Life without a credit card in Thailand

[tgw]

45 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Private businesses do not have to accept cash, if that's their policy, regardless of it's being legal tender.

true, yet when someone doesn't pay what the business wants, and he's already got what he had ordered, the business is obligated by law to accept legal tender, because it's the official way to settle debts.
the only way for businesses to force people to pay using non-money is by making customers pay in advance.

 

[Liverpool Lou]

41 minutes ago, The Fugitive said:

55 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Oh, yes, banks are such a rare sight these days, there hardly ever seen.   Jesus Christ... 

If it was your business what would you prefer; an employee going on a bank run or remaining at their post serving your customers?

Doesn't matter what I'd, hypothetically, prefer, what's that got to do with the fact that there are plenty of bank branches all over Thailand?

[The Hammer2021]

2 hours ago, david555 said:

Strange that always the new things must become the main thing while trying to put the old working stuff to the dust bin ...

 

Those old system users have nothing against the new things ....just dont force it to us to use it ....let that our own descision...each at their own choice ....

 

As that looks like dictorial  command

 

 

No it doesn't.  Do you want us  to write with  a feather quill and ink? Ride on donkeys and use  the telegraph?

[ripstanley]

7 hours ago, pattaya1234was said:

Also I guess that many posters have not needed an operation in one of our private hospitals-the first thing one is asked for is a credit card. My UK bank, Barclays, blocked my CC when I moved house 7 years ago so I was stuck without one To get a credit card from a Thai bank is impossible if you are aged over 75. Amex Thailand eventually came to my rescue. Yes I know it costs 4000 baht per annum but in the last few years they have been very quick to get me a refund on cancelled air fares. 

In 2019 I had an operation in Phayao Ram (a private hospital). They accepted a cash deposit. So your initial statement is incorrect.

[The Hammer2021]

2 hours ago, david555 said:

Just voting with my feet.....not agreed with the one side ruling ...but just be a sheep and accept everything ...and one day you shall also not be agreed with whatever thing new ...

No one go keep me away from my cash part, and i also use digital online banking , but i CHOOSE WHAT I USE  ,that is the freedom i like ...to have a choise ...or else i choose where i spend my money in my way...thats the final thing

The business  owner is NOT LETTING  YOU DICTATE  TO HIM!...LOL

His business- his choice.

Cashless payments are cheaper  for  businesses,  more secure and allow cheaper services and products.

You can not expect  a younger generation of small  business  owners to be intellectually  stunted and continue with out of date business  practices...

[The Fugitive]

4 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Doesn't matter what I'd, hypothetically, prefer, what's that got to do with the fact that there are plenty of bank branches all over Thailand?

Agreed, there are many bank branches compared to U.K. (for example). Only one in my small town however. Last year a large notice was displayed about no longer accepting payment of bills over the counter and to use their mobile APP, website or agencies in future. They do have an outside ATM, CDM and passbook update machine. Now waiting to see if/when they install a VTM. The writing will really be on the wall after that. 

[david555]

19 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

No it doesn't.  Do you want us  to write with  a feather quill and ink? Ride on donkeys and use  the telegraph?

Oh dont you do that anymore in U.K....?.As i see so much traditional old habits in Westminster opening ...????????...

 

( bad joke ...i know ...but couldnt resist ????)

[david555]

12 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

The business  owner is NOT LETTING  YOU DICTATE  TO HIM!...LOL

His business- his choice.

Cashless payments are cheaper  for  businesses,  more secure and allow cheaper services and products.

You can not expect  a younger generation of small  business  owners to be intellectually  stunted and continue with out of date business  practices...

NOT LETTING  YOU DICTATE  TO HIM!...LOL

 

Same for  us customers lol ...????

[AddyA]

@poppysdad It's always helpful to have and use a credit card. You never know when you might need it. Plus, it will help you maintain a healthy credit score.

 

Get someone at your UK correspondence address to send you a UK sim card. Then, pop the sim into a dual-SIM mobile. That's it; there's your UK number in Thailand. 

 

Are you sure about the landline? I think 20-30% of UK households don't even bother with them anymore. Ask them to call you on your mobile instead. Either that or have someone at the correspondence address take the call for you. After all, it will only be a 10-second call to confirm the number on the application.

