"ATM scam" - myth or reality ?

[Mac Mickmanus]

10 minutes ago, Baron Samedi said:

Sure. But it only makes things more complicated for people.

I think it would be better for business to enable value and choice in payment options for visitors. In the end, I believe they'd be willing to spend more.

They could also give people free flights to Thailand ?

Free Visas as well 

[Mac Mickmanus]

2 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

 4 pages deep and all i did was offer a solution to the OP who asked about avoiding atm fees--which i did--legally and simply....and ohhh the backlash from the HISO sugar daddies--- $$$$

 

says alot....keep em coming gents i can take it.....the relentless white male grievances....lol

You got thanked for you input , no need for sexist and racist abuse from you 

[dingdongrb]

9 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

You got thanked for you input , no need for sexist and racist abuse from you 

.....but he's so cool I bet he pi$$es ice cubes....  ????

[redsongthaew]

2 hours ago, Baron Samedi said:

Utter scam ! Period.

You have been given numerous solutions but you choose to ignore them. Instead you continue to talk about ATM fees in a country where you are not present.

 

Have you seen the prices of food in places like Villa Market?

 

 

[Baron Samedi]

38 minutes ago, redsongthaew said:

You have been given numerous solutions but you choose to ignore them. Instead you continue to talk about ATM fees in a country where you are not present.

 

Have you seen the prices of food in places like Villa Market?

 

 

I don't ignore the solutions given by the community.

I'm grateful for them.

But it doesn't change the fact that ATM fees are a rip-off in Thailand.

If you want those kind of things to change you gotta speak up.

As for me being in Thailand or on Mars, I don't really see why it should matter?

I lived 3+ years in Thailand. Btw at the time I don't think that 200THB racket was in place yet. Maybe I'm wrong though...

 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Baron Samedi

[wn78]

23 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

There are alternatives such as cash, or travellers cheques or going into a bank to do an over the  counter transaction

How does that work exactly, if you don't have  a Thai bank account?

[Mac Mickmanus]

21 minutes ago, wn78 said:

How does that work exactly, if you don't have  a Thai bank account?

The idea is that you have a foreign bank account /ATM card

[OneMoreFarang]

5 hours ago, itsari said:

Machines are cheaper than humans in a bank .

If you can not see that I give up.

I guess you think machines are for free.

Or why else should the transfer be for free?

[BudRight]

7 hours ago, Baron Samedi said:

It shows that Thailand is more expensive than the most expensive developed nation on earth when it comes to ATMs ????

 

Utter scam ! Period.

One of the ways people justify a rip off in Thailand is they say "it's the same in every country!" but it never is.

I don't know why they bother defending the rip offs. You can be generally happy, respect Thai people and enjoy your life but that doesn't mean you have to be willfully oblivious when you are taken advantage of. 

[Baron Samedi]

12 minutes ago, BudRight said:

One of the ways people justify a rip off in Thailand is they say "it's the same in every country!" but it never is.

I don't know why they bother defending the rip offs. You can be generally happy, respect Thai people and enjoy your life but that doesn't mean you have to be willfully oblivious when you are taken advantage of. 

Exactly. Couldn't have said it better myself ????

[Ralf001]

10 hours ago, Baron Samedi said:

 

That being said, it might be about time for Thailand to enter the 21th century and offer decent digital payment options. I should be able to pay street food vendors with my phone in 2022.

 

The root cause of this nonsense is laziness.

Legacy businesses not willing to embrace technology because... well... let's keep fxxxxxx people up the xxx, it's so much easier.

 

Cannot see street food vendors willingly sign up to digital payments as that will expose them to the tax man.... Cash on the other hand.

 

I don't think it is laziness at all.

 

 

[scubascuba3]

11 hours ago, Baron Samedi said:

 That being said, it might be about time for Thailand to enter the 21th century and offer decent digital payment options. I should be able to pay street food vendors with my phone in 2022.

 

The root cause of this nonsense is laziness.

Legacy businesses not willing to embrace technology because... well... let's keep fxxxxxx people up the xxx, it's so much easier.

 

Some street food places do offer digital payment options, the 2 places I go to do, remember there was a 50\50 scheme during covid where the govt paid half, they seemed to start doing it around then

[FritsSikkink]

8 hours ago, truthman said:

You mean they want idiot tourists who won't scream when they're F---ed

Bring cash if you don't like it, it isn't that hard.

[FritsSikkink]

6 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

and im giving posters a solution to their problem--thanks for sharing..

If you bothered to read or could remember, i said bring cash.

[BudRight]

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

Cannot see street food vendors willingly sign up to digital payments as that will expose them to the tax man.... Cash on the other hand.

 

I don't think it is laziness at all.

