Pattaya - I would't go there even if SHE were payin' me!!

15 hours ago, bdenner said:

And the agents have to come up with a new method to get potless expat's extension over the hurdle.

800K into a bank account for 5 minutes is over, nation wide.

In my Isaan location some 70% use these agents. ALL their arses are twitching.

 

I know a wealthy man who does the 'no need 800k baht' thing, but I can't see how he really gains from it. It entails 4 trips in a taxi BKK - Pattaya per annum (probably costs around 10k Baht all-up), and he probably needs to bring 800k into Thailand every year anyway (rent alone probably 400k). And then there's how much he pays the agent.

10 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

I assume you are one of those rich expats who use agents because they don't have the funds in he bank?

I do my own, monthly deposit. If and when that becomes a chore I will use an agent to help me facilitate my extension. 

 

Define rich. 

#1: paypal-TH does not work anymore without Thai-ID.

 

#2 Starbucks is expensive, there are alternatives.

 

 

 

15 hours ago, Everyman said:

 

There is no charge for the Thai QR code payment system. 

sure there is..  you're paying with your privacy

 and contributing to the "communist / socialist" transformation

2 minutes ago, robz said:

#1: paypal-TH does not work anymore without Thai-ID.

 

#2 Starbucks is expensive, there are alternatives.

 

 

 

In the UK I can get limitless cups of coffee (or tea) and free Wifi for the princely sum of £1.19 in Wetherspoons.

15 hours ago, johng said:

So how do they make money ?

By placing a charge on the vendor when a card is used to make payment.

25 minutes ago, KhaoHom said:

 

I had lived d there on off from 2000 to 09. I was one of the skint bastards (40s). Pattaya might have an influx of money, but it's always going to be Pattaya. 

 

Unfortunately, it seems to have lost what was epic about the place and gained everything that is not.

 

If you ask Thais what they think of the dump they will tell you much the same 

 

Thank you for your long response 👍

     Lots of change since 2009.  I arrived in 2010 and I can hardly believe all the changes.  Mostly for the bettter, in my opinion--and one I think is shared by many others.   Contrary to your belief, out-of-town Thais discovering Pattaya has actually been one of the big elements of Pattaya's change.  Your 'dump' comment is also woefully inaccurate.  Lots of Bangkokians, including my Thai spouse's family, fled Bangkok during the big flood of 2011.  Seeing Pattaya for maybe the first time in years, they discovered it was not a dump and it could be a weekend escape from Bangkok, an easy 2 hour drive.

    They wanted small weekend getaway condos.  Enter Lumpini, Sansiri, SC Asset, Supalai, and other Bangkok developers.  They built Lumpini Park Beach and Lumpini Seaview, plus two other large Lumpini projects in Naklua.  Plus The Base, Unixx, Zire, Baan Plai Haad, Supalai Mare, The Edge, and Centric Sea.  All mega projects, with lots of Bangkok buyers.  Famously, when Sansiri opened its sales office in Pattaya for The Base, a majority of the units had already been booked by Bangkokians--they probably could have skipped the sales office altogether.   For those Bangkokians and other Thais who want to visit but don't want a condo, new family resorts like Centre Point Space have popped up.  It has proved so popular that Centre Point is now building an even bigger resort across the street from it. 

1 hour ago, CallumWK said:

 

The QR code system has nothing to do with how foreign currency arrives in Thailand. It is a local payment system, so the foreign currency has already arrived in the Thai banks before the foreigner can make a payment to a local vendor.

To do that would mean tourists have access to open local bank accounts. Which is impossible. So your theory is ludicrous

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

A payment is made to an agent to help facilitate visa extension. It's not a bribe.

 

That money is passed onto the immigration officer so he will ignore the needed funds in the bank, it's a bribe. Paying the agent just to process a legitimate application is different

15 hours ago, baansgr said:

More rubbish...DL exactly the same for retirees,.why should a tourist be entitled to a bank account, no other country does it...

Oh there are many...go to Singapore and you can see how it works...

15 hours ago, Enoon said:

It'll be a cold day in hell when you can't get a hand job for cash in Pattaya.

 

But you must hand-in the hot cash! 

17 hours ago, JoePai said:

Quite simply Pattaya is not as easy/friendly/carefree (call it what you want) as it used to be, but then where is…

Urandangi in Queensland Australia is.

One thing has not changed about Pattaya … 

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Those who previously depended on agents to inflate bank balances for visa renewals are finding these loopholes closing fast.

