Where to change money at good rate in Suvarnabhumi

[LOG54]

Hello

We go "for good" from Thailand in June.

I will obviously close the accounts etc but will then need to keep a reasonable amount of cash for the last week. I never paid attention to change booth in the airport.. can anybody confirm it is possible to change bahts into dollars and where these change booths are located (I imagine should be around arrivals more than departures).. If anyone had an experience is there a company offering better rates or are they all approximately the same.

Thanks a lot.

Have a good weekend 

[soi3eddie]

Head down to the basement by the City Line train station - many exchange booths there that give much better rates than the bank booths in arrivals.

 

[ukrules]

Yeah, there are booths near the food court in the basement - saw it on a youtube video.

What accounts are you closing? Are you going to be carrying a large amount of cash with you?

 

[Briggsy]

1 hour ago, soi3eddie said:

Head down to the basement by the City Line train station - many exchange booths there that give much better rates than the bank booths in arrivals.

 

This.

 

I previously jacked Thailand, sold and gave everything away. This was where I changed my remaining baht into pounds. The rates were surprisingly good.

 

(Then I came back)

[treetops]

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

Yeah, there are booths near the food court in the basement - saw it on a youtube video.

 

The "good" booths are on the basement level.  The food court is on the ground level.

[LOG54]

5 hours ago, ukrules said:

Yeah, there are booths near the food court in the basement - saw it on a youtube video.

What accounts are you closing? Are you going to be carrying a large amount of cash with you?

 

Hello..

No.. I send the balance of my accounts 1 week before leaving but as I will keep cash for 1 week with "security" margin should be equivalent to a few hundred dollars

Have a good weekend 

[Magictoad]

4 hours ago, Briggsy said:

This.

 

I previously jacked Thailand, sold and gave everything away. This was where I changed my remaining baht into pounds. The rates were surprisingly good.

 

(Then I came back)

"jacked"? What does that mean?

[Hummin]

6 hours ago, LOG54 said:

Hello

We go "for good" from Thailand in June.

I will obviously close the accounts etc but will then need to keep a reasonable amount of cash for the last week. I never paid attention to change booth in the airport.. can anybody confirm it is possible to change bahts into dollars and where these change booths are located (I imagine should be around arrivals more than departures).. If anyone had an experience is there a company offering better rates or are they all approximately the same.

Thanks a lot.

Have a good weekend 

If you got a credit card without transaction fees, that could be an better option. 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Magictoad said:

6 hours ago, Briggsy said:

This.

 

I previously jacked Thailand, sold and gave everything away. This was where I changed my remaining baht into pounds. The rates were surprisingly good.

 

(Then I came back)

"jacked"? What does that mean?

 

Context is obviously key...   Jacked...     gave up on....   Jacked it in... 

 

 

 

 

[gargamon]

9 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Context is obviously key...   Jacked...     gave up on....   Jacked it in... 

 

 

 

 

Probably off.

[richard_smith237]

8 hours ago, gargamon said:

Probably off.

Quite the accomplishment - was that Gottfird under a pseudonym? 🫣🍆👌

[Briggsy]

14 hours ago, Magictoad said:

"jacked"? What does that mean?

left / discarded (metaphorically) / binned

[Briggsy]

14 hours ago, Hummin said:

If you got a credit card without transaction fees, that could be an better option. 

Whilst this could work, you need to beware if you do this. Why? Well, I will tell you.

 

1. Most credit cards charge exhorbitant fees for foreign currency transactions.

2. However, Hummin did caveat this by referring to cards without transaction fees. But even for those cards, e.g. the UK Halifax Clarity, any transaction which can be classed as a cash transaction or quasi-cash transaction immediately has interest charged at an exhorbitant rate from the date of the transaction AND may apply fees to cash transactions.

3. You will still suffer a small exchange rate loss, usually 0.5% - 1%

 

So be very wary doing this using a credit card. It can go wrong, expensively wrong.

 

Exchanging cash at the airport downstairs by the train station is a better idea.

[Hummin]

11 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

Whilst this could work, you need to beware if you do this. Why? Well, I will tell you.

 

1. Most credit cards charge exhorbitant fees for foreign currency transactions.

2. However, Hummin did caveat this by referring to cards without transaction fees. But even for those cards, e.g. the UK Halifax Clarity, any transaction which can be classed as a cash transaction or quasi-cash transaction immediately has interest charged at an exhorbitant rate from the date of the transaction AND may apply fees to cash transactions.

3. You will still suffer a small exchange rate loss, usually 0.5% - 1%

 

So be very wary doing this using a credit card. It can go wrong, expensively wrong.

 

Exchanging cash at the airport downstairs by the train station is a better idea.

Myy Visa card gives me close to bank to bank transfer rate, and with no transaction or cash withdrawal fees, I’m left to each bank withdrawal fees, on top of that, up to 45 days interest free transaction. 
 

Withdraw 30k on your Visa card at atm, check the actual cost in your credit card statement, and check bank to bank exchange rate minus your local bank fees. Yesterday, my Visa card would be brake even with my Visa card. 

 

https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/personal/other-services/view-rates/foreign-exchange-rates

 

 

[treetops]

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

But even for those cards, e.g. the UK Halifax Clarity, any transaction which can be classed as a cash transaction or quasi-cash transaction immediately has interest charged at an exhorbitant rate from the date of the transaction AND may apply fees to cash transactions.

 

Halifax Clarity does charge interest, as you say, but if paid off immediately the transaction shows it would be minimal.  No further charges apply.  If he had the Barclaycard Rewards CC he wouldn't even have any interest on cash advances to worry about if he pays the statement in full by the due date.

 

Without knowing how much he'd spend and on what it's all guesswork, but a CC (or the right DC) could be a practical solution.