"ATM scam" - myth or reality ?

[ThailandRyan]

On 5/30/2022 at 12:50 AM, Baron Samedi said:

Scam is how it's being called on many websites out there.

It is a dubious practice to say the least.

200 THB is like 5 euros/dollars for one single ATM withdrawal.

It has nothing to do with whether I can afford it or not.

I just don't see why I should pay them to have the privilege to access my money so I can spend it in their country.

Just because your country's banks do not charge ATM fees doesn't mean the Thai banks shouldn't.  When I first came here I would be charged 180 baht for using the ATM as well as the exchange rate my bank added in.  I then got smart and opened up an account here and withdrew my money I had deposited....no fees unless you use another banks ATM.

[NanLaew]

17 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.

There's at least a couple already doing that in Udon Thani, the most technologically advanced province in the whole dogpile.

[NanLaew]

5 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>.

It's the new-age equivalent of queuing up behind the lady with maybe three of four of her brood who all dully watch the cashier scan each item and only after the grand total pops up on the screen, only then do they suddenly blink and remember their purse. After digging in their handbags they remember that the oldest niece actually had the purse last. Then she goes digging for it and, after finding it, asks for the umpteenth time "tao-arai?" and finally, squinting at the screen with renewed attention, counts out the bills.

 

...then they see that it's x-hundred baht AND X-SATANGS, so now everyone is digging in their pockets and/or purses and/or handbags to find this dross of exact change.

 

And you're infuriated by people who are slow with their digital banking apps? Take a number.

[Ralf001]

5 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

It's the new-age equivalent of queuing up behind the lady with maybe three of four of her brood who all dully watch the cashier scan each item and only after the grand total pops up on the screen, only then do they suddenly blink and remember their purse. After digging in their handbags they remember that the oldest niece actually had the purse last. Then she goes digging for it and, after finding it, asks for the umpteenth time "tao-arai?" and finally, squinting at the screen with renewed attention, counts out the bills.

 

...then they see that it's x-hundred baht AND X-SATANGS, so now everyone is digging in their pockets and/or purses and/or handbags to find this dross of exact change.

 

And you're infuriated by people who are slow with their digital banking apps? Take a number.

I just leave, ive not time for that <deleted>.

[wn78]

7 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

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

There was nothing condescending in my reply, considering that you dismissed my previous question with a trivial unhelpful answer.  Never mind, have a good day sir.

[Mac Mickmanus]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Just because your country's banks do not charge ATM fees doesn't mean the Thai banks shouldn't.  When I first came here I would be charged 180 baht for using the ATM as well as the exchange rate my bank added in.  I then got smart and opened up an account here and withdrew my money I had deposited....no fees unless you use another banks ATM.

How did you get your money from a foreign currency in your home bank account , to Thai Baht in your Thai account ?

[Bruno123]

8 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

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.

 

Wrong. I don't think most people would regard the Mastercard/Visa rate as a "lower exchange rate". 

Many can take advantage of the Mastercard/VISA rate with no other fees at all. No need for reimbursement, as there is no fee charged in the first place. Credit cards in the main, but sometimes debit cards are accepted.

[Photoguy21]

On 5/29/2022 at 11:08 PM, Baron Samedi said:

Thailand can be such an annoying place sometimes...

Exchange rates already suck and now this BS ????

It's like they're trying to scuttle their own tourism industry with dumb moves like this one...

 

Ok. Thanks for your help Stick Rice Balls !

Genuine question, if you are in Europe why does it matter what the Baht rate is in Thailand? 

[Baron Samedi]

6 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Genuine question, if you are in Europe why does it matter what the Baht rate is in Thailand? 

I lived in Thailand for a couple of years in the 2010's.

 

I was thinking about another trip there (don't really know for how long) but I'm not so sure anymore. Exchange rates suck, ATM fees make me cringe, nightlife is on life support and there is no clear way forward (TAT's plans for the future seem half-baked honestly). Didn't look at the price of visas, visa runs, ED visas and so on but higher prices wouldn't surprise me...

