Change Cash at BKK Airport – in Basement near Rail Link? How to Count the Bills?

[henrik2000]

Hello, after touchdown at BKK Suvarnabhumi airport (at regular office hours) I want to exchange considerable Euro money cash into Thai Baht cash. I found the following undated advice, would you agree:

• Best exchange booths are in "Exchange Zone" in the airport's basement "Floor B" near Airport Rail Link
• Best exchange rates there are offered by Super Rich and Kasikorn (can be easily compared, of course)
• Other exchange booths on other levels have worse rates

What do you think about that? No use of credit card intended here, also if somehow ok no other same-day exchange trip in downtown.

After that, is it easy enough to return from Rail Link area to arrival hall, where I whish to buy a SIM card and meet a contact?

And: How to quickly count all the 1000-Baht-bills I receive?

I can't count bills quickly like a pro cashier. Till I have counted through the THB bills in front of the crowded exchange booth, they may have serviced 3 other customers and won't accept any protest from me, claiming I have hidden missing bills. Or not? Once before at Bkk airport, I already claimed a missing bill and I got it swiftly without any fuss, as if they had known about the underchanging all along. But that was about a smaller amount i could count quickly. (Aware of cash import limits.)

 

Thanks!

[Mac Mickmanus]

It will take you 3 and a half minutes to count all the bills , 7 minutes to count them all twice

[blackcab]

Super Rich have cash counting machines that are visible by the customer.

 

The teller will put your Thai Baht into the machine. The machine will count your cash and there will be a visible electronic counter for you to observe the machine's progress. You can then watch the teller's hands as they pass you the cash or put the cash in an envelope and pass it to you.

[nightfox]

You will get ripped off if you change money at any airport as the exchange rate will be a lot lower then outside the airport as it not might not be big deference if your exchanging small amount of money but if it's considerable amount then exchange it at any street or bank, just not the airport. 

[Upnotover]

13 minutes ago, henrik2000 said:

(Aware of cash import limits.)

There are none., only need to declare over USD20k. More likely limits on departure wherever you are coming from.

[Lemsta69]

This website is very useful for comparing exchange rates in Bangkok. If the free airport WiFi is still a thing you can use it to see how the airport rates compare. 

 

Last time I exchanged money there was a very long time ago but I used this site to ascertain that the Super Rich airport rate was a touch lower than 1) their HQ on Ratchadamri and 2) Vasu's rate. Vasu are located near Nana BTS so easily accessible by SkyTrain from airport. 

 

If you're changing 20k EUR and the spread is say when as small as say 0,2 baht that's a 4k loss. 

 

https://daytodaydata.net/

[2 is 1]

Why need change much money right away? Change what you needed at the time or chance in your home country small amount. Then watch where is best rate and good place whitout hassle to change  rest what needed.

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

I can't count bills quickly like a pro cashier. Till I have counted through the THB bills in front of the crowded exchange booth, they may have serviced 3 other customers and won't accept any protest from me

Don't move away from the counter until you have counted your cash, and secured it, that's all you have to do.  It's you turn to be serviced, any others behind you have to wait until you've completed your transaction, you do not have to be concerned about them. 

 

Incidentally, why are you assuming that you will have to protest being short-changed?  Is your experience that banks/exchange facilities generally short-change customers in your own country? 

[FritsSikkink]

4 hours ago, 2 is 1 said:

Why need change much money right away? Change what you needed at the time or chance in your home country small amount. Then watch where is best rate and good place whitout hassle to change  rest what needed.

Never change in your home country, worst rate ever.

[Sparktrader]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Don't move away from the counter until you have counted your cash, and secured it, that's all you have to do.  It's you turn to be serviced, any others behind you have to wait until you've completed your transaction, you do not have to be concerned about them. 

 

Incidentally, why are you assuming that you will have to protest being short-changed?  Is your experience that banks/exchange facilities generally short-change customers in your own country? 

Exactly. You cant walk away then go back and complain as you could hide a note.

 

Counting from 1 to 50 takes 25 to 50 secs

[Sparktrader]

7 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

Best exchange rates there are offered by Super Rich and Kasikorn (can be easily compared, of course)

Kasikorn rates are not good.

[chuang]

Are you counting notes in the thousands or more.

[Photoguy21]

Obviously they were referring to SUper Rich which is in that location. They give the best exchange rate. I have used them many times.

[lujanit]

7 hours ago, Upnotover said:

There are none., only need to declare over USD20k. More likely limits on departure wherever you are coming from.

Did this recently change?  I thought you had to declare anything over USD10k.

[KhunBENQ]

30 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Obviously they were referring to SUper Rich which is in that location. They give the best exchange rate. I have used them many times.

