USA State Department Credit Union

[shortstop2]

In another thread, the USA State Department Credit Union was mentioned as an easy way to open a USA bank account from Thailand.

 

Looking at their eligibility requirements, one must be. amember of a Select Employee Group to join.  It appears members of American Citizens Abroad can join but membership in that organization costs $70 a year ($65 for seniors). 

 

Are there other more cost effective ways to join the State Department Credit Union than joining American Citizens Abroad?

 

Does either the State Department Credit Union or American Citizens abroad require a USA phone number for verification purposes?

 

Can one connect to Wise using the State Department Credit Union?

 

Next year, I will start receiving a pension.  I am looking for an account that can be opened by US citizens living in Thailand without needing to provide a US phone number which I don't have to which my pension can be direct deposited and then use Wise to transfer to Thailand?  Are there some other easy options besides the State Department Credit Union?  

 

I have a Fidelity account but am unable to obtain a Medallion Signature Guarantee here in Thailand which would enable me to set up international wire transfers and have no plans to visit the USA.

 

 

[livram]

You can join SDFCU by being a member of American Consumer Council which costs $8 for a year.  As far as I know after you become a member of SDFCU they do not check to see if you renew membership in ACC.

 

I joined SDFCU while living in Thailand and had no USA phone number or address.

 

You can transfer money to Thailand cheaply by sending a DOMESTIC wire to Bangkok Bank NY for $6 if retired. BkBank NY can then forward to your local Bangkok Bank account. 

 

Or as I do and have WISE do a bank debit from SDFCU and then send the funds to your bank in Thailand.

[shortstop2]

42 minutes ago, livram said:

You can join SDFCU by being a member of American Consumer Council which costs $8 for a year. 

That's great!  Thanks Livram!   ????

 

44 minutes ago, livram said:

You can transfer money to Thailand cheaply by sending a DOMESTIC wire to Bangkok Bank NY for $6 if retired. BkBank NY can then forward to your local Bangkok Bank account. 

Is the Domestic Wire the same as an ACH Transfer?

 

I have my Fidelity account linked to Bangkok Bank New York but was under the impression that it was no longer coded properly for ACH transactions.

 

I also have my Social Security going directly to a different Bangkok Bank account but don't think I can link my Fidelity account to new accounts.

 

47 minutes ago, livram said:

if retired

Am a bit confused.  Any idea how I would go about doing this?  I go to a Bangkok Bank branch in Thailand and tell them I'm retired and want to send domestic wires?

[gamb00ler]

1 hour ago, livram said:

You can transfer money to Thailand cheaply by sending a DOMESTIC wire to Bangkok Bank NY for $6 if retired. BkBank NY can then forward to your local Bangkok Bank account. 

 

 

34 minutes ago, shortstop2 said:

That's great!  Thanks Livram!   ????

 

Is the Domestic Wire the same as an ACH Transfer?

 

I have my Fidelity account linked to Bangkok Bank New York but was under the impression that it was no longer coded properly for ACH transactions.

 

I also have my Social Security going directly to a different Bangkok Bank account but don't think I can link my Fidelity account to new accounts.

 

Am a bit confused.  Any idea how I would go about doing this?  I go to a Bangkok Bank branch in Thailand and tell them I'm retired and want to send domestic wires?

If you send your pension to State Department Federal Credit Union (SDFCU) for automatic deposit you will be granted Emeritus status.  Emeritus members can do domestic wires for $6.  Those wires are different from ACH transfers and do satisfy Bangkok Bank's requirements for subsequent transfer to an account in Thailand.  BKK bank will also charge you 200-500 ฿ on the receiving end.  This charge will not be shown in your statement.

[shortstop2]

4 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

If you send your pension to State Department Federal Credit Union (SDFCU) for automatic deposit you will be granted Emeritus status.  Emeritus members can do domestic wires for $6. 

Thanks Gambler!

 

If will be about 20 months until my pension kicks in.

 

Looking at the SDFCU website, I can't find much about Emeritus Status, perhaps because I'm not logged in since I'm not a member.

 

How else can a retired person be granted Emeritus Status?

[gamb00ler]

Unfortunately, SDFCU doesn't have a great web site.

 

Contacting them would be the best way to get information.

 

 

sdfcuDocs.pdf

[Zaphod]

If you have a gmail account, you have a US phone number.  Log in to your Gmail account from this link:

www.voice.google.com

Or download the voice app. From there you can see your US phone number and make and receive calls to/ from the US from anywhere in the world. 

[mtls2005]

6 hours ago, shortstop2 said:

How else can a retired person be granted Emeritus Status?

Gazillions of threads here on SDFCU, with answers to your questions and more.

 

I'd do a search. 

 

For this question, others here have reported that you can get Emeritus status by having your pension or social security deposited directly at SDFCU.

 

 

 

You could redirect your SSA benefit to SDFCU now and direct your pension payment to SDFCU.

 

 

I think Fidelity will send a SWIFT/Wire based on your telephone request without a standing order (medallion), but they may try to verify your identity. They do not charge a fee for international wire transfers, at least for some customers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mtls2005]

1 minute ago, Zaphod said:

If you have a gmail account, you have a US phone number.  Log in to your Gmail account from this link:

www.voice.google.com

Or download the voice app. From there you can see your US phone number and make and receive calls to/ from the US from anywhere in the world. 

 

Don't think this will work, you need to have a U.S. mobile number to receive an activation SMS. Most recommend asking a family/friend in the U.S. to relay the SMS, but that also introduces future challenges. You can get a free number from Talkatone, then use that to for anything including registering with GV, but you may need to use a VPN?

[mtls2005]

16 hours ago, shortstop2 said:

Can one connect to Wise using the State Department Credit Union?

Found this using google

 

https://www.sdfcu.org/banking-services-wire-transfers-wise

https://www.sdfcu.org/banking-services

 

[gamb00ler]

17 hours ago, livram said:

Or as I do and have WISE do a bank debit from SDFCU and then send the funds to your bank in Thailand.

I think you can reduce Wise's fees slightly if you set up a multi-currency account with them and then "push" your funds to them from SDFCU rather than having Wise "pull" the funds from your SDFCU account.  The fee is about $1.60 per 1K US$.  All other Wise fees will remain the same.  It does take a little more planning ahead because the push transfer will take a day or two.