 

This is definitely a move in the right direction! Let's make Thailand great again... 

Where is the Thailand's Trump? Urgently required.

6 minutes ago, chilli42 said:

One thing has not changed about Pattaya … 

 

This is prostitution!

16 hours ago, Trippy said:

I've never had my cash turned down anywhere in Pattaya. 

try Starbucks, they have gone digital 100%

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

To navigate these changes, expats are turning to digital wallets and peer-to-peer apps such as PayPal and Venmo.

Since when do Paypal Thailand allow foreigners to open an account!

16 hours ago, KhaoHom said:

 

Rubbish 

 

Probably three people in the entire Thai government could explain Blockchain technology.

 

I challenge this.

There's no need to understand a technology in order to use it. Let's suppose that you have a car or a motorbike When you drive it, do you start to think about the principles of the explosion engine, how gasoline is sprayed into the cilinder and then there's a spark that ignites it? No, you never think about that, you just drive it. The same thing about blockchain...

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

A payment is made to an agent to help facilitate visa extension. It's not a bribe.

'Facilitate' aka 'plausible deniability'.

16 hours ago, johng said:

So how do they make money ?

Same as in Europe, by closing branches, reducing staff .

You're looking for which banks in Thailand offer QR code payment solutions specifically tailored for tourists. Here's a detailed overview:

---

Banks Offering QR Code Payment Solutions for Tourists in Thailand

1. Kasikornbank (KBank) – Pay & Tour Prepaid Card + TAGTHAI App

• Foreign tourists can obtain a Pay & Tour prepaid card at select locations like airports, then link it to the TAGTHAI app to make PromptPay QR code payments during their stay.
• As one user explained:

  "Foreign Tourists can now use QR payment via a combination of Pay & Tour Prepaid Card + the TAGTHAI App. … Apply for the card at Kasikorn Bank's booth … use the app to pay via QR."

 

16 hours ago, Everyman said:

 

There is no charge for the Thai QR code payment system. 

Not yet anyway

15 hours ago, baansgr said:

As a tourist..I don't think so, especially after 2 days..ill call you out as BS and leave it there 

I agree.

As a Hong Kong expat with Permanent residency there, I took a Thai friend/ businessman to my local HSBC branch, where I had had an account for over 20 years.

We asked the manager about opening him an account, and the answer was " not unless he has an established business, job, or "permission to stay" ( work contract or similar) and can demonstrate some relevant time spent in HK."

 

So, certainly not for a 'day tripper' or random tourist!

35 minutes ago, kuzmabruk said:

try Starbucks, they have gone digital 100%

I don't go to starbucks, I make my coffee at home.

25 minutes ago, Shocked farang said:

There's no need to understand a technology in order to use it. Let's suppose that you have a car or a motorbike When you drive it, do you start to think about the principles of the explosion engine, how gasoline is sprayed into the cilinder and then there's a spark that ignites it? No, you never think about that, you just drive it. The same thing about blockchain...

 

You've missed the point. The article alleges that this technology is present or coming online. Someone must decide upon a number of things to make that happen and to maintain it. Imo, basically no one has the capacity to do so. 

 

It's not simply a matter of buying Bitcoin 

11 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

dread my return to Thailand where I will have to load up on cash

No

2 hours ago, Freddy42OZ said:

I live in Bangkok and use cash so infrequently now that I sometimes don't even bother carrying my wallet. 

It's just so easy to use TrueMoney or scan with the Kbank app.  

Only use cash. If they want a scan, I don't give them my business.

 

Keep cash real I say. Reject the bar code. Say no to tyranny. Stay free.

17 hours ago, baansgr said:

More rubbish...DL exactly the same for retirees,.why should a tourist be entitled to a bank account, no other country does it...

 

 

Use your own card out of country and pay fees or..

 

Probably sell stored value cards. Buy card 200b non refundable and fill the card (also non refundable). Take b5 per transaction. 

 

So, family with teens. Add another 800 + 1200 loss = b2000 to cost of Thai holiday on top of the recent b300 tax pax and the other taxes. Probably something like hundreds of dollars in fees and taxes I'm imagining coming for hapless families 

17 hours ago, bdenner said:

And the agents have to come up with a new method to get potless expat's extension over the hurdle.

800K into a bank account for 5 minutes is over, nation wide.

In my Isaan location some 70% use these agents. ALL their arses are twitching.

 

I was only thinking the other day that it has been quite some time since we had one of these "I am considerablyricher than you" threads!