PayPal is cancelling personal accounts in Thailand from next year

[CLUBBER]

13 hours ago, Karma80 said:

Consider it a public service. It's the Nokia of payment platforms and should be a footnote in history.

I have been saying this forever !

[JaydenL]

Perhaps this is a silly question, but I've been reading a lot and still I am not certain if I'm right. My registered PayPal account is in my home country in Europe, I'm never receiving any payments from Thai sources and all of my funds come from the US. However, I am using PayPal to access from Thailand, which redirects me to paypal.com/th/ sort of link. Even though there are no affiliations with Thailand (I am also using a US bank account for withdrawals), will I still be able to access PayPal normally? I didn't receive any e-mail from PayPal regarding this.

My final questions, should I use VPN of my home country to access PayPal after that date, and should I change my phone number from a Thai to an European one? That's the only Thai thing I have in my account, the phone number. I am just worried that a VPN can get my account locked.

[david555]

17 minutes ago, JaydenL said:

Perhaps this is a silly question, but I've been reading a lot and still I am not certain if I'm right. My registered PayPal account is in my home country in Europe, I'm never receiving any payments from Thai sources and all of my funds come from the US. However, I am using PayPal to access from Thailand, which redirects me to paypal.com/th/ sort of link. Even though there are no affiliations with Thailand (I am also using a US bank account for withdrawals), will I still be able to access PayPal normally? I didn't receive any e-mail from PayPal regarding this.

My final questions, should I use VPN of my home country to access PayPal after that date, and should I change my phone number from a Thai to an European one? That's the only Thai thing I have in my account, the phone number. I am just worried that a VPN can get my account locked.

I tried your url for PayPal , and i got this opening screen ,  different than as i login my E.U. country PayPal login with my email or E.U. number while being   here in Thailand  as then all on screen  is in my language , so use your E.U. number to connect to PayPal and try  and choose your country flag while login  ...., A VPN would not give you access i guess as that can become detected  

 

This my login screen when connecting my PayPal (is my original one still from when living in E.U. country )

Edited November 12, 2021 by david555

[chang50]

I sure hope this doesn't effect Wise as I currently get my private pension sent there and was planning to get my UK state pension sent there soon when I reach retirement age which I now have to reconsider.I'm sure there are thousands of expats in this position.

[happydreamer]

8 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Only one exchange, that of Wise. My online teaching company pays in USD, goes into my US bank.

 

It's nice when the dollar is up against the baht. We nearly hit 34 last month.

 

We can't go straight into the Thai bank, because of the topic of this thread.

I think he was referring to being hit with fees CrunchWrap .  PP hits you with a fee and Wise hits you with a fee

[shocky2012]

Can someone enlighten me please.

I've been using a Paypal account here in Thailand since 2016 I think (with one of my e-commerce site that's linked to my Canada bank account).  60% of my online transaction rely on Paypal & this account.

 

Will I still be able to receive payments from overseas (most of my customers are in USA & UK) to my Paypal account even though I'm based in Thailand or?

 

TBH I kind of understand Paypal point of view. Most of the criminals living in Thailand are using Paypal and trade cracked Paypal accounts and sell them on the dark web..

[Nabby]

Digital nomads not going to like this. 

[gearbox]

1 hour ago, shocky2012 said:

Can someone enlighten me please.

I've been using a Paypal account here in Thailand since 2016 I think (with one of my e-commerce site that's linked to my Canada bank account).  60% of my online transaction rely on Paypal & this account.

 

Will I still be able to receive payments from overseas (most of my customers are in USA & UK) to my Paypal account even though I'm based in Thailand or?

 

TBH I kind of understand Paypal point of view. Most of the criminals living in Thailand are using Paypal and trade cracked Paypal accounts and sell them on the dark web..

Paypal actively cooperates with the relevant anti money laundering and tax authorities. For example the Australian Tax Office has access to the Paypal transactions.

 

The move here is to cut off the freeloaders which try to avoid paying taxes in any jusrisdiction. If they work in Thailand (illegally or not) they need to be paid somehow...paying to Australian or US Paypal accounts is no problem, but this is taxable income in the relevant jurisdiction. So apparently there was a loophole when a Thai Paypal account could be used, but the Thais didn't have proper monitoring to declare it as taxable income. This would be now enforced by requiring business accounts.

 

In the end people have to pay taxes so there are roads, police, fire brigades etc. 

[spermwhale]

16 hours ago, edwardFuture said:

This is to discourage people working illegally here. I hope Wise follows too. For instance by allowing transfers from and to bank accounts under the same name only and with work permit.

That's idiotic. Wise is used widely to pay people for their work in other countries. That's what I do with my business. I pay a number of foreign vendors using Wise. That's the whole point. 

[shortstop2]

Perhaps a stoopid question but exactly how do we know if our Paypal account is a Thai Paypal account?  

[Jonathan Swift]

18 hours ago, Karma80 said:

Consider it a public service. It's the Nokia of payment platforms and should be a footnote in history.

