17 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

not ordering taxis or take away food is now considered primitive life    what happened to home cooking ? is that a thing of the past ?  I have my own car and motorcycle, and never use taxis, Why would i?    am i living in the stone age ?

 

  I am talking about generally and NOT specifically about you .

YOU may not need to get  I-phone , but most other will need to get one 

13 hours ago, billd766 said:

What is wrong with these whining people nowadays?

 

They won't let mw in because I cannot produce 20,00 thb or its equivalent.

 

So what was she going to live on for her holiday?

 

Beg for money and food on the street and sleep on the beach or in a park?

 

Grow up, read the rules, and if you don't have the money to live on, don't go on holiday.

 

If you have the money for a mobile phone, and money for the air ticket, but you can't produce 20,000 baht, then you can't afford a holiday.

 

Stop crying and bleating about it because nobody cares about you.

Have you never heard of exchanging money when you arrive which is probably what most people do these days? Especially when carrying cash increases the risk of theft. I've been coming to Thailand for 19 years and never been asked to show it on entry by land or air. But for the last couple of years, due to the increased risk of war and the taking down of the internet, I have carried a cash emergency fund on entry.

4 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

  I am talking about generally and NOT specifically about you .

YOU may not need to get  I-phone , but most other will need to get one 

does it have to be an I phone ?  I have a samsung ,a vivo, and an unnamed chinese one ,   maybe that's where i'm going wrong 

 

Im not normally paranoid   but when I read stuff like...

"You may indeed be able to live without  smart phone living a primitive life .

But for others its becoming increasingly difficult to live without one "

 

I tend to assume its about me ,   which is fine 

Just in case no one else has posted this, It does not have to be in Thai baht, It can be in any currency.

13 hours ago, billd766 said:

What is wrong with these whining people nowadays?

 

They won't let mw in because I cannot produce 20,00 thb or its equivalent.

 

So what was she going to live on for her holiday?

 

Beg for money and food on the street and sleep on the beach or in a park?

 

Grow up, read the rules, and if you don't have the money to live on, don't go on holiday.

 

If you have the money for a mobile phone, and money for the air ticket, but you can't produce 20,000 baht, then you can't afford a holiday.

 

Stop crying and bleating about it because nobody cares about you.

It's stupid. It's also 2025 and cash is not king.  Who wants to carry that much cash with you when you're out and about out visiting Vietnam or wherever or even have to worry about leaving cash in your room!  I don't care about you!

1 hour ago, David T Pike said:

This woman doesnt have a Thai Bank account (bank book) with at least 20k in it? 🙄

 

I think, IOs at the border want to see hard cash.

I know several Westerners who avoid Thailand like the plague because of the harassing treatment at customs, inconsistent interpretation of rules and unclear instructions, definitely not because of the 20k Baht rule!

2 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

Personally never had departed on any international flight from any country with less than $5000usd cash in my pocket.

And when you enter the real world on your trips there are many many places that do NOT accept cash. 

2 hours ago, impulse said:

 

That works until the day that it doesn't.  Like when the ATM eats your card, or the bank back home decides that spending money in Thailand (or any other country you haven't called them to pre-approve) is now a suspicious activity.  Both have happened to me over the years, even recently.  Or someone hijacks your account online while you're traveling.  I always carry a few thousand $USD when I'm overseas.  Even if I can get a replacement card in a few days, that's going to be a miserable few days.

Omg.  Please!  You must be totally freaked out about the sky falling. 

3 hours ago, TedG said:

I rarely carry cash; it's a risk. 

 

I have never had 20k baht in my wallet since coming here from 1987 onwards while passing through immigration. 

 

I doubt if most passengers have 20k cash in baht as tourists will buy baht at the airport money exchanges or ATMs.

 

If I was asked for proof now I like most others would open up my phone banking app and show them the thousands of pounds or tens of thousands of baht in the accounts.

 

We could even show them our credit card limits on a similar app showing we had the funds to hand, so she could have done the same.

 

This method in the modern world would be acceptable to immigration otherwise they would be turning 90% of tourists away.

 

So as this account does not add up I suspect she made it all up and was barred as she maybe did not have the correct visa, those types of people will do anything to make money via advertising on their boring blogs.

 

No doubt my comment will cause a stir with the many old blokes on here who for some reason think banking apps are dangerous when in fact carrying cash is the danger. 

 

15 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

does it have to be an I phone ?  I have a samsung ,a vivo, and an unnamed chinese one ,   maybe that's where i'm going wrong 

 

Im not normally paranoid   but when I read stuff like...