 

 

A lot (most?) vendors I see accept "transfer" or have a QR code to scan for payment. I was down South for most of last year without my ATM card (having lost it) and got along fine using only the banking app to pay for things or sometimes getting cash when I could do cardless withdrawal from my bank's ATM.

[wn78]

6 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

The idea is that you have a foreign bank account /ATM card

Yes obviously.  You just show up to any Thai bank, hand them your foreign ATM card and they happily give you cash?  More details would be appreciated, like what are the fees for that service compared to ATMs.

[Ralf001]

56 minutes ago, BudRight said:

A lot (most?) vendors I see accept "transfer" or have a QR code to scan for payment. I was down South for most of last year without my ATM card (having lost it) and got along fine using only the banking app to pay for things or sometimes getting cash when I could do cardless withdrawal from my bank's ATM.

A lot (most?) street food vendors I see do not accept "transfer" or have a QR code to scan for payment.

 

Bricks and motor shop's on the other hand.

I get really infuratiated when some <deleted> whips out his phone to make payment because it takes them for ever to unlock the phone.... then scroll through the menu a few times to find woaht ever app they use..... then wave the phone around over a printed QR code... finally it works.

 

Really if one is goIng to use thIs payment method HAVE YA <deleted> PHONE UNLOCKED AND THE APP OPEN READY TO USE................YOU STUPID <deleted>.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Ralf001

[bbko]

For those crying scam, it's time for you to get a better bank in your home country.  My bank in the US only allows the Thai banks to charge me 30 baht not the 220b.  Some foreign banks have free international withdraws.  If the 220 is too much, make the maximum withdraw you can (30,000) or brings a large chunk of cash when you decide to come here.

[Ralf001]

1 minute ago, bbko said:

For those crying scam, it's time for you to get a better bank in your home country.  My bank in the US only allows the Thai banks to charge me 30 baht not the 220b.  Some foreign banks have free international withdraws.  If the 220 is too much, make the maximum withdraw you can (30,000) or brings a large chunk of cash when you decide to come here.

How does the US bank force Thai banks to lower their advertised fee's ?.

 

Or does your US bank reimburse you the money like other (some) baks do ?

 

FWIW the Thai banks will be getting that 220b... maybe not directly from you but you can bet you last dollar they are not waiving their fee's for nobody.

[Mac Mickmanus]

23 minutes ago, wn78 said:

Yes obviously.  You just show up to any Thai bank, hand them your foreign ATM card and they happily give you cash?  More details would be appreciated, like what are the fees for that service compared to ATMs.

Go into a bank and ask yourself , due to your condescending manner, I wont help you anymore 

[Guest truthman]

2 hours ago, BudRight said:

One of the ways people justify a rip off in Thailand is they say "it's the same in every country!" but it never is.

I don't know why they bother defending the rip offs. You can be generally happy, respect Thai people and enjoy your life but that doesn't mean you have to be willfully oblivious when you are taken advantage of. 

The government puts a limit of 10 baht for domestic atm withdrawls either at out of province or other bank ATMS. It's only the foreigners getting screwed.

[Guest truthman]

6 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

The idea is that you have a foreign bank account /ATM card

Most banks won't do it.

[gamb00ler]

9 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

People are not forced with draw large amounts though  , they can make free withdrawals inside the bank and no one has to use an ATM .

   No one has to pay to use an ATN , 

 

8 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

Your assertion is true only in cases where a specific combination of card issuers and Thai banks are the participants in the transaction in question.  Other combinations of issuers and Thai banks either don't work or are not "free".

 

Firstly only a few Thai banks offer cash advances from their tellers on debit/credit cards.  I think only Krungsri and Bangkok bank offer free cash advance services.

 

Secondly, for those using US based financial institutions, there is a short list of those that don't add foreign transaction fees for ATM withdrawals, purchases and cash advances from the teller.  I believe that for other nationalities, the list of fee free foreign transaction card issuers is also quite short.

 

Those two constraints mean that the vast majority of foreigners cannot obtain free withdrawals inside the bank.

 

8 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

We are talking about ATM fees .

Using the over the counter method would mean you wouldn't have to pay an ATM fee .

  There may be other fees you would have to pay , but we are specifically talking about ATM fees .

  From my experience , all banks that offer a currency exchange service can give cash on foreign debit cards , the bank just need to have a hand held card reader to process the transaction 

As you can see, I responded to your post that claimed you can walk into any bank and use a foreign debit card to obtain free withdrawals.  I pointed out the reasons that portion of your post is NOT accurate.

 

The bottom line is the fees if they follow your advice could easily be higher than the 220฿ ATM fee that is the topic of this thread.  Most US based debit cards add 1-3% in foreign transaction fees including on "cash advances" at the teller.