[KannikaP]

On 8/20/2022 at 4:43 PM, Robin said:

Do you have a Thai Credit/debit/ ATM card?  Can be useful in LOS, but remember it is Debit card and might have a low spending limit, and not much use for on-line purchases.  Check with you issuing bank.

I have always kept a UK credit card (Mastercard) to use for emergencies and buying air tickets via Expedia, but be aware that Mastercard will not send you a new card to Thailand

Genmerally i do not find a Credit card very useful in LOS.  Most retailers do not want you to use it and my Kbank card does not give me a statement or any credit, so only a very limited debit/atm card

Hopefully sometime in the next 100 yrs Thailand will catch up with the west on this (Thailand 4.0?)

My UK Bank just sent me a replacement Mastercard to my address here in Thailand, and a new card reader. Took about two weeks to get here. It is the bank and NOT Mastercard who issue the cards. A debit card is good for up to how much you have in your connected account.

A Thai CREDIT card seems pretty useless to me as you must have as much dosh deposited to cover whatever limit you want, so it is basically the same as a debit card, which is used to spend money which you already have, YOUR money in the bank. A CREDIT card is just that, giving you Credit ie borrowing money which you do not have, which you can either pay off or pay interest on the balance. Would a retailer know whether it was a Debit or Credit Card....I doubt it, they get their money whatever card is used.

[Fab5BKK]

15 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

My UK Bank just sent me a replacement Mastercard to my address here in Thailand, and a new card reader. Took about two weeks to get here. It is the bank and NOT Mastercard who issue the cards. A debit card is good for up to how much you have in your connected account.

A Thai CREDIT card seems pretty useless to me as you must have as much dosh deposited to cover whatever limit you want, so it is basically the same as a debit card, which is used to spend money which you already have, YOUR money in the bank. A CREDIT card is just that, giving you Credit ie borrowing money which you do not have, which you can either pay off or pay interest on the balance. Would a retailer know whether it was a Debit or Credit Card....I doubt it, they get their money whatever card is used.

Wrong!

 

Thai banks issue credit cards as UK banks do.

 

Meaning, if you can prove that you have recurring revenues (eg: salary from a Thai employer), a Thai bank will be more than pleased to issue a card. The limit would be n times your monthly salary.

 

In the case that you do not have any recurring revenues, a Thai bank would issue a credit card if you provide some kind of guarantee.

Edited August 21, 2022 by Fab5BKK

[KannikaP]

8 minutes ago, Fab5BKK said:

Wrong!

 

Thai banks issue credit cards as UK banks do.

 

Meaning, if you can prove that you have recurring revenues (eg: salary from a Thai employer), a Thai bank will be more than pleased to issue a card. The limit would be n times your monthly salary.

 

In the case that you do not have any recurring revenues, a Thai bank would issue a credit card if you provide some kind of guarantee.

Does your last sentence not reiterate what I said,...................................... guaranteed money in the bank before they will lend you some. (of your own money)

I applied for an interest free credit card from a UK Bank (the one which has never had sex), and it came with a £1200 limit. I needed more so asked, online, and was immediately granted a £6500 limit..........even though I am only on State Pension. Thanks Richard!

Edited August 21, 2022 by KannikaP

[sometimewoodworker]

18 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

my credit is golden ...as i never keep a balance and have no debt...

Totally mistaken idea. 
 

your credit rating will be poor if not complete carp(deliberately misspelled)

 

The people who have good or excellent credit ratings will be the ones who have debit (the more debt the better the credit rating) and pay it on time. You may not care or want to take on debt but you are delusional if you think that you have a great credit rating.

[farmerjo]

What is the minimum credit limit you need to get a credit card?

 

 

 

[Fab5BKK]

25 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Does your last sentence not reiterate what I said,...................................... guaranteed money in the bank before they will lend you some. (of your own money)

I applied for an interest free credit card from a UK Bank (the one which has never had sex), and it came with a £1200 limit. I needed more so asked, online, and was immediately granted a £6500 limit..........even though I am only on State Pension. Thanks Richard!

I'm not Thai and I have 2 Thai Credit Cards:

The first one: I got it when I was working abroad and it's backed up with a Fixed Bank Account.

The second one: I got it when I started to work in Bangkok. This one has quite a healthy limit and DOES NOT have any Fixed Bank Account linked to it.