"You may indeed be able to live without  smart phone living a primitive life .

But for others its becoming increasingly difficult to live without one "

 

I tend to assume its about me ,   which is fine 

 

   OK, I will change  my post 

 

People in general  may indeed be able to live without  smart phone living a primitive life .

But for others its becoming increasingly difficult to live without one "

3 hours ago, Mangkhut said:

Who carries cash in 2025???

My view is if you want to be prudent, have a tripod of funds....

In 96-7 I was doing sabbatical tripping... I had travelers checks/cash, Bank debit card and AmEx card.

Bro in law was supposed to pay my AmEx card debts ($30 to BKK hospital for a shot), but he didn't. My 1stInterstate Bank card was cancelled when Wells Fargo bought them out... 'contact local bank' message on ATM in Philippines... Amex used to cash checks, but found out (this is about 9 months into trip) that card cancelled due to bro in law not paying bill. In Melbourne they told me simply paying that $30 would not get me back ability to cash check....

So last three months only had traveler's checks and cash. It was tight: more Thai time, Bali-Australi-Bali, back to Thai and then USA.... 

So you are tempting fate if you put your faith in plastic

9 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

Omg.  Please!  You must be totally freaked out about the sky falling. 

 

I'll bet the lady in the OP wished she carried cash.

 

The first time I traveled to Asia for work, there were 2 ATMs in my city of 15 million that could accept international ATM cards and no shops that could take any credit cards.  But I could always find someone that would swap USD, even though that was illegal.

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Read the thread!  It means cash, only cash, in any currency to the value of 20,000 baht.  

Ok. Next time I come back in then I will have to carry $627 or more depending on currency conversion rates. Kind of hard to get it all in Baht if one is coming or coming back into LOS. 

8 minutes ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

I have never had 20k baht in my wallet since coming here from 1987 onwards while passing through immigration. 

 

I doubt if most passengers have 20k cash in baht as tourists will buy baht at the airport money exchanges or ATMs.

 

If I was asked for proof now I like most others would open up my phone banking app and show them the thousands of pounds or tens of thousands of baht in the accounts.

 

We could even show them our credit card limits on a similar app showing we had the funds to hand, so she could have done the same.

 

This method in the modern world would be acceptable to immigration otherwise they would be turning 90% of tourists away.

 

So as this account does not add up I suspect she made it all up and was barred as she maybe did not have the correct visa, those types of people will do anything to make money via advertising on their boring blogs.

 

No doubt my comment will cause a stir with the many old blokes on here who for some reason think banking apps are dangerous when in fact carrying cash is the danger. 

 

You're 100% stop on.   

It's always someone else's fault. I know the rules but choose not to follow them, then when it goes <deleted> up I blame everyone else except my own stupidity / arrogance. Next time stay in your own country and you won't have the problem. Now where did I leave my Sangsom

10 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

I'll bet the lady in the OP wished she carried cash.

 

The first time I traveled to Asia for work, there were 2 ATMs in my city of 15 million that could accept international ATM cards and no shops that could take any credit cards.  But I could always find someone that would swap USD, even though that was illegal.

Now let us know what year the first time was? 

Great move by immigration This rule whether you like it or not is doing this women a favour preventing her  from ending up on the sreets no money for hotels and probably begging for food or not paying restaurant  bin or selling drugs to survive.I don't think Thailand needs this . From the picture she looks like a druggo backpacker who has travelled all over Asia and bluffed her way everywhere along the way and was trying her luck in Thailand.The part that i could't get was that she was advised to find another airpot. 

7 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

Now let us know what year the first time was? 

 

Around 1782 😆

10 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

Now let us know what year the first time was? 

 

It was 2000.   

 

But the point is that you've ridiculed me for doing exactly what would have kept the nice lady in the OP from being denied entry.   I carry cash.

 

If you don't wanna carry cash, fine.  But there are times when it sure comes in handy.  Like when my banks back home closed out my accounts because I didn't have a US mailing address any more...  If you travel enough, you'll probably end up in a situation where cash is king.  That's hard cash...  USD, GBP or Euros.

 

39 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

Just in case no one else has posted this, It does not have to be in Thai baht, It can be in any currency.

 

No cash needs to be shown, just proof you have access to the equivalent of 20k baht.

3 hours ago, impulse said:

 

That works until the day that it doesn't.  Like when the ATM eats your card, or the bank back home decides that spending money in Thailand (or any other country you haven't called them to pre-approve) is now a suspicious activity.  Both have happened to me over the years, even recently.  Or someone hijacks your account online while you're traveling.  I always carry a few thousand $USD when I'm overseas.  Even if I can get a replacement card in a few days, that's going to be a miserable few days.

