Hotels and resorts in Thailand’s provinces of Phuket and Krabi have stopped accepting credit cards from Russian tourists, after many of them find themselves unable to pay credit card bills following the exclusion of seven of Russia’s major banks from the SWIFT financial global messaging system.

 

A senior executive of the Melia Hotel said that several hotels on Phuket have been trying to consult with the Bank of Thailand about this problem and ways to accept payments from their Russian clients.

 

He also said that about 15% of advance bookings made by Russian tourists have been cancelled since Europe and the United States imposed the harshest ever sanctions on Russia, in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/hotels-in-thailands-phuket-and-krabi-stop-accepting-credit-cards-from-russian-tourists/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-03-07

 

- Aetna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Cash is King, always.

 

TAT announces huge demand for hotels in Phuket and Krabi from everywhere  in the world has forced Russians out of the market....

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Hotels and resorts in Thailand’s provinces of Phuket and Krabi have stopped accepting credit cards from Russian tourists, after many of them find themselves unable to pay credit card bills following the exclusion of seven of Russia’s major banks from the SWIFT financial global messaging system.

That's gonna hurt the re-opening plan.

Just read that China has arranged for Russian banks to join the UnionPay processing system...never one to let an opportunity slip away....they have been trying for years to compete with Visa/MC and at least for Russians, it looks like they will be getting new UnionPay cards

A shame, but once again we see the common man paying for the sins of the heartless that rule them. Those in power and positions of privilege give not a jot for these folks.

Visa and Mastercard have already announced that their cards issued in Russia will no longer work, so I'd guess they won't be accepted anywhere anymore. Not limited to Phuket and Krabi.

Do the right thing and tell the Russian's they are no longer welcome.

I will tell my wife, she is now struggling in Russia to get back to Thailand (her home since 1998)

 

2 hours ago, Caldera said:

Visa and Mastercard have already announced that their cards issued in Russia will no longer work, so I'd guess they won't be accepted anywhere anymore. Not limited to Phuket and Krabi.

Exactly - the merchant runs the card, and the charge is either accepted or rejected. No one has to make a policy about which nationalities can use which payment methods in which localities. 

Russian banks are working to reissue credit cards though China's UnionPay.

Seems like a wave of robberies on gold shops across LOS committed by masked foreigners with a strange accent is imminent

9 hours ago, Lung Khao said:

Seems like a wave of robberies on gold shops across LOS committed by masked foreigners with a strange accent is imminent

If they are big guys and barge everybody out of the queue like they do in 7/11s it might be a bit of a giveaway!.....Niet???? 

The [Russians] need to get to get their embassy to call Putin and have a couple of his Oligarch mates WESTERN Union a couple of million dollars over to split amongst them all

 

 

Putin started out wanting $20-30M for his retirement pot, it didn’t take long for him to want to be the richest person in Russia then the World.

 

He can’t spend it anywhere except Russia and is at risk of losing everything if he loses power - which is what must happen now to restore peace and dignity to the Russian people.

Putin has done to Russia what many in the UK want. He has taken his country back to the 60's????

If it was my hotel I would only accept Russians if they can pay in advance in cash.