Thai Bank accounts being cancelled while overseas

[spambot]

I have 2 Kasikorn accounts and since I have been out of Thailand due to Covid for 18 months they are in danger of being cancelled.

To keep the accounts alive with transactions occurring I log in online and move an arbitrary amount of Baht from one account to the other, otherwise if there are no transactions within 12 months monthly charges occur until the balance is zero and the account is automatically cancelled.

Kasikorn last year introduced OTP for transactions between accounts for the same customer and since I have not retained a mobile Thai mobile number I have not been able to make transactions between the accounts since then.

 

A simple solution would be to buy a sim card with roaming posted to the UK.

 

Can anyone recommend a supplier (preferably with link) that can provide a prepaid Thai sim that will post to the UK? 

Also the sim would need to be set for Roaming on a Thai network before posting as I believe roaming can not be set while not connected to the provider network .

.

[StayinThailand2much]

Never had a problem with this, even with no transactions for years. Did you leave the minimum balance in the account?

[scubascuba3]

You shouldn't be getting monthly charges. They charge monthly for sms alerts for transactions but you can cancel them. All you need to do is transfer some money into your account and it won't be closed, use the Wise app

[spambot]

Yes that is one option and I will do this if I can not solve with sim card and roaming.

 

They only charge monthly fees - After 12 months of inactivity i.e. no transfers in / out.

[spambot]

23 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Never had a problem with this, even with no transactions for years. Did you leave the minimum balance in the account?

Yup - I did leave a minimum balance - about 350 Baht in each account and later found out if I had left greater than 2K Baht in each I would not have had the problem.

 

Likely I will follow scubascuba3 advice and transfer in from my Wise account, but this doesn't give me access to making payments from my Thai account while outside of Thailand. 

[scubascuba3]

even if you could get a new thai sim it won't work as usually you have to go to a branch to set up, so I'd forget that idea, transfer £100 via Wise into the accounts and make sure you set these up properly next time

[CharlieH]

Moved to banking

[blackcab]

18 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

even if you could get a new thai sim it won't work as usually you have to go to a branch to set up...

 

Exactly that. You will have to be present in the bank to set up your phone number. 

[david555]

1 hour ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Never had a problem with this, even with no transactions for years. Did you leave the minimum balance in the account?

And what happens when your debit card expieres when not in Thailand all those years  ....?

[DrJoy]

1 hour ago, spambot said:

Yes that is one option and I will do this if I can not solve with sim card and roaming.

 

They only charge monthly fees - After 12 months of inactivity i.e. no transfers in / out.

No.

If you have maintained the minimum balance of 2000 baht in each a/c , there is no fee/penalty

[Tom H]

1 hour ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Never had a problem with this, even with no transactions for years. Did you leave the minimum balance in the account?

No transaction for more than 2 years and your account is deactivated for sure! 

[spambot]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

even if you could get a new thai sim it won't work as usually you have to go to a branch to set up, so I'd forget that idea, transfer £100 via Wise into the accounts and make sure you set these up properly next time

Thanks scubascuba3 - Just to provide some context: This the response from Kasikorn Bank ...

 

In the case that you are in an overseas, and you have another Thai mobile phone number,
you can prepare supporting documents as following;

• A copy of the 1st page of your valid passport
• A copy of the latest page of passport which there are immigration stamps of arrival and departure
• A copy of last month invoice bill such as: electric bill, water bill, and telephone bill of your living country that showed your name and your overseas address.
• A copy of 1st page of your passbook
• Changing Profile Request Form (please see the attached file)

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, Tom H said:

No transaction for more than 2 years and your account is deactivated for sure! 

Not sure about other banks, but my Krung Thai Bank account didn't see any action for a couple of years, but was not closed down.

[spambot]

1 hour ago, david555 said:

And what happens when your debit card expieres when not in Thailand all those years  ....?

Great question David. I ask this also and this is the Bank's reply: 

Referring to your question we would like to inform you that if you did not renew the debit card after the card has been expire normally there is no fees to charge. Furthermore, after the card has been expire and the account still active in this case you can prepare your passport and passbook contact any Kasikorn bank branch to issue a new card directly.

[spambot]

4 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Not sure about other banks, but my Krung Thai Bank account didn't see any action for a couple of years, but was not closed down.

Hopefully the response from Kasikorn will help others with with the same Bank understand their position. This is their response position:

 

Regarding the account, please be informed that the account is needed the minimum available balance is 2,000 Baht for holding the account, if you still have 2,000 Baht or more in your account, then your account will be still active.


In the other hand, if you have the available balance in your account is less than 2,000 Baht and the account has no any transactions or any movement in 1 year, then next year, the account will be deducted 50 Baht per month and if it is deducted until the available balance is 0 Baht, the account will be canceled automatically.

[StayinThailand2much]

7 minutes ago, spambot said:

Regarding the account, please be informed that the account is needed the minimum available balance is 2,000 Baht for holding the account, if you still have 2,000 Baht or more in your account, then your account will be still active.