[phetphet]

23 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Because they need to buy an ATM, arrange a network to let the ATM talk to your local bank, get money transferred and hand over that money. Why should they do that for free? If you are to stingy, take cash from your own bank account and go to a money changer. Stop the scam BS, it isn't true because some idiots on a website say so.

The Banks are providing ATM's as much for their own sake as customers. They make more money, require less branches and staff. It's in the name: Automated Teller Machines.

 

I wonder how long it will be before they start to charge for each online transfer? 

 

Pre Covid BKK Bank allowed only 5 free online transactions / month before charging a small fee. Covid and the fear of transmission by handling notes caused the banks to drop that fee.

 

This then enabled them to make massive cost savings by closing branches, and cutting staff. but sooner or later they will be looking at how to increase profits again.

 

Just like they keep increasing ATM charges, What's to stop them reintroducing online transfer fees?

[Guest truthman]

11 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Why?

Let's say you go here to the ATM and you withdraw the equivalent to 500USD.

So that 500USD will be withdrawn from your account i.e. in the USA.

Why pays for the ATM machines? Who pays for the computers? Who pays for the software? Who pays for the data transmission? Who pays for the management of all that? Who pays when something goes wrong?

 

IMHO 220 THB is cheap for that service. And I am sure if that kind of service (ATM, bank transfer, etc.) would cost 1,000THB then people would still use it, because they need that service.

 

You remember the days before ATMs, when you would go into the bank and withdraw money from a teller -- for free. When you could open a checking account for free with no minimum balance? When ATMS were introduced, we were promised they would be more efficient and lower costs for the consumer. Now, they've become a cash cow for the banks.

[Guest truthman]

14 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

For starters, 4 obvious ones:

 

1) Charging for an ATM and/or Debit Card;

 

2) Charging transaction fees if one is not in the province of the Home bank;

 

3) Charging a fee to receive SMS notification of a transaction;

 

4) As pointed out in the thread, overcharging for ATM withdrawals.

And now they have tiers for ATM cards with costs as high as 600 baht a year

[Peterw42]

Basically, there is no such thing as a free withdrawal from a foreign bank in Thailand.

One way or another, you pay for it. At the ATM, via a lower exchange rate, via card issuer fees, via home bank transaction or cash advance fees, via yearly fees and conditions. Any of the home banks that reimburse fees etc, usually have huge yearly fees, minimum balance and minimum monthly deposits.

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by Peterw42

[itsari]

1 hour ago, Ralf001 said:

A lot (most?) street food vendors I see do not accept "transfer" or have a QR code to scan for payment.

 

Bricks and motor shop's on the other hand.

I get really infuratiated when some <deleted> whips out his phone to make payment because it takes them for ever to unlock the phone.... then scroll through the menu a few times to find woaht ever app they use..... then wave the phone around over a printed QR code... finally it works.

 

Really if one is goIng to use thIs payment method HAVE YA <deleted> PHONE UNLOCKED AND THE APP OPEN READY TO USE................YOU STUPID <deleted>.

I agree with your point that it is annoying to wait for people using there phones to make a payment . 

But I do not  agree with your reaction .

[BudRight]

2 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

A lot (most?) street food vendors I see do not accept "transfer" or have a QR code to scan for payment.

 

Bricks and motor shop's on the other hand.

I get really infuratiated when some <deleted> whips out his phone to make payment because it takes them for ever to unlock the phone.... then scroll through the menu a few times to find woaht ever app they use..... then wave the phone around over a printed QR code... finally it works.

 

Really if one is goIng to use thIs payment method HAVE YA <deleted> PHONE UNLOCKED AND THE APP OPEN READY TO USE................YOU STUPID <deleted>.

Not all street vendors have a QR code hanging there but if you ask if you can "own" then they will produce a slip of paper with an account number to do a transfer. 

 

I try to have my phone ready rock and roll when I do this, but my Thai bank's app is poorly optimized and runs slowly even on my decent phone.

 

It would be nice if it was as quick as using WeChat pay in China.
 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, truthman said:

You remember the days before ATMs, when you would go into the bank and withdraw money from a teller -- for free. When you could open a checking account for free with no minimum balance? When ATMS were introduced, we were promised they would be more efficient and lower costs for the consumer. Now, they've become a cash cow for the banks.

Yes, I remember that from back home from a long time ago.

And I remember my first trip to Thailand without ATM and with lots of cash and traveler checks.

And I had a credit card at that time. Officially it was not allowed to get cash from the credit card. I found a shop owner who deducted money from my credit card and he gave me cash minus 3% commission. I was happy that I was able to get cash.