Paying for new UK passport

[john smith]

The passport office has informed me that they can not process payment  for my new passport without saying what the problem is. I can only presume that the problem is my Bangkok Bank Be1st debit card. As the message that I received talks about payment in a meaningful if unclear way. The card has a Mastercard logo on it and I know that Mastercard is acceptable because it says so on the passport application form. I did notice that my card has an end by date but no starting date. Can this be the problem? If so how to solve it?  Am I blessed to be the first Expat. who has encountered this problem? Help and advice please. I am reluctant to broach the problem with my bank as the staff assume the frozen rabbit stare when faced with any unfamiliar problem.

[Upnotover]

- Is your card authorised for overseas/online payments?

- Do you have any friends, just ask them to pay for you and reimburse them.

- Do you have any family in the UK, they could also pay for you.

[Upnotover]

24 minutes ago, john smith said:

I am reluctant to broach the problem with my bank as the staff assume the frozen rabbit stare when faced with any unfamiliar problem.

Indeed in a branch that may well be the case.  But phone or email them and in my experience you'll get a proper and accurate explanation, and remarkably quickly too (again only based on my few needs to contact them).  

[digbeth]

have you used it to pay for anything online successfully before?  

[hotandsticky]

It is actually a common problem. As stated above not all Thai cards are set up for international payments.

 

I have to assume that you do not have a UK bank card because nobody would suffer somebody else's exchange rate/card processing fee .

 

Also as stated above, get a friend (who is prepared to disclose his cvc number) to make payment for you. Any 3rd party can make payment ie an agent like Key Visa (although they gouge you on the cost).

 

If in doubt ask Liverpool for the options available.

 

 

[transam]

Anyone in the UK can pay the fee, even someone here with an OK card. All they want is the card details, doesn't have to be you...

[ElwoodP]

No WISE account?

Use your WISE virtual debit card to pay.

 

Be1st cards often don't work overseas as they are processed by TPN (Thai payment network), not MasterCard or Visa.

[john smith]

Thank you all for your advice it was most helpful. My daughter in the UK will make the payment for me. I was not aware that someone else could pay for me

[soalbundy]

11 hours ago, john smith said:

The passport office has informed me that they can not process payment  for my new passport without saying what the problem is. I can only presume that the problem is my Bangkok Bank Be1st debit card. As the message that I received talks about payment in a meaningful if unclear way. The card has a Mastercard logo on it and I know that Mastercard is acceptable because it says so on the passport application form. I did notice that my card has an end by date but no starting date. Can this be the problem? If so how to solve it?  Am I blessed to be the first Expat. who has encountered this problem? Help and advice please. I am reluctant to broach the problem with my bank as the staff assume the frozen rabbit stare when faced with any unfamiliar problem.

I had the same problem with this card when trying to pay online for an antivirus program, payment (2,200 Baht) was refused twice. I'm wondering if it's the 'mastercard', my German bank has stopped issuing mastercard debit cards and has changed to Visa saying Visa is more acceptable abroad.

[alant]

Having just done my passport I seem to recall that the monies had to be paid using a UK card in sterling.

[theoldgit]

2 hours ago, alant said:

Having just done my passport I seem to recall that the monies had to be paid using a UK card in sterling.

I renewed my passport recently using my Kasikorn Debit Card.

 

The payment form asks for for address, including the country of residence of the card holder, the form doesn’t state the card must be a UK card, where did you read that it had to be?
 

“Cardholder's address: (including postcode where applicable, and country)”

[BobBKK]

Which country? I renewed my passport painlessly using the UK agent passport office.

[kenjinuk]

On 6/7/2024 at 5:37 PM, john smith said:

The passport office has informed me that they can not process payment  for my new passport without saying what the problem is. I can only presume that the problem is my Bangkok Bank Be1st debit card. As the message that I received talks about payment in a meaningful if unclear way. The card has a Mastercard logo on it and I know that Mastercard is acceptable because it says so on the passport application form. I did notice that my card has an end by date but no starting date. Can this be the problem? If so how to solve it?  Am I blessed to be the first Expat. who has encountered this problem? Help and advice please. I am reluctant to broach the problem with my bank as the staff assume the frozen rabbit stare when faced with any unfamiliar problem.

 

[kenjinuk]

Bangkok bank use Union Pay, a chinese money agency, this is not the same as Master Card and has been rejected for overseas payments when I used it.

[Joedoebarinio]

I’ve got a Bangkok Master Card, all it’s fit for is ATM withdrawals. I’ve tried it out all over the place. I always end up going to the ATM for cash. I ended up with a Bangkok Bank Visa no problems and the APP is brilliant. 

[mlkik]

On 6/7/2024 at 5:37 PM, john smith said:

The passport office has informed me that they can not process payment  for my new passport without saying what the problem is. I can only presume that the problem is my Bangkok Bank Be1st debit card. As the message that I received talks about payment in a meaningful if unclear way. The card has a Mastercard logo on it and I know that Mastercard is acceptable because it says so on the passport application form. I did notice that my card has an end by date but no starting date. Can this be the problem? If so how to solve it?  Am I blessed to be the first Expat. who has encountered this problem? Help and advice please. I am reluctant to broach the problem with my bank as the staff assume the frozen rabbit stare when faced with any unfamiliar problem.

I have a Bangkok Bank Be1st debit card and when August Suites in Pattaya asked for a card for the room deposit they would not accept it. 

[alant]

On 6/8/2024 at 2:03 PM, theoldgit said:

I renewed my passport recently using my Kasikorn Debit Card.

 

The payment form asks for for address, including the country of residence of the card holder, the form doesn’t state the card must be a UK card, where did you read that it had to be?
 

“Cardholder's address: (including postcode where applicable, and country)”

I did mine via VFS Chiang Mai, I am working from memory but I thought the form said UK would not argue as I may be wrong although confidence high

[Upnotover]

49 minutes ago, alant said:

I did mine via VFS Chiang Mai, I am working from memory but I thought the form said UK would not argue as I may be wrong although confidence high

No.  The form says "You must ensure that you have checked with your card provider that your card is valid, for this international transaction".  Payment is taken in the UK, if they wanted only UK cards then the transaction wouldn't be international.

[alant]

23 hours ago, Upnotover said:

No.  The form says "You must ensure that you have checked with your card provider that your card is valid, for this international transaction".  Payment is taken in the UK, if they wanted only UK cards then the transaction wouldn't be international.

thanks