People who have bad experiences with Paypal usually have only themselves to blame for failing to understand the rules and how it works. I've been using it for 17 years, I had my headaches in the beginning, but one of the advantages is that if you buy something like a plane ticket and the airline tries to avoid giving you a refund which you're entitled to, Paypal will protect your purchase and allow you to contest any transaction. But you have to know the system and how it works. So if anyone is a relic of history it's the people who never learned to navigate it, and perhaps you are among them. BTW this story is false. It seems even Thai journalists have failed to understand the basics of Paypal and its relaunch here. I was notified to review and agree to the new Paypal agreement which most CERTAINLY is not cancelling personal accounts. It is merely requiring that you register as a business in Thailand if you are to receive funds into your account. As such it is also renaming itself Paypal Thailand. If you do not need to do that, you can just use it to make payments. Paypal is merely one of many options for these kinds of services. It's not for everyone or everything. Since there is no Ebay for Thailand, and since I don't sell things when I'm here,  there is little or no use to me for importing funds to a paypal account. In the US I sell a lot of stuff on Ebay, antiques and collectibles, and musical instruments from my collection,  where it's practical and expeditious. 

[Jonathan Swift]

18 hours ago, mikebell said:

I get three requests a week from Paypal to update my personal details.  Is this the same spoof thing?  How can I close my account?  Will the real Paypal please stand up.

Try contacting them through their ordinary help and contact links right on your account page. If you need to update your account, there should be messages on your account page in an icon at the top. Or you can just google search your question, how can I close my Paypal account. 

[Jonathan Swift]

18 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

I have never seen a checkout option with WISE listed

 

As I've said elsewhere, Paypal will allow you to keep your account to make purchases or send money without registering as a business. You simply have to sign the new user agreement and then follow and other necessary steps. Most of us know that Wise® is a money transfer service, one of very few who can bring your money into your Thai bank at a reasonable rate. That is its sole function. Most any bank in Thailand easily allows direct ACH transfers for free within Thailand, I use that to pay my rent and I used it to pay my quarantine deposit. I use direct transfers for deposits on reservations if need be, but I also have two Thai bank debit/VISA/Mastercards. 

[PolyKala]

I stopped using PayPal ages ago anyway, it's a costly and inefficient way of transferring money, thankfully there are much better alternatives available now rather than rip off Dick Turpin merchants like PayPal and Western Union. However, the new regulations might have implications for YouTubers and Digital Nomads who are accustomed to availing of PP services. Unless of course they retain an account outside of TL and arrange to transfer their funds using a different method. Better to dispense with them completely and chose a different method.

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REPLY

 

 

[Jonathan Swift]

6 hours ago, david555 said:

I tried your url for PayPal , and i got this opening screen ,  different than as i login my E.U. country PayPal login with my email or E.U. number while being   here in Thailand  as then all on screen  is in my language , so use your E.U. number to connect to PayPal and try  and choose your country flag while login  ...., A VPN would not give you access i guess as that can become detected  

 

This my login screen when connecting my PayPal (is my original one still from when living in E.U. country )

Paypal accounts from your own country will not function except for buying and selling outside of Thailand, in your home country or from international sellers. That's why Paypal began operating a separate Thailand subsidiary for activity using funds within Thailand. I set up my Thailand paypal at first, tied to my Bangkok Bank debit/credit card for payments,  so that I could transfer my own funds here in an emergency, but that was before I started using Wise, which is lightning fast most of the time. I only used paypal Thailand a few times, but not in almost 2 years. I have never had my VPN cause me trouble, I switch it on if I'm browsing in the US or if I want my pages in English. If you have trouble just switch it off. The only important thing for Paypal is your ID and password. If you want to use Paypal to make purchases in Thailand then you need Paypal Thailand. If you have income that needs to come to a Paypal account you need to take the necessary steps as a business.  Like many people have stated, Paypal has very limited usefulness in Thailand  anyway. There are so many other options. Good luck

[skorp13]

I guess there's too many tg's getting money from overseas for certain reasons that are lying under the radar and they can't have that going on !

[HighPriority]

11 hours ago, LikeItHot said:

And they open accounts for Thais and ship the card to Thailand?

Apparently not…

[Venom]

23 hours ago, Karma80 said:

Consider it a public service. It's the Nokia of payment platforms and should be a footnote in history.

You seem to have missed the point. Hint: The issue is not with the platform. 

[david555]

4 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Paypal accounts from your own country will not function except for buying and selling outside of Thailand, in your home country or from international sellers. That's why Paypal began operating a separate Thailand subsidiary for activity using funds within Thailand. I set up my Thailand paypal at first, tied to my Bangkok Bank debit/credit card for payments,  so that I could transfer my own funds here in an emergency, but that was before I started using Wise, which is lightning fast most of the time. I only used paypal Thailand a few times, but not in almost 2 years. I have never had my VPN cause me trouble, I switch it on if I'm browsing in the US or if I want my pages in English. If you have trouble just switch it off. The only important thing for Paypal is your ID and password. If you want to use Paypal to make purchases in Thailand then you need Paypal Thailand. If you have income that needs to come to a Paypal account you need to take the necessary steps as a business.  Like many people have stated, Paypal has very limited usefulness in Thailand  anyway. There are so many other options. Good luck

I only use PayPal for what it was made ....for paying things i buy ....but i could connected my Kweb card on my E.U. PayPal and it was accepted and  worked to pay example my Voip account . 

