Thailand going cashless. Are you for or against it?

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, Brian Hudson said:

I’m for a cashless society if it stops drug dealers and people who refuse to pay their fair share of tax I think it’s a good idea 

Everything is a good idea till it isn't. It might start there, but it won't end there.

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It's happening in China, NOW. Get a grip yourself.

Paranoid conspiracy theory bs. Get a grip or therapy. 

Edited November 24, 2022 by Bluespunk

[thaibeachlovers]

12 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Paranoid conspiracy theory bs. Get a grip or therapy. 

Enjoy your illusions while you may.

[Bluespunk]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Enjoy your illusions while you may.

See previous reply to your conspiracy theory bs. . 

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, Bluespunk said:

See previous reply to your conspiracy theory bs. . 

I don't need to tolerate your insults. Welcome to my ignore list.

[Bluespunk]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I don't need to tolerate your insults. Welcome to my ignore list.

There, my day’s already looking better. 

Edited November 24, 2022 by Bluespunk
Typo

[seedy]

11 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

Haha. In my fuzzy world, I did not commit a crime. The labourer did. I just asked what the cash price is. What he does is up to him. Hopefully that would hold up in court ????

Court must prove 'Intent to defraud beyond a reasonable doubt'

There's your out - as any decent lawyer would argue successfully.

[bob smith]

The poll currently stands at : 25% For going Cashless and 75% Against with 110 votes cast. Thanks to everyone who has voted. It certainly is revealing that a vast majority of people do not support going cashless so it does beg the question: to whom is going cashless really benefiting? ????

Edited November 25, 2022 by bob smith

[Hummin]

8 minutes ago, bob smith said:

The poll currently stands at : 25% For going Cashless and 75% Against with 110 votes cast. Thanks to everyone who voted. It certainly is revealing that a vast majority of people do not support going cashless so it does beg the question: to whom is going cashless really benefiting? ????

It would have been interesting knowing the age who voted for or against. I believe majority  here is above 70 and therefor the result we see. 
 

 

Edited November 25, 2022 by Hummin

[bob smith]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

It woukd have been interesting knowing the age who voted for or against. I believe majority  here is above 70 and therefor the result we see. 
 

 

Well I can only speak for myself of course but I am nowhere near the ripe old age of 70 and I voted against. 

[Hummin]

2 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Well I can only speak for myself of course but I am nowhere near the ripe old age of 70 and I voted against. 

Im sure there is elderly here who also is for. Age is not the only reason to be skeptical for new potentially surveillance tools and more big state control. I see both sides of of it, but the future is coming. 
 

The arguments against falls back on itself when every developed country in the world using face recognizing cctv, your phone, your apps, your car, your tv, your home central, shopping malls tracking your whereabouts every second.

 

The future is coming for good and bad as it always have done. 

[LukKrueng]

22 hours ago, JonnyF said:

I'm against it. Too easy to "switch someone off" if they hold the wrong opinion, protest the wrong party etc. 

 

Also, I like the anonymity of cash. I don't want records of every place I've been, every taxi I've taken, every meal I've eaten. Nothing to do with having something to hide, it's the basic human right to a bit of privacy from the government. They are there to serve us, not spy on us and decide when we can have access to our money.

Unless you keep all your money in a safe at home or under the mattress, money in the bank can be frozen ("switched off") just as easily as while it's in the bank it is just digits on a computer just the same. I agree with the privacy issue though.

To the op - 

1. It makes no difference if you're for it or against it. It's something that is happening all over the world. Many countries around the world already put limits on the amount of cash allowed to be paid for purchasing items, and every few years the amount allowed is reduced.

2. Most small shops and stalls accept transfers but no credit\debit cards due to costs of transactions. But for those who are accepting cards there is a possibility to do it on their mobile phone.

[bob smith]

7 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Im sure there is elderly here who also is for. Age is not the only reason to be skeptical for new potentially surveillance tools and more big state control. I see both sides of of it, but the future is coming. 
 

The arguments against falls back on itself when every developed country in the world using face recognizing cctv, your phone, your apps, your car, your tv, your home central, shopping malls tracking your whereabouts every second.

 

The future is coming for good and bad as it always have done. 

