years. I get it sent over by a third party.. 

Agree, HSBC have changed their policy about sending cards here; even though they still have a branch in Bangkok. Fortunately, I still have a UK address. The credit card was then sent here by my daughter. Activation was very easy via the app. However, they insisted that the first transaction must be physical using the provided pin code. Paid for a home delivery, no problem, but the delivery guy said they don't accept many 'overseas' cards.

1 hour ago, robertson468 said:

Had not received my HSBC Debit Card as current one had expired.  Emailed (internal HSBC mail) and told them the issue, but not to rush as I had cash in my Thai Bank Account.  They replied a few days later, on the same day that the Card arrived, so told them not to investigate any further as the problem was now solved.  It would appear that sometimes, mail can be held up when it reaches Thailand.  As for a UK Bank refusing to send a Debit Card to Thailand, because of security I believe is just being down right unhelpful and inefficient.  I wonder if it is only Thailand they have security  concerns about.  What a lovely xenophobic Bank?

RBS now send your card out activated. It wasn’t the case years ago.

 

I have banked with them for maybe forty years and the joint account with my wife for nearly twenty.  I have always found their staff very helpful.

 

If their policy is to send out activated cards then I have to accept that.

hmmmm.... actually quite complicated this so KISS rule applies in spades:

 

never give out your thailand address outside thailand (except to family)

all UK payments to UK bank accounts which can be accessed here by ATM 

as far as the UK authorities are concerned you are UK Resident/ UK Address

use family UK etc. address for all deliveries from outside thailand

family then make trusted discrete delivery ( with letters) to you in thailand 

 

debit cards must be in your personal possession for security & ATM use

never use phones for any financial transaction ( so easily hacked)

 

fraudster debit card interception using reg. post or courier is nearly impossible when secreting bank cards with “food or clothing or documents”. etc., especially when under online delivery “tracking”.

 

no need to freeze account just empty it until card received and confirmed online “no unauthorized transactions”.

 

banks assume customers have stupidly linked card with password or

that password can be “brute forced” by fraudsters in possession of card.

it can but risk is highly remote unless pkg stupidly described as “ bank card”

or “valuables” or “ important documents” !

all bank security rules are to protect them not you and for their convenience.

Nationwide send replacement cards to Thailand.

Also having a photo instead of the actual card is useless if you use Internet banking as you need to insert the card into a reader to get a code to access your account.