3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Another invaluable facet of cashless payment... 

Paying people.... 

 

This has made paying mates etc so much easier...

 

Playing football... a pitch is booked, everyone owes there 220 baht or whatever it is... 

Everyone simply transfers through the Banking App (PromptPay etc)...   simple, no hassle (well, except for those who struggle with IT / Tech / Computers)....

 

 

The same people were probably whinging when check-books were phased out in the favour of debit cards etc.

 

 

I can't remember the last time I wrote a cheque.

 

Perhaps at the back end of the last century?

the mao internet is a very bad deal. 1 mbps, maybe a typo. i buy a new sim every year from lazada. newest sim : dtac. 30mbps. unlimted data.

Cost : 1640/12months = 140 bart a month. i have another sim for a permanent number. i spend very little on that one. just topup occasionally.

most communication by LINE on data sim.

54 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I can't remember the last time I wrote a cheque.

 

Perhaps at the back end of the last century?

I can’t remember the last time I saw one other than the massive ones being presented to lottery winners and charities.... 

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

I can’t remember the last time I saw one other than the massive ones being presented to lottery winners and charities.... 

The last cheque I was given was more bouncy than a bouncy castle????

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

A few minutes out of the 1,440 minutes in each day, sounds stressful to me, especially if retired with not much else to really do except sit on your duff when you return home....,,

It's my choice if I want to waste my time on ASEAN responding to posters whom I am never likely to meet, and probably would not want to anyway.

It's when someone else wastes my time with their incompetence that I get snarky.

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

I can't remember the last time I wrote a cheque.

 

Perhaps at the back end of the last century?

2014. It was a repayment to a government department, almost inevitably.

On 6/8/2022 at 6:16 PM, billd766 said:

All this is fine if you live in a big city or a tourist area.

 

Try it outside in rural Thailand at the shops and local markets and I would be surprised if 5% of the businesses will accept it. 7/11 and chain stores excepted but local businesses serve mostly local people and most local rural people use cash money.

 

See how many food vans in rural areas will take it, baht buses, m/c taxis etc.

 

Most of the Thai people don't live in the big cities but in smaller towns, villages moo bans etc

This is most strange, I live in a small Issan village 25km from any city and I use my phone to pay for everything, basically because I never have any cash.

 

Cash is still king, but a lot of people use and accept phone payment. I would go as far as saying most accept it, they all learned to during Covid when the government introduced the "50/50" scheme, they either adapted or turned away free money. The local sign shop does a roaring trade in laminated QR codes, which you see swinging from all the mobile vegetable sale trucks and motorbikes. My wife has a small morning market stall, and it's great to be able to snatch a sale when a buyer didnt bring enough cash with them, even the lottery sellers with the wooden boxes of tickets will accept a QR payment.

 

Perhaps our area is technologically advanced, the Silicon Valley of Khon Kaen.

 

 

 

8 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

  

 

I agree... Keep it simple - let the tech work for me - it’ll save me hassle in the long run, ABS, BlindSpot warning, lane departure warning, heads up display, collision warning alert, collision avoidance....  etc etc...  all excellent and can prevent anyone from having an accident.... 

I’m sure ABS on my motorcycle has already...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will the tech really work for you, or someone else?

Your lane departure system poops in its trousers. You go to your friendly service department, it's a monopoly because independent mechanics have been driven out of business. They say make an appointment for Tuesday week, bring a spare arm and leg to pay.

Time was, I could do my own tuning, brake relines, cylinder bleeds, grease and oil change, even replace the universals in the RWD shaft. I would not even know where to start now, a shifter and a few sockets doesn't cut the mustard.

If I look at what is termed fruit salad by the car trade in 2022, IMO 90% of it is there to compensate for lousy driver training and skills. I need to be alerted I am about to have a collision? Spare me.

Sorry, off topic, but it's also about being half-smart.

47 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Will the tech really work for you, or someone else?

If referring the Banking App payments via QR code or Prompt pay, I’ve never had it not work.

The ’Tap ’n Go’ system (with the Wifi type fan symbol on the card) works brilliantly in the UK, but not so often here in which case the card has to be inserted as normal which takes a little longer. 