They are still in the rail link area but moved further back on the very right side (it's a while that I was there).

I saw three booths with very little to no differences in exchange rates. In the 0.05 Baht range 

Superrich, Happy Rich ???? and Kasikorn Bank.

Yes even Kasikorn at >THAT< location had good rates.

Check their signs before queing.

The Kasikorn booth at the corner entrance to the area has the usual bad rates. Crazy.

[KhunBENQ]

8 hours ago, nightfox said:

You will get ripped off if you change money at any airport as the exchange rate will be a lot lower then outside the airport as it not might not be big deference if your exchanging small amount of money but if it's considerable amount then exchange it at any street or bank, just not the airport. 

Generally yes but not true for the above described.

The rail link area is legally out of the airport under control of SRT (state railway) and not AOT (airport organization).

[sandyf]

8 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

What do you think about that? No use of credit card intended here, also if somehow ok no other same-day exchange trip in downtown.

Better off going to the Super Rich main office, not too far from the BTS station.

 

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, Sparktrader said:

Kasikorn rates are not good.

As described not true at that location. Been there last Monday .

[Sparktrader]

4 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

As described not true at that location. Been there last Monday .

Their rates are never the best. Airports are a terrible place to change money.

 

 

[KhunBENQ]

4 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Incidentally, why are you assuming that you will have to protest being short-changed?  Is your experience that banks/exchange facilities generally short-change customers in your own country? 

Indeed. It's not that man in the trenchcoat at the corner with best rates but professional financial businesses.

As all three booths have same or very near rates one could split to ease counting ????

[Sparktrader]

http://bankexchangerates.daytodaydata.net/default.aspx

 

Kasikorn ranks last!

[KhunBENQ]

Just now, Sparktrader said:

Their rates are never the best. Airports are a terrible place to change money.

 

 

Repeating your out of context nonsense without knowing what the thread is about does not make  it any better.

I don't suffer from perceptual disorder. Don't tell me what I have seen.

One more for the list.

 

[Sparktrader]

10 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Repeating your out of context nonsense without knowing what the thread is about does not make  it any better.

I don't suffer from perceptual disorder. Don't tell me what I have seen.

One more for the list.

 

So you like getting poor rates then. 

[FriendlyFarang]

9 hours ago, nightfox said:

You will get ripped off if you change money at any airport as the exchange rate will be a lot lower then outside the airport as it not might not be big deference if your exchanging small amount of money but if it's considerable amount then exchange it at any street or bank, just not the airport. 

Nonsense. Superrich at the airport gives you a better exchange rate than any bank.

[Sparktrader]

1 minute ago, FriendlyFarang said:

Nonsense. Superrich at the airport gives you a better exchange rate than any bank.

Small shops in BKK that match or beat Superrich. One near MBK and one at Pratunam. 

[DrJack54]

OP, as someone has already posted.

Exchanging large amounts at airport is straight up crazy.

Exchange small amount at airport to tack care of sim, taxi etc.

 

Best exchange in Bangkok that is secure and has visible counting machine is SuperRich Green head office. 

 

 

 

[KhunBENQ]

29 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, as someone has already posted.

Exchanging large amounts at airport is straight up crazy.

Another uninformed generalized statement.

Wrong regarding the thread title.

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, KhunBENQ said:

Another uninformed generalized statement.

Wrong regarding the thread title.

The title is about counting large amount of bills at airport exchange counter.

That is straight up crazy. 

 

Crazy on two few levels.

The obvious ones being amount of time it would take.

Second on the exchange rate. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[henrik2000]

Hi all, thanks for lots of useful hints! (and some misunderstanding).

 

For me it would be very convenient to exchange big cash right at the airport, before going straight to the boondocks. I had heard (but not made fully clear here) that the exchange booths near Rail Link/BTS have very competitive rates (so, not typical bad airport rates). Maybe i can research more about that with the link provided above.

[henrik2000]

7 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Incidentally, why are you assuming that you will have to protest being short-changed?  Is your experience that banks/exchange facilities generally short-change customers in your own country?

I've been short-changed at least twice at hot-country airports, one time being in BKK, as described above (where upon my protest the teller immediately provided another bill, as if he had been aware of the short-changing all along, as also described above).

In my country, i don't need airport banks or money-changers and am not aware of any short-changing in downtown banks.

Usually at the booth, after receiving my bills i would move 50 cm to the side to count my cash; so i am still at the counter and halfway in view of the teller. I feel shy to block the queue for my counting-business. If SuperRich has the counting-machine in view of the customer - as said above - that would be a great thing (if it isn't pandered with).