But cash as a commodity has prevailed for tens of thousands of years. Now all of a sudden because of a few apps and the internet we should cut cash out all together? 
 

it simply will not work, not in my lifetime anyway. People will always use cash as a form of payment somewhere, even it means breaking the law. The only valid reason I can see for removing cash from society is government control. Try is they might I still believe they will fail to become cashless here or anywhere else for that matter. 
 

someone mentioned china before as a case study for a cashless society, but having never been there I cannot comment on just how cashless they really are. I have a feeling that cash is still very much king even there, especially amongst the rural poor, of which China has a lot. 

Edited November 25, 2022 by bob smith

[dj230]

No one uses cash anymore, at least not the younger generation. Bank transfers is what everyone uses in Thailand. You just scan a QR code and the amount and hit send. 
 

 

[Hummin]

Just now, bob smith said:

But cash as a commodity has prevailed for tens of thousands of years. Now all of a sudden because of a few apps and the internet we should cut cash out all together? 
 

it simply will not work, not in my lifetime anyway. People will always use cash as a form of payment somewhere, if even it means breaking the law. The only valid reason I can see for removing cash from society is government control. Try is they might I still believe they will fail to become cashless here or anywhere else for that matter. 
 

someone mentioned china before as a case study for a cashless society, but having never been there I cannot comment on just how cashless they really are. I have a feeling that cash is still very much king even there, especially amongst the rural poor, of where there is a lot in China. 

Already in early 2000 they had a fabulous infrastructure and coverage with cell phones. They never wasted to much time to establish landlines to every home, and compare to many western countries have great coverage throughout most parts of China. 
 

If you remove cash, Im sure it will only pave the road for black marked options for trading hand to hand. Usd worked as cash for russians during cold war, even it was forbidden. 

[Mac Mickmanus]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I think you love Big Brother with your support for it. Ever considered moving to China?

With all the thugs and thief's around these days , I prefer someone watching them 

[zyphodb]

23 hours ago, bob smith said:

This ^^^

 

thanks for explaining the importance of privacy to those who may be in need of educating.

Also do we want no more car boot sales or classified ads for 2nd hand goods?

 to name but two things that you need cash for, there are many others...

[zyphodb]

23 hours ago, huangnon said:

If you are only holding (centralized) digital money, it's just numbers on a screen. You actually own nothing.

These numbers on a screen can be credited or deducted, depending on your behaviour. It's about controlling populations, not ease of business or shopping transactions.

 

This is actually happening in China, and their "social credit" system:

 

This is where the world banks, WEF etc. want to take it, which will complete the process of making wage slaves of the remaining population by 2030. Time to wake up to it folks...

[zyphodb]

23 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I get rather fed up waiting at checkouts while people faff about on their smart?phones, when I get change in about 30 seconds flat for my cash.

 

The Romans said it first. "Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" Who shall guard the guardians?

IMO anyone who trusts any government not to use the data of a cashless society, in ways never anticipated by a participant, is a complete moron.

Exactly, all about control...

[kokesaat]

What a bunch of boomers!  When we moved to Thailand back in 1996, the vast mqjority of Thais conducted their banking business inside the bank....including the village grandmas who were withdrawing a few hundred baht from their accounts.  Needless to say, banks were elbow to elbow with customers.  A year or two or three after we arrived, the banks started issuing ATM cards to all its customers and invoked some rule that you could only use counter service for larger transactions. IOW, get with the program, grandma.

Most of the whiners here, I suspect, would be the ones still using checkbooks at the cashier if they were in their home country.  

Time to get with the times!

[Lucky Bones]

9 minutes ago, kokesaat said:

What a bunch of boomers!  When we moved to Thailand back in 1996, the vast mqjority of Thais conducted their banking business inside the bank....including the village grandmas who were withdrawing a few hundred baht from their accounts.  Needless to say, banks were elbow to elbow with customers.  A year or two or three after we arrived, the banks started issuing ATM cards to all its customers and invoked some rule that you could only use counter service for larger transactions. IOW, get with the program, grandma.

Most of the whiners here, I suspect, would be the ones still using checkbooks at the cashier if they were in their home country.  

Time to get with the times!

I get the impression you don't take too kindly to grannies.

You are also extremely presumptuous that grannies do their own banking.

Think you will find, if granny is lucky enuff to have a ATM card, the kids are doing the legwork.

Come back again when you reach granny age and receive 600 baht per month from the govt.

 

And remember, it is a forum, not all people are whiners.????????