That confirms what I mentioned. You need to keep the minimum balance. For (most) banks in Thailand it's 2,000 baht. For some (like the former HSBC, which closed down years ago) it might be higher. - I learned that the hard way more than 20 years ago, when I was abroad, and didn't keep the minimum balance of 10,000 baht in my HSBC account, and then realised that the remaining balance shrank by 1,000 baht per month! (The conditions for the HSBC account were different from other banks.)

[spambot]

17 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

That confirms what I mentioned. You need to keep the minimum balance. For (most) banks in Thailand it's 2,000 baht. For some (like the former HSBC, which closed down years ago) it might be higher. - I learned that the hard way more than 20 years ago, when I was abroad, and didn't keep the minimum balance of 10,000 baht in my HSBC account, and then realised that the remaining balance shrank by 1,000 baht per month! (The conditions for the HSBC account were different from other banks.)

Mnnn - 1,000 Baht is a bit much - I am just about to close my HSBC account down here in UK since I only held it because I thought it would be usable as an emergency, having a Branch in Bangkok. When the need arose to connect information back to my account in UK the response was that there was no method they could use - However this was many years ago. 

[StayinThailand2much]

17 minutes ago, spambot said:

Mnnn - 1,000 Baht is a bit much - I am just about to close my HSBC account down here in UK since I only held it because I thought it would be usable as an emergency, having a Branch in Bangkok. When the need arose to connect information back to my account in UK the response was that there was no method they could use - However this was many years ago. 

Depends on the bank's conditions, i.e. the minimum balance requirement of your account.

 

As far as I know, there's currently no HSBC branch in Thailand. Also, the banks' subsidiaries in different countries are independent, e.g., as I found out, you cannot deposit money, say, at Kasikorn Bank in Laos into a Kasikorn Bank  account in Thailand. You would have to open an account in Laos (Good luck!) and then do it via SWIFT.

[scubascuba3]

6 hours ago, spambot said:

Thanks scubascuba3 - Just to provide some context: This the response from Kasikorn Bank ...

 

In the case that you are in an overseas, and you have another Thai mobile phone number,
you can prepare supporting documents as following;

• A copy of the 1st page of your valid passport
• A copy of the latest page of passport which there are immigration stamps of arrival and departure
• A copy of last month invoice bill such as: electric bill, water bill, and telephone bill of your living country that showed your name and your overseas address.
• A copy of 1st page of your passbook
• Changing Profile Request Form (please see the attached file)

Interesting that, no one has mentioned before, i reckon a headache to follow through but try it and let us know.

 

As for sim no one has reported a thai sim being sent to UK so maybe find someone who is willing to post or bring back to UK and post, will probably need activated in Thailand

[qadriamir]

To link Mobile number new or replacement you have to go in person to Bank with Passport.  There is no way of linking a mobile number just like that. I smell Fish here

[philisok]

I have been back in Australia for over 2 years, before returning I set my mobile number to Roaming, now I have no problem operating my Kasikorn Account from here as I can receive the necessary OTP when required, I use Kasikorn account to Top Up my Mobile Number when required.

If you have a Thai friend you should get him or her to Activate an AIS Sim, set roaming up on it and send it to you and then register that number with your Bank, the fact that the number is not in your name should not make any difference.

I may be able to help further if you need it

[mvdf]

14 hours ago, spambot said:

Can anyone recommend a supplier (preferably with link) that can provide a prepaid Thai sim that will post to the UK? 

 

If you have an iPhone or any phone that supports eSIM, there is no need to post, you can instantly get the SIM card and install it.

 

https://www.airalo.com/thailand-esim

 

The eSIM comes with a Thai number. 

 

Alternatively, yes, you will need to find someone who would be willing to buy the physical SIM card, activate roaming and post or courier it to you. That person must be someone you can trust because the SIM can be duplicated or renewed anytime, thus giving that person access to your OTP which, as you know, can be used to access your account and perform transactions if he or she is privy to your account number and mobile banking PIN or password.

 

 

[JetCruza]

Do the banks actually cancel the account i.e, close it down, or just make it inactive?

 

I had the same issue with Bangkok Bank (BBL) as my account was not used at all between Nov 2019 and Dec 2021, since I could not travel to Thailand due COVID.  When I finally did travel to Thailand in Dec last year, I arrived at my condo to find a letter from BBL telling me my account had been made inactive.  The matter was quite simply resolved by visiting my branch, presenting my ID and all was good again. I got a new pass book and new Debit Mastercard at the same time.  Quite straightforward.

 

By the way, I have a DTAC prepaid number and have now had it for 11 years - I monitor the status of the number via the DTAC app and if getting close to expiry, DTAC have a system where you can extend the number validity for 3 THB/month.  I think the maximum extension at a time is 6 months. A good easy to use system. 

