Is LINE Wallet the only solution for automatic BTS card top-up?

[lkn]

I have my BTS card linked to my LINE Wallet, and my LINE Wallet linked to my VISA card, so each time I use the BTS, my VISA card is debited, but indirectly via LINE Pay. I don’t understand why LINE Pay must be involved here, but alas…

 

Anyway, was in Bangkok with my girlfriend, and it got a little annoying having to wait for her buying a ticket each time we took the train.

 

So I told her to buy a BTS card and then my intention was to set up this Rube Goldberg machine for her as well.

 

Lo and behold, to sign up for LINE Wallet, she first needs to be verified, which means uploading selfie, passport, promise your first born, etc. and then wait “1-2 working days”.

 

LINE staff probably have one day work weeks, because 3 weeks later, and we have long since left Bangkok, but there is finally a reply from LINE Wallet: Please upload Work Permit, ID Card, or Driver’s License. It is not said, but I assume they mean Thai ID Card, or Thai Driver’s License.

 

We are just tourists, we don’t have this stuff. What we do have is money and a VISA and MasterCard, that we would like to use to pay for our train rides in Bangkok.

 

I have two questions:

 

1. Is LINE Wallet the only option for automatic payment of your BTS trips?
2. Is it possible for tourists to sign up for LINE Wallet?

 

For the records, I did sign up for LINE Wallet myself on a tourist visa, but it is many years ago, and back then, it seems the requirements were lax. I actually did get a message some 2-3 years ago saying that my LINE Wallet needed extra verification, but then a day or so later, I got a new message saying sorry for the inconvenience, everything is fine!

Edited March 3, 2023 by lkn

[SuperSilverHaze]

Here's my solution for BTS and MRT

 

500b cash, top up any station where you see no line.

 

Line is a very shonky app. I don't trust it nor want/ need anything to do with rabbitpay.

 

Why bother with all that?

[sungod]

Is there no way to top up via a banking app like you can with 'easy pass' on the highways?

[Digitalbanana]

I top up my Rabbit Card via K-Bank KPlus app. It doesn't need Line afaik, but I have Line and find it useful to see my online Rabbit Card balance.

[lkn]

The added advantage of linking BTS to Rabbit LINE Pay (in addition to not having to do manual top-ups) is that you can keep a zero balance.

 

I don’t want to keep money on various prepaid cards, especially when those cards have expiration dates.

[Snugs08]

Yes, only way unfortunately, unlike MRT which is swipe and go, I had to chase my approval through Line support after several days of nothing. It was approved a few hours after chasing, politely, I think I uploaded just passport and selfie originally, unlike TrueMoney which has even more stringent requirements - hard to believe.

 

Of course, after this, Thailand being the mecca of financial regulation and anti-money laundering, you then have to go with your passport to a BTS ticket office to link up the Line for a second time, not remembering of course that you presented your passport the first time you got a Rabbit card, or the last time you top-up if legacy. 

I've had less KYC/AML on a mortgage then setting up Line and Rabbit card, but I understand the concern, the amount of money laundering through BTS Rabbit cards is in the trillion of baht according to TAT and that can have a real damaging effect on the country's interior security.

 

 

 

[lkn]

On 3/3/2023 at 9:11 AM, lkn said:

Please upload Work Permit, ID Card, or Driver’s License. It is not said, but I assume they mean Thai ID Card, or Thai Driver’s License.

I had uploaded her native ID card and yesterday we received an update, it basically just said “ups… the issue has already been fixed”, and indeed, she can now use LINE Wallet.

[CartagenaWarlock]

I watched a tik tok video where one US tourist said he could use his visa/MC for BTS ride. Is it possible? I doubt very much but wanted to confirm. I have a BTS card that I used to top up for 300 baht at a time. Now that I mostly live in Pattay when in Thailand, I top up 100 baht at time when I visit Bangkok. 

Edited March 5, 2023 by CartagenaWarlock

[lkn]

12 hours ago, CartagenaWarlock said:

I watched a tik tok video where one US tourist said he could use his visa/MC for BTS ride. Is it possible?

From what I can tell, only by linking your Rabbit card to LINE Wallet and then add your VISA or MasterCard to LINE Wallet and use as payment method.

 

Based on my own experience doing this 5+ years ago, it was fairly easy, but based on my girlfriend’s experience, it took more than two weeks to get her LINE Wallet activated, but in the end, it was possible to do on a tourist visa! And according to LINE, it should only take 1-2 working days to get verified for LINE Wallet.