 

47 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Your lane departure system poops in its trousers.

Humans fail more than modern tech, thats why these systems exist int eh first place. 

 

 

47 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

You go to your friendly service department, it's a monopoly because independent mechanics have been driven out of business. They say make an appointment for Tuesday week, bring a spare arm and leg to pay.

I kind of agree... Tech has become so advanced that we can’t really do things ourselves.. I would want to on modern cars. 

We have warranty’s for that, extended warranties...    and after the warranty we can take the cars to localised ’specialists’...   Especially in Thailand we can continue to take the car to the main dealer or to a nearby tech / mechanic who knows that specific brand, these types of garages have been around for ages, some have developed their own brand (Yontrakit for example). 

 

47 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Time was, I could do my own tuning, brake relines, cylinder bleeds, grease and oil change, even replace the universals in the RWD shaft. I would not even know where to start now, a shifter and a few sockets doesn't cut the mustard.

The cars (and tech) just got a lot lot better... 

 

47 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

If I look at what is termed fruit salad by the car trade in 2022, IMO 90% of it is there to compensate for lousy driver training and skills. I need to be alerted I am about to have a collision? Spare me.

Sorry, off topic, but it's also about being half-smart.

Human failure is common in all of us.. an alert system is watching that space 100% of the time, you are not. A reverse alert is monitoring that space 100% of the time because you can’t quite see everything when reversing out....   You think you driving and training prevent you from having an accident... I already mentioned the Dunning Kruger effect... As we all age we slow down, theses aids become useful.

 

They don’t replace driver training and skills, but the compliment them....  everyone things they are a good driver, everyone things most others are not....   

 

The tech is there to help us and compliment our lives.... in banking it makes things smoother and easier, in cars it makes things safer... that really isn’t debatable....   

 

Adjusting to, adopting to, liking tech is a personal choice...  but I do hope people aren’t making blind decisions based on a negative bias - thats all. 

 

 

 

 

The sooner  the better. Its brilliantly fast in the  UK. In London buses haven't taken cash for  years, in pubs and supermarkets there is a lot less queueing. Last time I was in London I stopped going out at night with money but had to remember  to take some change out for the beggars.

On 6/8/2022 at 5:31 PM, Lacessit said:

I really hate it when I am at a supermarket lane with my purchases, and some person with the attention span of a goldfish is fumbling with their phone to do whatever voodoo is necessary. I hand over cash, gone in 20 seconds.

It's a paradox, smartphones are purchased by some very dumb people.

Especially in my local Makro with signs in Thai and English saying cash only

16 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

They don’t replace driver training and skills, but the compliment them....  everyone things they are a good driver, everyone things most others are not....   

 

The tech is there to help us and compliment our lives.... in banking it makes things smoother and easier, in cars it makes things safer... that really isn’t debatable....   

 

Adjusting to, adopting to, liking tech is a personal choice...  but I do hope people aren’t making blind decisions based on a negative bias - thats all. 

 

 

 

 

I must admit to liking the rear sensors for parking.

New tech does not always work as it should. CVT systems were supposed to save on fuel, and they do. However, the Jatco CVT is a design that should have been strangled at birth.

It's cost quite a few owners heavily. The Nissan Leaf is equally infamous.

 

I think I am entitled to claim I am a better driver than most, without modern technology. In over 60 years of driving on all road conditions, I have never had a front-on collision. I've been rear-ended by a couple of drunks, T-boned by a couple of incompetents. I have never had an accident in ten years of driving in Thailand. I put that record down to a very good driving instructor, and also to having to pass a defensive driving course before I got the keys to my first company car.

 

Back on topic, I think I should be able to pick the technology I want to use. Which means a business which is cashless only won't be getting my custom.

7 minutes ago, ripstanley said:

Especially in my local Makro with signs in Thai and English saying cash only

So you have people queueing up to pay with their phones in a lane that says cash only. Same as the people who lug about 20 purchases to a lane that says limit 8 items.

3 hours ago, billd766 said:

I can't remember the last time I wrote a cheque.

 

Perhaps at the back end of the last century?

I just checked my cheque book - a 25 quid cheque sent to my brother in England for "postage" in November 2012.