Edited August 21, 2022 by Fab5BKK

[dj230]

9 hours ago, userabcd said:

Does anyone realistically make use or benefit from all those incentives?

Yes, chargebacks I used quite a few times which has saved me. It gives you more freedom when purchasing things online and you don’t have to spend time researching. If it’s fake or a scam you get your money back, I just phone my bank they open a dispute and the money is credited to my account. 
 

I think for premium credit cards the travel insurance is more reliable like American Express platinum cards. With basic credit cards the travel insurance is usually limited and you’re better off buying your own to be fully covered. 
 

[Hummin]

Simple things like this, is a good reminders  for some to not completely cut their ties from their origin home country when moving to for an instance Thailand where you end up in a no mans land country for expats. 
 

Credit cards is valuable when traveling, additional “free” travel insurance, make travel bookings easier for refunds, safer for payments and transfers, as well a great back up if you end up in a hospital and have sufficient credit to make things happen before insurance validation is clear. 

[Bill97]

4 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

rarely use a credit  card. Why use one?

Get points redeem for cash, hundreds of dollars a year.

[The Hammer2021]

2 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

Get points redeem for cash, hundreds of dollars a year.

Scam waste of time. The only people who benefit  financially from  CCs are the credit  card companies. Every single  cent you claw back or redeem (buying things you didn't  need) you could have bought cheaper with cash or debit card. Points! LOL

[EVENKEEL]

12 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Totally mistaken idea. 
 

your credit rating will be poor if not complete carp(deliberately misspelled)

 

The people who have good or excellent credit ratings will be the ones who have debit (the more debt the better the credit rating) and pay it on time. You may not care or want to take on debt but you are delusional if you think that you have a great credit rating.

Back in the day I never had a credit card, I paid cash for everything, and I mean everything well except for checks. And my credit was so bad I couldn't even get a cel phone plan going or buy a big screen TV on credit. Wasn't till I worked my way up from a prepaid credit card and had house payments that I was trusted with a credit card.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

On 8/20/2022 at 10:21 PM, KIngsofisaan said:

We kept all our US cards and we use them all the time for everything.

 

Keep zero balance at the end of the month on all cards

 

At the end of the year have enough points for 2 flights back to the US

 

US Thai bank for ATM, VISA Money, operating cash, although bulk of cash is in US banks

 

 

Strange thumb or weird photo. 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

11 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Scam waste of time. The only people who benefit  financially from  CCs are the credit  card companies. Every single  cent you claw back or redeem (buying things you didn't  need) you could have bought cheaper with cash or debit card. Points! LOL

You'd be surprised. 

My HSBC card has no annual fee and I get a $100 voucher for $20,000 spent. Not amazing but free. Citibank has an annual fee of AUD $150 but they are constantly giving offers where you can get $50 or $100 vouchers. They are doing it hoping you'll take on additional credit. You just need to be disciplined in paying amounts back each month. I never buy things I don't need as the points can be used for cash back and supermarkets and similar. 

Throw in free product and travel insurance. 

 

I agree on American Express. They have big annual fees and many businesses charge extra to use them as there fees to businesses are much higher.  Got rid of it years ago but I suppose you can make that work too if you find businesses willing to take it and you can get enough points. 

Edited August 21, 2022 by Fat is a type of crazy

[EVENKEEL]

I use my laptop to do all my banking in the US. I pay property taxes, pool services. I use my US credit cards to pay property insurance or any bills that come up in the US while I live in Thailand and Lazada.

 

But I'm really against using my phone with bank apps anywhere. I see no need to have my banking info on my phone. I have cash in pocket for everything here in Thailand. During my trips to the US I find myself using my credit card for many purchases. 

 

Try renting a car in the US without a credit card, it's impossible.

[heybuz]

16 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Hopefully sometime in the next 100 yrs Thailand will catch up with the west on this.

Complete nonsense.  All the institutions that could not service you were western  institutions of which American are notoriously behind current standards  and trends.

I find all the services in Thailand  to be far superior  to the UK and most of  Europe. Better, cheaper and more friendly

They can do a lot of the services they deny some,such as transferring an account from original branch to another without going to the original branch.Ihad been trying on and off at what  is my closet branch with the same answer can't be done must go to original branch, well its marvellous when you know somebody with a bit of pull and millions in said bank, my thai mate nephew of a former prime minister and former adviser to the gov took me to his branch and within in an hour all done even though i had lost the bank book years ago and no police report it took an hour and signing of about five signatures.they set up my phone with there latest app which is much better than my home country one in my opinion. I put it down to laziness and me being a foreign peasant.