 

But I gotta say the AseanNow community is pretty cool ????

[ThailandRyan]

2 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

How did you get your money from a foreign currency in your home bank account , to Thai Baht in your Thai account ?

Travelled here with the cash initially and deposited it into an account I opened with SCB while on a tourist Visa while in Phuket.  Traveling back and forth every quarter like I did I kept bringing in cash (USD $100 dollar bills) and kept depositing them into the account.  Sometimes I would go into the branch and take a cash draw on my CC which I would then deposit, while paying off the amount I took back to my CC.  Nowadays I wire the money to my K-Bank account/s.  I have not withdrawn any money from my US accounts using an ATM or cash draw in over 10 years now.

[Mac Mickmanus]

32 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Travelled here with the cash initially and deposited it into an account I opened with SCB while on a tourist Visa while in Phuket.  Traveling back and forth every quarter like I did I kept bringing in cash (USD $100 dollar bills) and kept depositing them into the account.  Sometimes I would go into the branch and take a cash draw on my CC which I would then deposit, while paying off the amount I took back to my CC.  Nowadays I wire the money to my K-Bank account/s.  I have not withdrawn any money from my US accounts using an ATM or cash draw in over 10 years now.

That isn't possible for many of us , as we don't regularly go back to our home Countries and thus cannot bring the cash over 

[Mac Mickmanus]

11 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

 

 

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.

Once again we are talking about ATM fees and you can ovoid ATM fees by not using ATM's and getting cash over the Counter at a bank . 

   There will probably be other fees as there will be when using ATM's , but we are specifically talking bout the 220 Baht ATM fee which is additional to the other banking fees 

[gamb00ler]

5 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Once again we are talking about ATM fees and you can ovoid ATM fees by not using ATM's and getting cash over the Counter at a bank . 

   There will probably be other fees as there will be when using ATM's , but we are specifically talking bout the 220 Baht ATM fee which is additional to the other banking fees 

I've explained it very well for you.  However, that hasn't helped.

[Lacessit]

I would only withdraw funds from an ATM in an emergency.

I go to a bank in the same province with my savings passbook and my passport, collect a queue ticket, and wait patiently to be called. I then withdraw what I want without any fees.

The 200 baht fee is for the convenience of getting cash from an ATM in under a minute.

[Ralf001]

2 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I would only withdraw funds from an ATM in an emergency.

I go to a bank in the same province with my savings passbook and my passport, collect a queue ticket, and wait patiently to be called. I then withdraw what I want without any fees.

The 200 baht fee is for the convenience of getting cash from an ATM in under a minute.

you carry the savings passbook given by your home country bank ?

[Mac Mickmanus]

6 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

I've explained it very well for you.  However, that hasn't helped.

Yes, You explained that there may be other fees , but everyone knows that , we are solely talking about the ATM fee .

   BTW , what are the other charges banks charge when using an ATM ?

  I was paying about 2-3 % when I withdrew money from the UK account in a Thai bank in "foreign transaction fees " , I suppose that those fees also apply when using a Thai ATM ?

[Lacessit]

20 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

you carry the savings passbook given by your home country bank ?

Thai bank. If the OP doesn't want to pay ATM fees, he needs to open a bank account in Thailand. But you knew that already, didn't you?

 

I don't know about the rest of the Western world, but savings passbooks are as anachronistic as button-up boots in Australia. Most banking is done via the internet and debit/credit cards, ATM's are being closed by the banks. It's well on the way to being a cashless society, which the government loves.

[Ralf001]

15 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Thai bank. If the OP doesn't want to pay ATM fees, he needs to open a bank account in Thailand. But you knew that already, didn't you?

 

I don't know about the rest of the Western world, but savings passbooks are as anachronistic as button-up boots in Australia. Most banking is done via the internet and debit/credit cards, ATM's are being closed by the banks. It's well on the way to being a cashless society, which the government loves.

Ive never heard of someone paying a 200b atm charge in Thailand when using a Thai bank issued card.