On 6/8/2022 at 5:54 PM, tgw said:

the only way is to educate these businesses by taking your business elsewhere.

Don't be silly, the whole world is going cashless.  I just got back from the UK and no-one uses cash there anymore - several business will not even accept cash at all.  

13 hours ago, ripstanley said:

Especially in my local Makro with signs in Thai and English saying cash only

I will be avoiding those lanes, perhaps they are to assist the customers who want to use the phone express lane. 

Whenever I see someone clogging up a payment isle, it’s because they are digging around trying to find the exact money, or is often the case in Makro where quite understandably, it’s traders paying with a stack of 20B or 100B notes. However, I go to Makro at 6.15 am, maybe the tech illiterate don’t appear until later.

 

I have been at the uni dental hospital quite a lot recently, everyone pays with the phone, no one was fumbling around trying to fathom out how to work their phone. Again, I’m quite surprised how swiftly the general population has adopted QR payments. 

4 minutes ago, recom273 said:

I will be avoiding those lanes, perhaps they are to assist the customers who want to use the phone express lane. 

Whenever I see someone clogging up a payment isle, it’s because they are digging around trying to find the exact money, or is often the case in Makro where quite understandably, it’s traders paying with a stack of 20B or 100B notes. However, I go to Makro at 6.15 am, maybe the tech illiterate don’t appear until later.

 

I have been at the uni dental hospital quite a lot recently, everyone pays with the phone, no one was fumbling around trying to fathom out how to work their phone. Again, I’m quite surprised how swiftly the general population has adopted QR payments. 

Many have already been scanning the 50/50 QR codes for the government fee to help reduce the costs of food and such to them, so many are now becoming conditioned to using a payment app which does speed things along.

On 6/8/2022 at 5:31 PM, Lacessit said:

I really hate it when I am at a supermarket lane with my purchases, and some person with the attention span of a goldfish is fumbling with their phone to do whatever voodoo is necessary. I hand over cash, gone in 20 seconds.

It's a paradox, smartphones are purchased by some very dumb people.

I am pleased to hear i am not the only one to think this , also paying by phone or card means you not see the money going out of your account , you tend to spend more and get a shock when you get your bank statement ,

37 minutes ago, recom273 said:

I will be avoiding those lanes, perhaps they are to assist the customers who want to use the phone express lane. 

Whenever I see someone clogging up a payment isle, it’s because they are digging around trying to find the exact money, or is often the case in Makro where quite understandably, it’s traders paying with a stack of 20B or 100B notes. However, I go to Makro at 6.15 am, maybe the tech illiterate don’t appear until later.

 

I have been at the uni dental hospital quite a lot recently, everyone pays with the phone, no one was fumbling around trying to fathom out how to work their phone. Again, I’m quite surprised how swiftly the general population has adopted QR payments. 

Its the same ‘type of person’ everywhere who holds people up...

 

That same person who didn’t get their wallet or purse ready and digs around for cash is the same type of person who’d not have their phone and banking App ready, its the same person who doesn’t have change and causes queues at the expressway toll booths, its the same type person who doesn’t get their key out of their pocket until they get to the door....  etc etc... 

 

There are just people who are disorganised and slow...  When we see them its easy to fit them to our conformation bias... i.e we see a slow person with cash, its because cash-is slower...  when we see a slow person with QR payment, its because the tech is slow and causes queues...  the reality is it is the ‘person’ who is the problem, neither cash or tech. 

 

 

 

 

19 minutes ago, harry94 said:

I am pleased to hear i am not the only one to think this , also paying by phone or card means you not see the money going out of your account , you tend to spend more and get a shock when you get your bank statement ,

Thats just purely emotional... Bill shock is of course a thing.... 

 

but then, those same peole who suffer bill shock also would find themselves thinking...  ‘hangon, I had 10,000 baht in my wallet 5 days ago.... ‘ !! 

 

 

This may sound like a radical idea, but thus far it has worked for me in every situation i have been in.

When i leave home i have a wallet or pocket and i in my wallet i have a couple of cards, a credit card and some cash. This allows me to pay by either cash or card as circumstances arise. No stress, no bother... surprised no one else has tried this revolutionary technique.

