I've set it up and got verified so that I'm Advanced status, and I've got a virtual True MasterCard. I'm interested to know any experiences with using the card abroad. 

 

There appear to be an enormous number of possibilities. 

 

One seems to be using it at 7-Eleven in Japan via Alipay Plus network through the TrueMoney App scan option. And another seems to be using it contactless for the London Tube via the Google Wallet and True Mastercard; this would be like having an Oyster card.

 

Anyone done this? I don't especially want to plan to use it on a trip, only to find it is pretty useless.

I would set it up as backup, have several options, I would add to Google wallet, test it in Lotus or Big C, need NFC on your phone 

13 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

test it in Lotus or Big C, need NFC on your phone 

 

I'm not worried about domestic usage. 

 

I'm just trying to see if anyone has had experience of using it abroad, particularly for complex transactions as I described above.

I can answer one question: you can't use the Alipay feature on TrueMoney as a foreigner.

I only have one question about all of these direct payment schemes.  Can I transfer money directly into any of them from my foreign bank account.  The key word is "DIRECTLY" (SWIFT or ACH, or by using something like Wise).  Not through Thai banks that require me to have a bank account with them.  Not from requiring me to have cash in the first place and adding credit that way, which defeats the whole purpose.  If I cannot transfer money from abroad directly into them then they are all useless to me.

 

I am guessing the answer is no.  There must be some sort of regulation in Thailand that will only allow brick and mortar banks to accept international money transfers.  Unlike the Philippines which has GCash and MayaPay.  Both those give me a legit bank account number that I can transfer money directly into from Wise and allows me to extract cash from at any ATM  in the PI and only pay local bank ATM fees, not international card fees.  Nothing like that in Thailand as far as I can tell.

8 hours ago, shdmn said:

I only have one question about all of these direct payment schemes.  Can I transfer money directly into any of them from my foreign bank account.  The key word is "DIRECTLY" (SWIFT or ACH, or by using something like Wise).  Not through Thai banks that require me to have a bank account with them.  Not from requiring me to have cash in the first place and adding credit that way, which defeats the whole purpose.  If I cannot transfer money from abroad directly into them then they are all useless to me.

 

I am guessing the answer is no.  There must be some sort of regulation in Thailand that will only allow brick and mortar banks to accept international money transfers.  Unlike the Philippines which has GCash and MayaPay.  Both those give me a legit bank account number that I can transfer money directly into from Wise and allows me to extract cash from at any ATM  in the PI and only pay local bank ATM fees, not international card fees.  Nothing like that in Thailand as far as I can tell.

 

You're right, the answer is no. To put money into your TrueMoney wallet, you either need cash or a Thai bank account. You cannot make a SWIFT or WISE transfer to a TrueMoney wallet directly. 

9 hours ago, highfive said:

you can't use the Alipay feature on TrueMoney as a foreigner.

 

I would like to know the grounds for this assertion. Have you personally attempted to use it and found you're blocked because you were a foreigner?

 

Although it is certainly true until very recently foreigners had only a limited functionality within TrueMoney, and that would definitely limit where they could use it. Now that there is 'Advanced' status (this needs a passport with a 'Non-  ' stamp on it, as the TrueMoney system states, among other alternatives) for foreigners, there are effectively three tiers.

 

Within the App it is obvious that the Advanced status foreigners are not allowed to use the 'm plus' feature, for example. It is specifically blocked and states 'for Thais only'. But there is no wording at all like that in regard to AliPay or any of the other dozens of systems that link to TrueMoney.

 

In fact quite the opposite. On my app it's specifically says that I am personally connected to AliPay. Why on earth would it connect me to Alipay and then tell me I cannot use Alipay. It even allows me to personally disconnect from AliPay. Make that make sense.

 

Has anyone here with Advanced status had any personal experience using it in Japan or Taiwan or China etc. ? The Advanced status option has only existed for a few months as far as I can tell.

On 8/20/2025 at 7:34 AM, Gaccha said:

 

I would like to know the grounds for this assertion. Have you personally attempted to use it and found you're blocked because you were a foreigner?

 

Yes, I have tried paying online for various purchases from vendors that list TrueMoney Wallet as a payment method for Thailand e.g. on Steam and Google Play Store. However, when choosing that option, you first get redirected to Alipay and then to the TrueMoney Wallet app which displays a notification that "This service is only available for Thai citizens". Years ago, I asked TrueMoney support why I can't use it and they confirmed that the Alipay feature is only for Thai citizens. This is for online payments - I'm not sure about in-person payments if you travel to China or elsewhere. My account has the "Advanced" status.

3 hours ago, highfive said:

This is for online payments - I'm not sure about in-person payments if you travel to China or elsewhere. My account has the "Advanced" status.

Thanks. That's interesting. 

 

Since making this thread, I've also found that AliPay scan options don't work within Thailand. 

 

It does look very unlikely to work abroad. 

My running assumption now is:

 

AliPay network via TrueMoney is out of bounds for foreigners. 

 

But...

 

I still think True Virtual MasterCard can be used abroad. This would allow contactless payments such as on the London Underground. I remain confident about this because the actual payment is with MasterCard and at that point has nothing to do with True.

 

I remain interested in any 'Advanced' status TrueMoney users who have attempted to use True abroad for either AliPay+ or the virtual card.