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

[Lemsta69]

3 hours ago, sandyf said:

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

 

Why? Vasu is right next to Nana BTS and their rates are a tad higher than Super Rich 1965 (orange) and usually on par with Super Rrich Thailand (green).

 

Both Super Rich offices are on Ratchadamri which is a bit of a hike from the nearest BTS. 

[henrik2000]

10 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

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/

Thanks, that website is great indeed for cash rates in some places in downtown Bangkok and for credit card rates. But they don't show other places like airport or other cities, right?

[Lemsta69]

Just now, henrik2000 said:

Thanks, that website is great indeed for cash rates in some places in downtown Bangkok and for credit card rates. But they don't show other places like airport or other cities, right?

Unfortunately they don't show airport rates or other cities. This is presumably because those places aren't providing a free, real-time data feed. 

 

Super Rich 1965 don't even qoute their airport rates on their website, unless I'm looking at it wrong...

 

https://www.superrich1965.com/home.php

[henrik2000]

7 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

Super Rich 1965 don't even qoute their airport rates on their website, unless I'm looking at it wrong..

Thanks!

[Lemsta69]

39 minutes ago, henrik2000 said:

Thanks!

No worries. Putting my stingy hat on now .... the only other thing I can think of is that if the amount is truly a large amount you could contact the big 3 city money changers and see if they'll do a better rate than the advertised ones. At their downtown head offices of course.

 

Obviously they won't guarantee any rate now but it will test their willingness to negotiate. 

 

Getting out to the boondocks ASAP is your priority but is it worth losing a couple K baht over? SkyTrain trip to Ratchadamri or Suk 7/1 is cheap, safe and relatively quick. Unless you're one of those silly people that have gigantic bags they can't carry ????

 

http://www.vasuexchange.com

 

https://www.superrichthailand.com/#!/en/exchange

 

https://www.superrich1965.com/home.php

Edited November 17, 2022 by Lemsta69

[2 is 1]

5 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Never change in your home country, worst rate ever.

Before i had Thai Bank and atm card i always change what needed for taxi and other sht. If change 100€ so who care the rate! If need save 1 or 2 € then should stay in home country!

[TheFishman1]

Yeah at any airport that I ever go to I may change 100 or 200 and I wait to really change more money to see what the real rates are because you change 100 or two I mean how much are you gonna lose really THT common sense helps

[henrik2000]

3 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

silly people that have gigantic bags they can't carry

I'm not in that league... at least not regarding money-filled bags...

 

Thanks for more info and links!

[Lemsta69]

Just now, henrik2000 said:

I'm not in that league... at least not regarding money-filled bags...

 

Thanks for more info and links!

Oh ok. When people say large amounts of money I immediately think of 20k and up ????

[Lemsta69]

4 minutes ago, TheFishman1 said:

Yeah at any airport that I ever go to I may change 100 or 200 and I wait to really change more money to see what the real rates are because you change 100 or two I mean how much are you gonna lose really THT common sense helps

Has BKK stopped providing free WiFi? If you have a data connection then there's no barrier to looking up the 'real' rates via the rate aggregator that's been provided a few times already. 

 

Have you even been down to the basement at Swampy and compared Super Rich et al with the city rates? I think you'll be surprised how close they are. 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

From my experience the rates within the train station area are often the best or close to the best  - you might get a tiny bit better somewhere in Bangkok but those ones are clearly competitive. No problem changing it all in one go from my experience. As others have said take a few steps into the airport area and the rate goes from competitive to terrible. 

[Keith lynch]

My advice is do not change at the airport, the rate is always very low.

[Sparktrader]

Rates change daily. In 7 days you might get a better rate.

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

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).

"...if it isn't pandered with..."

What does that mean?

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, Lemsta69 said:

Why? Vasu is right next to Nana BTS and their rates are a tad higher than Super Rich 1965 (orange) and usually on par with Super Rrich Thailand (green).

 

Both Super Rich offices are on Ratchadamri which is a bit of a hike from the nearest BTS. 

It's not far, come off at Chit Lom, come down through the shopping mall, out and along past Big C, 10 minutes at the most.

If there is any discomfort over security the main branch is the best place to be.

