I've heard the nong khai border bounce is pretty easy and unlimited at the moment, is it possible to just walk out and walk in without checking into laos and using a page / buying a visa? Or are they gonna send me over bridge and back?

You will need to obtain a visa to enter Laos.

Best to obtain eVisa. 

Of course you need to enter Laos obtain entry stamp to Laos and then reenter Thailand to obtain 30 day visa exempt entry stamp. 

 

Don't know what you mean by "unlimited at the moment" 

You are allowed 2 visa exempt entry via land borders per calendar year. 

You are not allowed to walk over this bridge.

 

Thai Immigration won't let you in without a Laos exit stamp. To get the exit stamp you will need to get both, the visa sticker (unless you have an eVisa) and the entry stamp.

 

As far as I know, Thailand allows 2 visa-free entrys per year. Unlimited (at the discretion of the airport's IOs) are only arrivals by air.

If you don't check into Laos ( your words ) you're in no mans land. Laos 30 day visa on entry $45. 

As stated by others, to complete a border bounce, you must enter and leave Laos. Assuming you are ineligible for a Laos visa exemption (most of us) you need a visa to enter Laos. Your choice is a visa-on-arrival (cheapest, but takes up a full page in your passport for the visa sticker, and might take a bit of time if there is a queue) or an evisa (more expensive, takes three days, saves space in your passport, may be much quicker at the border). If applying for the visa-on-arrival, make sure you have clean, undamaged US currency. It will be substantially more expensive if you pay in baht.

 

I can confirm that Immigration at this border crossing rarely hassle arriving travellers.

To be honest, some nationalities do have an unlimited number of land border entries. The majority, however, have only 2 per calendar year.

Which countries are you talking about? The way you say it sounds like an unwritten  rule that seems to be the norm these days.

48 minutes ago, totsakan said:

Which countries are you talking about? The way you say it sounds like an unwritten  rule that seems to be the norm these days.

One such country is Malaysia. Malaysian entering Thailand over the Southern border are entitled to unlimited visa exempt entries. (It is a written, not an unwritten, rule.)

1 hour ago, totsakan said:

Which countries are you talking about? The way you say it sounds like an unwritten  rule that seems to be the norm these days.

Ok, only ASEAN members I guess. I though it could have included some European countries.

thank you

45 minutes ago, totsakan said:

Ok, only ASEAN members I guess. I though it could have included some European countries.

thank you

Russia is one of them too, due to a bilateral agreement with Thailand 

3 hours ago, BritTim said:

As stated by others, to complete a border bounce, you must enter and leave Laos. Assuming you are ineligible for a Laos visa exemption (most of us) you need a visa to enter Laos. Your choice is a visa-on-arrival (cheapest, but takes up a full page in your passport for the visa sticker, and might take a bit of time if there is a queue) or an evisa (more expensive, takes three days, saves space in your passport, may be much quicker at the border). If applying for the visa-on-arrival, make sure you have clean, undamaged US currency. It will be substantially more expensive if you pay in baht.

 

I can confirm that Immigration at this border crossing rarely hassle arriving travellers.

I did visa on arrival at Savannakhet, and the Lao Cop asked for 1800 in baht. I had US notes, but would rather keep them.

I later did an exchange rate and I paid = $52.75 so I was ripped off paying in Baht. 

I would have gone e-visa, for the reasons you mentioned alone, but left it too late (3 working days minimum). 

Citizens of Switzerland and Japan don't have to pay for a visa. A reward for giving lots of hand outs to Laos.

22 hours ago, chalawaan said:

I did visa on arrival at Savannakhet, and the Lao Cop asked for 1800 in baht. I had US notes, but would rather keep them.

I later did an exchange rate and I paid = $52.75 so I was ripped off paying in Baht. 

I would have gone e-visa, for the reasons you mentioned alone, but left it too late (3 working days minimum). 

E Visa's the same price.