[NeoDinosaw]

19 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Never had a problem with this, even with no transactions for years. Did you leave the minimum balance in the account?

I had a problem with SCB savings account.  I left 100 Baht in it when I left Thailand in 1976.  When I found the bank book and presented it the withdraw the money (which should have gained  a lot of interest), the teller smiled nicely and told me it had been closed. I considered taking the matter to court bt decided not to because it would cost too much in legal fees without any guarantee of winning.   Lucky I did not have 800,000 Baht sitting there ..............

[topt]

18 minutes ago, NeoDinosaw said:

I left 100 Baht in it when I left Thailand in 1976. 

 

19 minutes ago, NeoDinosaw said:

which should have gained  a lot of interest

Your having a laugh aren't you.............even if you left off a few zeros and no mention of what year you came back........

[spambot]

8 hours ago, philisok said:

I have been back in Australia for over 2 years, before returning I set my mobile number to Roaming, now I have no problem operating my Kasikorn Account from here as I can receive the necessary OTP when required, I use Kasikorn account to Top Up my Mobile Number when required.

If you have a Thai friend you should get him or her to Activate an AIS Sim, set roaming up on it and send it to you and then register that number with your Bank, the fact that the number is not in your name should not make any difference.

I may be able to help further if you need it

Thanks philisok - I need to investigate further, but I am told there might be either Lazada or eBay sellers that post to UK. Obviously the issue is getting Roaming set before the sim is sent. 

 

As a mater of interest what type of plan do you have for keeping the number active?

 

I cancelled my post paid plan with True before leaving and I could not find a pre paid plan that would last more than 30 days. Ideally just as back up for future eventualities it would make sense to buy and retain a pre paid sim that remains active for a least for 12 months and simply hold it in reserve while never needing to use while in Thailand. 

[spambot]

3 hours ago, JetCruza said:

Do the banks actually cancel the account i.e, close it down, or just make it inactive?

 

I had the same issue with Bangkok Bank (BBL) as my account was not used at all between Nov 2019 and Dec 2021, since I could not travel to Thailand due COVID.  When I finally did travel to Thailand in Dec last year, I arrived at my condo to find a letter from BBL telling me my account had been made inactive.  The matter was quite simply resolved by visiting my branch, presenting my ID and all was good again. I got a new pass book and new Debit Mastercard at the same time.  Quite straightforward.

 

By the way, I have a DTAC prepaid number and have now had it for 11 years - I monitor the status of the number via the DTAC app and if getting close to expiry, DTAC have a system where you can extend the number validity for 3 THB/month.  I think the maximum extension at a time is 6 months. A good easy to use system. 

JetCruza you make a good point - The status was identified only as "the account will be canceled automatically." - this could mean either closed or inactive.

 

The DTAC prepaid number extend the number validity for 3 THB/month - This is a good call. I am guessing then that making a call (or text) on the number (once roaming has been set up) this would then provide another 6 months. Hence for me this would be a solution, thanks.

[spambot]

7 hours ago, mvdf said:

If you have an iPhone or any phone that supports eSIM, there is no need to post, you can instantly get the SIM card and install it.

 

https://www.airalo.com/thailand-esim

 

The eSIM comes with a Thai number. 

 

Alternatively, yes, you will need to find someone who would be willing to buy the physical SIM card, activate roaming and post or courier it to you. That person must be someone you can trust because the SIM can be duplicated or renewed anytime, thus giving that person access to your OTP which, as you know, can be used to access your account and perform transactions if he or she is privy to your account number and mobile banking PIN or password.

 

 

Good call mvdf - I reviewed the app and the support required, unfortunately eSim is not supported on my Huawei P20 phone. However I do intend to buy a new phone when I arrive back in Thailand and will look for an eSim compatible phone - This option makes a lot of sense.

[Ohyesuare]

53 minutes ago, spambot said:

JetCruza you make a good point - The status was identified only as "the account will be canceled automatically." - this could mean either closed or inactive.

 

The DTAC prepaid number extend the number validity for 3 THB/month - This is a good call. I am guessing then that making a call (or text) on the number (once roaming has been set up) this would then provide another 6 months. Hence for me this would be a solution, thanks.

When Kasikorn closed my account due to inactivity, they would not let me reopen it. They wanted me to go through the whole process of opening an account again but this time they wanted a residence certificate and work permit or long term visa which the branch I went to never required when I first opened it. 

 

As for the SIM, as someone else said, it won't help you as it can only be activated for online banking/the app when you're in Thailand.

[Longreach]

u can get a thai phone thru zamarda.com. it is a virtual number.

i just got an oz one for OTP. i was not paying attention and my oz mobile number was

diconnected. very good service from zamarda and works great.

cost : 6usd for setup. 6 usd / month. i am very happy with this service.

need to pay for 3 months to get SMS (OTP).

 

of course, a problem if u have to go into branch in thailand to set number with bank.