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, 2 is 1 said:

Before i had Thai Bank and atm card i always change what needed for taxi and other sht. If change 100€ so who care the rate! If need save 1 or 2 € then should stay in home country!

I didn't bother to go to a bank to change in my home country, a waste of time. Just got money for the first day out of the ATM at the airport

[henrik2000]

1 hour ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

From my experience the rates within the train station area are often the best or close to the best  - you might get a tiny bit better somewhere in Bangkok but those ones are clearly competitive.

Thanks, just what i'd liked to hear... (and i need to avoid the very next post).

 

Anyway the airport rates can on the ground easily be compared with downtown rates using the website mentioned above, if one has internet and the website is correct.

[moe666]

14 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. 

At a bank you are joking the worst rates.

[GroveHillWanderer]

41 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"...if it isn't pandered with..."

What does that mean?

Fairly sure he means, "tampered with."

 

Although why someone would suspect a financial institution of tampering with their note-counting equipment, I'm not sure. Since in my experience, they usually use the same machines to count the money they're receiving, it would be somewhat counter-productive for them to deliberately mis-calibrate them.

[Lemsta69]

40 minutes ago, sandyf said:

It's not far, come off at Chit Lom, come down through the shopping mall, out and along past Big C, 10 minutes at the most.

If there is any discomfort over security the main branch is the best place to be.

Through the aircon shopping mall eh? Thanks for the tip.

[blackcab]

14 hours ago, Upnotover said:

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

 

6 hours ago, lujanit said:

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

 

The ceiling for declaring foreign currecy coming into Thailand used to be USD20k, however the Bank of Thailand quietly reduced the ceiling to USD15k a few years ago.

 

Section 2, Paragraph 8.2 Click Here

[henrik2000]

30 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Fairly sure he means, "tampered with."

Yes, sorry, nonnative here.

[Lemsta69]

1 hour ago, Keith lynch said:

My advice is do not change at the airport, the rate is always very low.

Have you ever actually been to the basement at Swampy?

[Damrongsak]

2 months ago I changed about $1,000 USD at the orange Super Rich in the basement of Swampy.  Rate wasn't too bad. Maybe a tad more than their central office, but very convenient. Way better than upstairs I think.  Low rent district. ????

[misterphil]

Where are you planning to keep all this cash?

 

Why not take it to a bank and open an account here with it? Then withdraw as and when needed. 
 

I hope you don't plan on carrying it around with you or leaving it a hotel safe. 

[bradiston]

Many years ago I changed £20k at Vasu, they being the best of breed by far in those days. They provided a room with nobody in it, so you could count out your money into neat piles, unhurried and unflustered. They then entered and counted it. If it tallied, you'd bargain for a better rate, maybe a point or two up on the standard daily rate. Having agreed a rate, they delivered the agreed amount as a very large bound, shrink plastic wrapped bale of baht, in blocks of 100 x 1000 notes. ISTR it was about 1.4 million in those days, so maybe 14 blocks. Ah, the good old days, 70 THB to the £. It just remained for me to stuff said bale into backpack, actually front pack, and set off down Sukhumvit Rd. One for adrenalin junkies only! It did reach its intended destination, too.

Edited November 17, 2022 by bradiston

[mancub]

Changing a sizeable ? amount of cash before meeting a 'contact' in the Arrivals hall...........I'm almost intrigued !????

[Lorry]

9 hours ago, henrik2000 said:

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).

How to use the counting-machine:

Of course,  it has to be in view of the customer. 

There are 2 kinds of machines: most will count the right or left sides of the notes (first picture). 

After counting,  the pile of money has to be turned around and the other side has to be counted, too. It does happen that there is a folded note in the pile.

The other type of machine (second picture) counts the long sides of the notes. A lot more reliable. I still make them turn the pile upside down and count again. 

Edited November 17, 2022 by Lorry

[superal]

I have never changed more than £100 at swampy because generally I am tired after a long flight and in a hurry to get a taxi . What I have found is that if using a money exchange booth , especially in Pattaya , they will only accept good quality notes that are not damaged or have not been written on .

[Harveyboy]

On 11/17/2022 at 8:52 AM, Sparktrader said:

Kasikorn rates are not good.

correct K bank has some of the worst rates here I find TT are fair