Which bank / institution can issue a foreigner (holding work visa) a credit card with less than 6 months spent in Thailand?

[ReloTH]

As a recent arrival here in Thailand I found opening a bank account with Kbank quite straight forward.

 

However they refused to provide me with a credit card - their directive being that it was a Kbank requirement for an Account holder to have received 6 monthly pay cheques into their account before applying for a credit card.

 

Keen to get a credit card asap! Any experience to the contrary where I can get a credit card without the wait?

 

Thanks in advance.

[RandolphGB]

None. Stay for three years with a 100k plus salary and they might consider it. 

[foreverlomsak]

Did you get a Mastercard or Visa debit card from them when you opened your account, if so just use it, it will work the same as a credit card in shops and online, except that you are limited to how much you have in your account.

There was a report here of somebody getting a credit card from a Thai Institution and they had to make a "security deposit" for the card which became the credit limit on their card.

[PremiumLane]

None of them, but Kasikorn are the easiest to get o card from. As they said, you only need to have been working for a minimum of 6 months. 

 

The minimum salary with Kasikorn is 50,000 for a foreigner. The others either require two or more years of working in the same job, or higher salaries. 

[Richard 2020]

If a "DEBIT-CARD" is not enough, there is the possibility to open a "FIX-ACC", which is then blocked as security for the credit card!

 

So I did it at the Bangkok Bank!

 

100,000.-On the FIX ACC. so I can charge my credit card up to 100,000.  Of course, more is also possible ????

[richard_smith237]

27 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

Did you get a Mastercard or Visa debit card from them when you opened your account, if so just use it, it will work the same as a credit card in shops and online, except that you are limited to how much you have in your account.

They work ‘similarly’ to a credit card, but not quite the same. 

There are online transactions for which only a credit-card will work (*a couple of examples below)

 

27 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

There was a report here of somebody getting a credit card from a Thai Institution and they had to make a "security deposit" for the card which became the credit limit on their card.

 

This is a ’secured credit card’ and is the most common way for foreigners to get credit card in Thailand. 

People will argue the semantics of this not being a credit card as it relies on a security-deposit of your own money, they are theoretically correct, however the transactions are digitally recognised as ‘credit-card’ transactions - thus, its still a credit card from the purposes of getting access to transactions where a debit-card may not work. 

 

--------

 

*In the past, when making these transactions, for example with *Emirates Airlines repeated attempts with a Debit Card return a transaction failure. First attempt with a credit-card returned a transaction success. 

This was the case at least up until a couple of years ago (when attempting to make a transaction with UK, Thai and UAE Debit Cards). 

 

I’m not sure if this Credit / Debit card difference has been ironed out more recently - I’m sure there will be posters who counter my comment with “I’ve never noticed the difference”... “I’ve used a debit card with Emirates etc”.... thats fair enough - I’m stating my experience here, using cards for various transaction in many countries, I’ve found Credit Cards to be more reliably accepted than debit cards.

(Qatar is a perfect example of this - there is even a law which prevents online transactions with Debit-Cards for things like UBER and Deliveroo etc - not fully Thailand related, but nonetheless, there are some differences with some vendors).

 

Thus:  having a credit card removes a disadvantage in certain situations. i.e. trying to change a flight at last minute etc (my example with emirates above - did not accept Debit card - had to use credit card).

 

 

 

 

[userabcd]

Offer to place a fixed deposit security and then apply for a credit card. Ask them what the min security deposit would be.

 

Or do you not have any spare money to place as a fixed security deposit?

[ReloTH]

Thanks all for your input folks! 

 

In response to the Visa or Master Debit card I find there are limitations as has been called out ie travel (especially when using a 3rd party Agency to manage on your behalf) as well as finding it annoying to have to type a number into a machine.

 

BTW I did track down the Bangkok Bank option. They would allow a credit card as long as there is a fixed deposit in an account at their bank to the amount of 'credit' limit on the card. Coupled with an estimated one to two months for receipt of that card I've decided to wait it out.

 

Thanks again.