[scubascuba3]

52 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

With all the thugs and thief's around these days , I prefer someone watching them 

Good point, Thais rely heavily on CCTV to catch criminals

[traveller101]

Apart from privacy concerns and increased government control - there are other dangers looming such as 

Systemic risks:

power outages, bank payment system outages, cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, identity theft and compromised personal bank information 

Locked into a private banking system with no escape.

The disadvantaged members of society not having access to a cc, unable to afford an internet connection.

The dangers of Overspending unless diligently keeping track of all electronic transactions and as a consequence being charged huge interest rates by the banks for this unsecured debt.

 

 

 

[traveller101]

Apart from privacy concerns and increased government control - there are other dangers looming such as 

Systemic risks:

power outages, bank payment system outages, cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, identity theft and compromised personal bank information 

Locked into a private banking system with no escape.

The disadvantaged members of society not having access to a cc, unable to afford an internet connection.

The dangers of Overspending unless diligently keeping track of all electronic transactions and as a consequence being charged huge interest rates by the banks for this unsecured debt.

 

 

 

[Hummin]

1 minute ago, traveller101 said:

Apart from privacy concerns and increased government control - there are other dangers looming such as 

Systemic risks:

power outages, bank payment system outages, cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, identity theft and compromised personal bank information 

Locked into a private banking system with no escape.

The disadvantaged members of society not having access to a cc, unable to afford an internet connection.

The dangers of Overspending unless diligently keeping track of all electronic transactions and as a consequence being charged huge interest rates by the banks for this unsecured debt.

 

 

 

Except from I rarely keep more than a week spending in cash and I believe most do the same. I do have some gold and other values that will keep me alive for at least 6 months here in Thailand. 

[nigelforbes]

8 minutes ago, traveller101 said:

Apart from privacy concerns and increased government control - there are other dangers looming such as 

Systemic risks:

power outages, bank payment system outages, cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, identity theft and compromised personal bank information 

Locked into a private banking system with no escape.

The disadvantaged members of society not having access to a cc, unable to afford an internet connection.

The dangers of Overspending unless diligently keeping track of all electronic transactions and as a consequence being charged huge interest rates by the banks for this unsecured debt.

 

 

 

Paranoid much!

 

I keep 5 years living expenses on hand plus my Immigration money, I've done that for the past dozen years or more and watched while expats have agonized over exchange rates and a falling Pound. At 70 plus years old, who needs that kind of grief! And if one day I wake up and the Thai banking system has been nuked I'll get on plane and go live in my UK flat on the pensions that I receive each month. If people can't manage their spending or bank securely, they deserve to get bitten. As for diligently keeping track of electronic transactions, give me  break, it's never been easier with smart phones et al. Get treatment for that paranoia and start to live a little.

[garrya]

3 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Paranoid conspiracy theory bs. Get a grip or therapy. 

Lol. I'm in touch with Chinese suppliers on a daily basis and I can safely say, you have zero clue about what's going on there. And the worst is yet to come.

 

But hey, you know better than others as you have never been there, and  never seen it.

 

[Bluespunk]

13 minutes ago, garrya said:

Lol. I'm in touch with Chinese suppliers on a daily basis and I can safely say, you have zero clue about what's going on there. And the worst is yet to come.

 

But hey, you know better than others as you have never been there, and  never seen it.

 

I know conspiracy theory paranoia when I see it. 

[LetsGoJoe]

From what I understand, "cashless" is not 'cash-free' entirely.....the Gov. mentioned to keep smaller notes in circulation to maintain the cash-driven grass-root markets that are a vital source of survival for many in this lop-sided economic realm.

 

Pure digital-currency is a profoundly bad idea.....except for those who control it.

[Confuscious]

I have nothing against Thailand going "cashless".

But I fear the way it is done to be a major burden for expats and tourists.

Every day, applications are changing to be only accepted with a Thai ID-Card, and thus unavailable for expats.

Even ATM's are being equipped with an ID-Card reader.
Although not functional at this moment, one can foresee that in the near future they will be only available for Thai citizens who have a Thai ID-Card (like PayPal).

Also, I see that many stores (even bars) use "Thai Pay" for a bill as low as 35 Baht.
But "Thai Pay" is only available for Thai people.

PayPal is already ONLY for Thai people.
Wait and see for the near future ....