Old Thai Bank Account

[magicroundabout]

Hi Folks,

 

Looking for a bit of advice.....I've an old bank account in Thailand (GSB Bank) which I haven't used for about 18months (I'm back in the UK).  I accidentally transferred some money to it (was meant to send to my wife bank account).  As its the GSB bank I don't have internet banking - My wife has checked via the updated bank book and the money is there but the ATM no longer works - The bank have said its because I need to pay an annual fee and only I can do it.  My Wife is moving over to the UK next month as well and we are unlikely to be back in Thailand for a couple of years.  Its not a great deal of money in the scheme of things but I'd rather not lose it.

 

Do Thai banks close accounts is there no usage for a couple of years?  Should I periodically send some small amounts of money over?  Any advice appreciated

 

Cheers

 

      

[parafareno]

they close it if you dont have any money inside...that happened to my bank...so always keep money inside and they will not close it...i have left my account dormant for few years and no problem. but anohter account that has only 1000 thb inside for 1 year was closed automatically

[Tom H]

normaly after 2 y.

[Mickeymaus]

There was the discussion that after being dormant for 10 years the account gets closed and the money goes to the government then. No idea if this got law in the meantime. Other problem is that they might charge you fees. If the account is 0 it will be closed automatically.

 

To avoid all this you can transfer money to this account. I have this problem at an account on the Philippines. Every 2 years I donate 100 Peso to UNESCO to avoid that it gets dormant. I can do this online. 

[JWNZ]

Usually after 12 months of inactivity, the account will be frozen until you visit the branch with your passport and sign a form to reactivate. There is no other way.
Unfortunately, any interest payments to the account doesn't count as activity.
I'm surprised you were able to deposit into the account whilst frozen, even deposits are usually rejected.

If your balance is said over 2000B your account even in a couple of years' time should have the same balance as the day it was frozen, less than that, however, attract monthly service fees, depending on the bank, once the fees erode the account to a zero balance, that account will be permanently closed.

[HampiK]

I have an account with another K-Bank branch than my main branch. This account is on 0 since more than 3 years, but still accessible in my K-Bank app.

 

Maybe this frozen or closed account only counts if you not have open active accounts in same bank?

[KhunBENQ]

On 3/31/2023 at 5:40 AM, magicroundabout said:

My wife has checked via the updated bank book and the money is there but the ATM no longer works - The bank have said its because I need to pay an annual fee and only I can do it. 

 

It seems the ATM card has expired (can your wife check what is shown on the card)?

And indeed they will not hand a new card to your wife if the account is in your sole name.

Sorry no idea how to fix.