6 minutes ago, smutcakes said:

This may sound like a radical idea, but thus far it has worked for me in every situation i have been in.

When i leave home i have a wallet or pocket and i in my wallet i have a couple of cards, a credit card and some cash. This allows me to pay by either cash or card as circumstances arise. No stress, no bother... surprised no one else has tried this revolutionary technique.

I am sure many have - but in Thailand that CC may not be accepted, be charged more and have overseas fees charged.  Very few expats have local credit cards.  Then we had the issue of out of sight 1 minute and a clone made.  Yes money may be returned in time but can cause real issues if depending on it and card is locked out.

17 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I can’t remember the last time I saw one other than the massive ones being presented to lottery winners and charities.... 

I just got an email from Avanti West Coast saying they are refunding my ticket cost as my London to Liverpool train arrived 90 minutes late (train travel in the UK is shocking at the moment)..........and that they are mailing me a cheque!!  Not refunding me on the credit card I bought the ticket with but mailing a cheque which is going to be useless to me (I am guessing that is their intention).

9 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

I am sure many have - but in Thailand that CC may not be accepted, be charged more and have overseas fees charged.  Very few expats have local credit cards.  Then we had the issue of out of sight 1 minute and a clone made.  Yes money may be returned in time but can cause real issues if depending on it and card is locked out.

Sure you can get cloned, never happened to me fortunately- but would presume the cases of people getting pick pocketed or losing their phone are far higher than your % chance of being cloned- just use a atm which is widely used. I have local atm and credit cards, so admittedly there are probably different views on this for those who do and those who dont.

Here in China apps are all the rage and very convenient.

 

WeChat is always open because...chat. Just open phone with finger and scan or they scan you (can set different levels of security). Only drawback is can only link to one bank account now.

 

With Alipay you can pay any bills and transfer money between bank accounts. Also it links up with Taobao where you can only pay if enough cash in your wallet.

 

Both can be used on the Metro and buses (in some cities) and then there's Didi taxi without which most foreigners would be stranded somewhere ???? 

 

When I come back to to LOS I think I'll have great difficulty switching back to paper money ????

 

On 6/8/2022 at 8:11 PM, robblok said:

.. Loved it when I could pay by mobile at the Makro. 

Just wondering, what does that mean? You can't any longer? or you dont shop at Makro any more?

 

At my local Makro, Tesco BigC and the dental hospital are the only places that actually have single use QR codes, so when you scan, the system jumps to life and starts printing a receipt once you have pressed confirm. The places that do me are the shops that haven't quite got with the program yet and the shop assistant insists on taking a photo of the transaction and sends it via LINE to the boss. I dont mind, it adds extra time, but my balance is on the bottom of the screenshot.

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Many have already been scanning the 50/50 QR codes for the government fee to help reduce the costs of food and such to them, so many are now becoming conditioned to using a payment app which does speed things along.

Yes, totally - I mentioned this in a previous post and earlier in this one - Every food vendor around our way, in the local market, the traveling grocery trucks - they all take QR payments - yet, many posters here swear that QR payments are limited to cities or tourist centers, which they totally aren't - Like @richard_smith237 quite rightly points out, its our conformational bias - for some reason they anticipate that vendors don't accept the QR code, they have no intention of paying with a smartphone, don't ask and therefore proclaim that its not an accepted method in their rural area. Which is total rubbish, as you say they all jumped on board when Prayutt was handing out free money.

On 6/8/2022 at 6:01 PM, Crossy said:

Of course they accept the same CitiBank card as a physical card. TiT

It’s been awhile when I tried using my U.S. ATM card.. they said needs to Citibank which it was but 

had to be Citibank Thailand… I found it’s far much easier to be on a “not so much food” diet

36 minutes ago, DJ54 said:

It’s been awhile when I tried using my U.S. ATM card.. they said needs to Citibank which it was but 

had to be Citibank Thailand… I found it’s far much easier to be on a “not so much food” diet

 

Yeah, has to be Citi Thailand at Makro.

 

21 hours ago, Excel said:

ones you get behind at an ATM, who forget their PIN, can't find it on their phone and have to phone home all whilst holding others up

And it seems like the first time ever using an ATM 555…