 

 

[digbeth]

with phone apps cardless withdrawal, you can even get cash from thai bank accounts at the ATM without out of area fee or the annual debit card renewal fee, only catch is  you're locked in to your banks' own ATM

[gamb00ler]

2 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

   BTW , what are the other charges banks charge when using an ATM ?

  I was paying about 2-3 % when I withdrew money from the UK account in a Thai bank in "foreign transaction fees " , I suppose that those fees also apply when using a Thai ATM ?

I only use US debit cards that have no foreign transaction fees and have not bothered to dive into the detailed terms and conditions of cards that charge that fee.  I can't help with your question.

[bbko]

Next the cry babies will say Wise transfers are a scam because they're charging a fee to allow them access their own money.....555.

[treetops]

7 hours ago, Baron Samedi said:

I lived in Thailand for a couple of years in the 2010's.

I find that surprising.  In the few days since you started posting under this username I got the impression you were only about 14 years old.  Just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover.

[wn78]

1 hour ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

she agreed to swipe it at the counter and avoid all said fees...done and done....and yet you can see some posters here are offended.

Thank you very much, that's what I wanted to know.  So they just swipe your ATM at the counter, I never knew that was possible.  You have to enter your PIN at a keypad, right?  Seems like this is not a standard procedure that they offer, since you had to wiggle your way in with a nice dress and cover story.... Do you remember the name of the bank?

Edited May 31, 2022 by wn78

[Photoguy21]

15 hours ago, Baron Samedi said:

I lived in Thailand for a couple of years in the 2010's.

 

I was thinking about another trip there (don't really know for how long) but I'm not so sure anymore. Exchange rates suck, ATM fees make me cringe, nightlife is on life support and there is no clear way forward (TAT's plans for the future seem half-baked honestly). Didn't look at the price of visas, visa runs, ED visas and so on but higher prices wouldn't surprise me...

 

But I gotta say the AseanNow community is pretty cool ????

Best bet if you are changing money is Super Rich, there is a terminal at the airport and if using a card use the ATM of the bank from which the card was obtained. i.e. Bangkok Bank card use a Bangkok Bank ATM

[smutcakes]

On 5/30/2022 at 5:23 PM, 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.

This might be a stupid question but for numbers 1) & 4) what charges are there for ATM card and ATM withdrawals? I dont think i get charged when withdrawing locally.

The only one which i found annoying in the past was number 2.... but i transfer money inter province basically never so luckily it does not annoy me to much.

 

Number 3) Get email notification.

[Lacessit]

13 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Ive never heard of someone paying a 200b atm charge in Thailand when using a Thai bank issued card.

 

 

Er - I think you will find if you put a Bangkok Bank debit card into a Kasikorn ATM, or vice versa, there will be a fee attached to any withdrawal.

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Er - I think you will find if you put a Bangkok Bank debit card into a Kasikorn ATM, or vice versa, there will be a fee attached to any withdrawal.

most certainly but I did not know that fee is 200b.

 

I thought the 200b fee was when using a foreign card in a local ATM.

[smutcakes]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Er - I think you will find if you put a Bangkok Bank debit card into a Kasikorn ATM, or vice versa, there will be a fee attached to any withdrawal.

I am pretty sure there is not anymore for a good few years.

[Lacessit]

3 minutes ago, smutcakes said:

I am pretty sure there is not anymore for a good few years.

Have you tested to find out? I haven't because I would only use an ATM for emergencies anyway.

I know one can use any bank card in any ATM in Australia without fees, but Thai banks IMO would be very reluctant to let go of any revenue.

[smutcakes]

1 minute ago, Lacessit said:

Have you tested to find out? I haven't because I would only use an ATM for emergencies anyway.

I know one can use any bank card in any ATM in Australia without fees, but Thai banks IMO would be very reluctant to let go of any revenue.

Well i use ATM's weekly for the past 15 years, granted i always use my bank ATM when available, but when needs must i use any of them. I recollect in the past there was a fee for using a different bank ATM, but cannot remember seeing the notice for as long as i can remember.