 

I was never interested to transfer or receive funds ....i use the proper way ...from E.U bank to  Thai bank and in reverse ....

i dont mind to pay for a safe & legal service....

i prefer result above risk ????

 

(Just showing a foreign PayPal account can work in Thailand for paying things if using for paying)

Edited November 13, 2021 by david555

[Furryman]

So what's a good alternative for sending Baht to the US? From what I can see, Wise does not offer this service.

 

[Ohyesuare]

2 minutes ago, Furryman said:

So what's a good alternative for sending Baht to the US? From what I can see, Wise does not offer this service.

 

DeeMoney.

[Furryman]

3 minutes ago, Ohyesuare said:

DeeMoney.

OK, thanks. I'll check them out.

[Joules]

On 11/12/2021 at 8:09 AM, Gandtee said:

Money laundering in Thailand? I don't believe it. Who would be so dishonest as to hide ill gotten gains? Certainly not my noodle vendor.????

Surely you jest.  I know several big time criminals laundering the $10/hour they make teaching English online for Cambly.  It's real.

[Joules]

8 hours ago, gearbox said:

Paypal actively cooperates with the relevant anti money laundering and tax authorities. For example the Australian Tax Office has access to the Paypal transactions.

 

The move here is to cut off the freeloaders which try to avoid paying taxes in any jusrisdiction. If they work in Thailand (illegally or not) they need to be paid somehow...paying to Australian or US Paypal accounts is no problem, but this is taxable income in the relevant jurisdiction. So apparently there was a loophole when a Thai Paypal account could be used, but the Thais didn't have proper monitoring to declare it as taxable income. This would be now enforced by requiring business accounts.

 

In the end people have to pay taxes so there are roads, police, fire brigades etc. 

The problem with Thailand isn't paying the tax.  The problem comes for a guy who is doing a little teaching online and has a retirement extension.  Illegal, but innocuous.  You cannot work at all with a retirement extension.  So this guy, if he wants ot continue teaching online, has to change his visa to a B (or a marriage extension if he qualifies), then try to get a work permit as "self employed."  If he gets all that (NOT EASY), and renews it all every year, he can pay the tax.  The problem is, they make paying the tax into a goat rope.

 

The government should create a streamlined process whereby a guy only making peanuts every year can continue to do so and pay tax on it with a retirement extension and no work permit.   Maybe set the threshhold at 8,000 baht a month and only for online work.  

Edited November 13, 2021 by Joules

[konaboy]

I see "buy me a coffee" on the end of these digital Thai views of various travel sites in Thailand.

Seems these are requests for direct payments, outside of Thai regulations? You tube payments separate?

[gearbox]

31 minutes ago, Joules said:

The problem with Thailand isn't paying the tax.  The problem comes for a guy who is doing a little teaching online and has a retirement extension.  Illegal, but innocuous.  You cannot work at all with a retirement extension.  So this guy, if he wants ot continue teaching online, has to change his visa to a B (or a marriage extension if he qualifies), then try to get a work permit as "self employed."  If he gets all that (NOT EASY), and renews it all every year, he can pay the tax.  The problem is, they make paying the tax into a goat rope.

 

The government should create a streamlined process whereby a guy only making peanuts every year can continue to do so and pay tax on it with a retirement extension and no work permit.   Maybe set the threshhold at 8,000 baht a month and only for online work.  

You can't work legally with a retirement extension (in theory) but in practice you can...just get paid to a bank account or Paypal account in your home country.  However in most cases that means filing a tax return and paying taxes.

[cmsally]

On 11/12/2021 at 9:28 AM, Heng said:

What are they requiring for business accounts?  I have one that I rarely use but haven't received any notices.   Do they actually want a copy of your Thai company registration docs?

They want the company reg. docs. and especially the 13 digit "tabien panit" number

[zzaa09]

8 minutes ago, gearbox said:

You can't work legally with a retirement extension (in theory) but in practice you can...just get paid to a bank account or Paypal account in your home country.  However in most cases that means filing a tax return and paying taxes.

Not with an offshore account.

[ChipButty]

On 11/12/2021 at 8:45 AM, HighPriority said:

But Wise DO offer a mastercard...

Not in Thailand, 

[gearbox]

1 minute ago, zzaa09 said:

Not with an offshore account.

Correct...but these are not cheap to operate unless you have significant inflows. For small income you may find it is cheaper to pay tax in the home country rather than maintain offshore accounts. What Paypal is used for goes in the category of small payments and "micropayments".  A kid which pays for online lessons adhoc won't do a bank transfer to a Cayman Islands bank account. And the offshore account transfers are under increased scrutiny as the time goes on.