[ThailandRyan]

5 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

my rating is 866......but then again it is what it is........not here to impress anyone....

but im sure youre always right, so no use arguing....i dont buy anything new and have no plans to buy a house so dont really care what the # is...and why i always use cash

I have CC's and I use them here and pay them off Monthly.  My credit score is also 866, I carry a zero balance and have for over 10 years.  Between the 5 cards I have one has no spending limit, while the others have between 50k USD up to 100k USD as limits.  I used my Black card to buy my X-Max 300 from Yamaha 2 years ago, and it only took a phone call from Barclays to the Dealership after verification by me, with 2 factor authentication using a specific app.  Within 5 days after the amount had gone from pending on the account I paid it in full.  Was going to do the same with my car, but the dealership would not go that route and only accepted the card for a 5k USD down payment.  Strange that I only use the cards for big purchases and use cash for all other items.  My K-Bank account is used to scan payments at the stores we go to, and prior and after each use I go back into the settings and set them to zero so no one can make a false charge or payment.  My MEA bill, True Cellular bill are paid automatically by the k-bank app after I approve the amount shown on the app. One does not need a CC here, but for making flight bookings and such it does help.  I make our hotel bookings through either Agoda or Booking.com and never pay up-front, always paying by scan upon arrival for a small deposit and then paying in full by cash at the end of the stay.

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

I use my laptop to do all my banking in the US. I pay property taxes, pool services. I use my US credit cards to pay property insurance or any bills that come up in the US while I live in Thailand and Lazada.

 

But I'm really against using my phone with bank apps anywhere. I see no need to have my banking info on my phone. I have cash in pocket for everything here in Thailand. During my trips to the US I find myself using my credit card for many purchases. 

 

Try renting a car in the US without a credit card, it's impossible.

When in the US I rent from Hertz and never show a CC, always pay upon returning the car, but then that's what being a Hertz gold club member with President Circle Status does for you.  I had a corporate account which rolled over and they never asked for a card to be placed on file.  Had great service back in January and February when I was in the States.

Edited August 22, 2022 by ThailandRyan

[EVENKEEL]

22 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

When in the US I rent from Hertz and never show a CC, always pay upon returning the card, but then thats what being a Hertz gold club member with President Circle Status.  I had a corporate account which rolled over and they never asked for a card to be placed on file.  Had great service back in January and February when I was in the States.

But us regular smoes need a card. I had to overnight in SF before because my credit card had a hold on it. Now I keep 2 cards active.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

13 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Scam waste of time. The only people who benefit  financially from  CCs are the credit  card companies. Every single  cent you claw back or redeem (buying things you didn't  need) you could have bought cheaper with cash or debit card. Points! LOL

To address your main point though except for some utilities, and some tradesman looking for cash jobs which I reject, I find there is seldom discounts for cash or debit card. For those  that do the extra fee is normally the same as the points. I think businesses for a long time accept that people want to use new technologies and there are advantages for record keeping and not having to muck around with cash. Obviously though in Thailand sometimes cash is the only practical payment method for some small businesses. For those businesses that can accept card but offer discounts to avoid tax I would say don't support them.

Edited August 22, 2022 by Fat is a type of crazy

[pattaya1234was]

15 hours ago, ripstanley said:

In 2019 I had an operation in Phayao Ram (a private hospital). They accepted a cash deposit. So your initial statement is incorrect.

My reference  was to one hospital which happens to be in Pattaya.  For major operations ,if you do not have Insurance, I suspect a CC will be asked for-maybe I am wrong but... 

[lopburi3]

43 minutes ago, pattaya1234was said:

My reference  was to one hospital which happens to be in Pattaya.  For major operations ,if you do not have Insurance, I suspect a CC will be asked for-maybe I am wrong but... 

I suspect not as have used cash/debit cards at 3 major hospitals here in Bangkok without issue.  What may be asked is pre payment or a portion of payment but that can be in cash or debit card withdrawal.  This is also true at government hospitals.