 

Erm no, we would just use one of our other bank accounts or cards, very simple really, it is being very simple minded though not to have more than one bank account and not to have more than one card.

 

I am probably being over the top with my ten bank accounts, twenty seven credit cards/debit cards though. 😃

 

But the 147k pounds sterling limit on the credit cards is more than enough to cover any financial crisis while travelling abroad including an emergency air-ambulance back to the UK.

 

19 minutes ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

No cash needs to be shown, just proof you have access to the equivalent of 20k baht.

 

On numerous websites, incl. on this forum, it has been mentioned that the money needs to be in cash. (Personally, I have never been asked by IOs for the mentioned amount in cash. However, years ago, in mainland China, I was asked by Thai Airways staff at check-in, travelling to Thailand, whether I had the cash.)

27 minutes ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

No cash needs to be shown, just proof you have access to the equivalent of 20k baht.

 

That's just wrong.  The whole point is she needed cash.  Nothing else.

 

But, as has been pointed out many times, the cash rule was the excuse for denying her entry.  There will have been other reasons to deny her, but the cash rule is easy to apply.

1 minute ago, StayinThailand2much said:

 

On numerous websites, incl. on this forum, it has been mentioned that the money needs to be in cash. (Personally, I have never been asked by IOs for the mentioned amount in cash. However, years ago, in mainland China, I was asked by Thai Airways staff at check-in, travelling to Thailand, whether I had the cash.)

 

Yes it must be the same false information spread as usual on such blogs.

 

Look at it logically, many tourists do something like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, they would not want to carry a big bag of money around with them and as it is now 2025 the vasts majority would have planned to use an ATM or a banking app or a credit/debit card while in the airport.

 

I am sure the immigration officers do not live in the dark ages, they will know most people would do that, if not hardly anybody would be allowed in.

 

7 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I don't think the 'monetary amount' or access to funds is an issue - its just that she wasn't carrying it. 

 

Its an archaic rule - if someone can show 'access to cash' (i.e. via a Banking App / Credit card etc) then to have funds in cash is completely superfluous....   (I have not once used cash for over 2 months now & that includes international travel too).

 

As the lady pointed out - she could have fixed the issue in minutes by going to an ATM - except there is no ATM air-side of Immigration (which is another issue).

 

Immigration clearly have 'other reasons' as the cash-excuse is so rarely used & has only been used in the past as a technical reason to refuse entry when they suspect something else (i.e the person is here working etc but they can't prove it).

 

So.... the question begs - Did immigration suspect something else ? or was this just an Immigration officer being very difficult ???

 

 

Totally agree.

 I personally use cash, but many like Yourself do not. in this day and age, with many other methods, its a personal choice, a way of controlling what you spend?

BKK and DMK have no ATM's airside, even departing , I have asked at the airport, question is why?

Other airports like Hong Kong, Changi, Dubai, etc have ATM's airside, its a mystery?

Just now, brewsterbudgen said:

 

That's just wrong.  The whole point is she needed cash.  Nothing else.

 

But, as has been pointed out many times, the cash rule was the excuse for denying her entry.  There will have been other reasons to deny her, but the cash rule is easy to apply.

 

You are assuming that a blogger who makes money out of blogging negative stories about things could not be lying there are always two or more parts to any story. 

3 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

But bring in THB and you will have "lost" probably more when you exchanged your money in your home country or at an airport stopover on the way    

 

Best baht rate is in Thailand. At least 10% worse in EU at least.

 

When they started pulling people for that a few years ago just b4 the pandemic I started arriving with 600 euros in my pocket but was never asked. Suggests there's another reason/something else going on.

44 minutes ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

No cash needs to be shown, just proof you have access to the equivalent of 20k baht.

 

Well that would mean she could have opened her banking app on her phone, if she had one and proved she had enough?

I prefer not to carry that much foreign cash these days.  Not only because it's less secure and less convenient, but also because the money changers are extremely anal about the quality of the bills.  I've had bills rejected over the slightest blemish, stain, or crease, which inevitably seems to happen to some of them no matter how careful I am.

 

I wonder if they would accept it if someone were to show them a bank statement on their phones banking app?  That could also be a problem since most banking apps require 2FA, usually by sending an SMS, which may not work for a lot of people travelling abroad.  Trying to get that working while sitting in airport immigration is the last thing most people would want to deal with.