1 hour ago, John Drake said:

I get my SSA directly deposited into my Bangkok Bank account. And for the last two months, a minor change has taken place. Beginning on 3 March 2025 until 3 June 2026, the transfer was always designated PromptPay. Beginning in July and extending to this month, August, it is now designated IBanking. Meaning? Anything? The only thing I notice is that with the PromptPay deposits they were, well, prompt, being made in the morning around 10:30 am. These last two came in around 1:45 pm. Not a major issue, but Just wondering . . .

I was at the Bank today and looked at my last two months and they now say FTT again as they were up until about a year ago.

Don't know why it changed in the first place, my deposits come from NY

51 minutes ago, Galong said:

I use BKK Bank direct deposit as well and noticed the same timing issue. I didn't notice anything about a 'method' change. It's definitely no longer 'prompt' though.Just looked and my last two mo

Edited August 4Aug 4 by flexomike

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

I get my SSA directly deposited into my Bangkok Bank account. And for the last two months, a minor change has taken place. Beginning on 3 March 2025 until 3 June 2026, the transfer was always designated PromptPay. Beginning in July and extending to this month, August, it is now designated IBanking. Meaning? Anything? The only thing I notice is that with the PromptPay deposits they were, well, prompt, being made in the morning around 10:30 am. These last two came in around 1:45 pm. Not a major issue, but Just wondering . . .

And also the coding switched back to FTT instead of TPP

Ran this through AI and got this (Thai Bank Holidays could mean we are back to getting our deposits a day or more later):

The change in your notification code and time is due to a routing correction by Bangkok Bank to comply with strict international funding rules, shifting your payment from a domestic local clearing pool to an international batch transfer.

The transition from "PROMPTPAY" at 10:30 am to "IBANKING" at 1:45 pm is typical for accounts that initially slipped into the wrong automatic processing queue.

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Why Your Notification Label Changed

• The Old "PROMPTPAY" Label: PromptPay is Thailand's local, instant interbank payment network. For a period, your incoming US federal funds were bundled and cleared into Thailand via an automated local distribution pool. This gave you the faster, morning clearing times typical of domestic Thai bank transfers.

• The New "IBANKING" Label: Bangkok Bank routes US Social Security Administration (SSA) direct deposits through its New York Branch via the International ACH Transaction (IAT) format. To strictly enforce international screening standards and verify that you are receiving funds from a foreign government entity, the bank now logs these strictly as an inward electronic international remittance, triggering the internal "IBANKING" notation.

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Why Your Deposit Time Delayed to 1:45 PM

The time shift boils down to manual verification intervals, timezone differences, and currency conversion processing batches.

• The International Screening Batch: Because your funds are processed under IAT guidelines, the bank must screen the transfer against federal compliance regulations (like OFAC rules). This screening takes place after the US market closes and before the midday clearing cycle in Thailand.

• Daily Exchange Rate Fixing: Your money is transferred by the US Treasury and converted into Thai Baht using the bank's daily international transaction rate. Bangkok Bank processes these high-volume government currency conversions in structured afternoon batches, usually establishing immediate availability around 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm.

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FOLLOW UP QUESTION: So this means it's going back to the way it was before PROMPTPAY when it was notified as AUTO and sometimes I would get it a day or even three days later because of holidays.

I completely understand your frustration. It feels like a massive step backward to lose that reliable, early morning 10:30 AM deposit and go back to worrying about holiday delays.

The good news is that it will not be exactly like the old "AUTO" days when you had to wait up to three days. The system has actually improved.

Why It Won't Take 3 Days Anymore

• Direct US-to-Thai Pipeline: Bangkok Bank now routes direct deposits through its own New York Branch.

• Fewer Middlemen: Because the bank processes the transaction entirely within its own network, the funds do not get stuck in third-party clearing houses.

• Same-Day Consistency: The 1:45 PM time you are seeing now is the automated afternoon clearing batch for international funds.

The Banking Holiday Rule

While you will get your money on the same afternoon most months, US and Thai banking holidays can still cause a shift:

• US Federal Holidays: If the US Federal Reserve is closed, the US Treasury cannot send the file. Your deposit will typically arrive the next business day in Thailand.

• Thai Bank Holidays: If Bangkok Bank headquarters is closed, the automated afternoon international batch may not release until the next morning the bank opens.

It is incredibly annoying to have a system that worked perfectly for a year suddenly change on you. However, you can at least count on that 1:45 PM window being your new consistent anchor point on normal months.

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And just to outline the worst case scenario, I gave the AI this. But even this scenario does not include the possibility that Thai holidays, which tend to cluster around the beginning of the month along with SSA deposits, could cause a Friday transfer to not come in until Wednesday the next week following a two (are there any three) day Thai holiday. We're right back to where we were before Promptpay was making everything work wonderfully:

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Your math on the three-day delay is completely spot on. This bottleneck is caused by specific limitations within the automated processing systems: [1]

• PromptPay was 24/7/365: PromptPay is a local, real-time retail network. Once the money landed in Thailand, PromptPay processed it instantly regardless of weekends, nights, or holidays. Even if your local brick-and-mortar branch was closed, the digital system never slept. [1, 2, 3]

• "IBANKING" Requires the Head Office: The "IBANKING" notification means your funds are coming via an International ACH Transaction (IAT) through Bangkok Bank's New York branch. These international batches require the main Head Office on Silom Road in Bangkok to be open to clear the funds and apply the exchange rate. [1, 2]

• Shopping Mall Branches Don't Count: While micro-branches inside shopping malls are open on Saturdays and Sundays, they only handle basic retail teller services. They cannot process or authorize international foreign currency batches arriving from New York.

The Exact Three-Day Weekend Scenario

If the US Treasury releases your money early on a Friday morning (due to a Saturday US holiday), but Friday happens to be a Thai National Bank Holiday (such as Songkran or a Coronation Day substitution): [1]

1. Friday: Head office closed (No processing)

2. Saturday: Weekend (No processing)

3. Sunday: Weekend (No processing)

4. Monday: The head office reopens, and your funds finally land at 1:45 PM.

It is incredibly frustrating that a modern banking update forces a downgrade in convenience, making you plan around calendar gaps again.

To help protect your cash flow from these gaps, would you like me to check the official Bangkok Bank Holiday Calendar for any upcoming Friday or Monday Thai holidays that might trigger this exact scenario? [1]

40 minutes ago, John Drake said:

And just to outline the worst case scenario, I gave the AI this. But even this scenario does not include the possibility that Thai holidays, which tend to cluster around the beginning of the month along with SSA deposits, could cause a Friday transfer to not come in until Wednesday the next week following a two (are there any three) day Thai holiday. We're right back to where we were before Promptpay was making everything work wonderfully:

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Your math on the three-day delay is completely spot on. This bottleneck is caused by specific limitations within the automated processing systems: [1]...

Going back a year, the latest I've ever had a deposit is the 6th. There have been 7 instances where it was the 4th, 5th, or 6th. I just assumed it was BKK Bank being BKK Bank. Thanks for your clearer explanation.

18 minutes ago, Galong said:

Going back a year, the latest I've ever had a deposit is the 6th. There have been 7 instances where it was the 4th, 5th, or 6th. I just assumed it was BKK Bank being BKK Bank. Thanks for your clearer explanation.

Agree, and the 3rd is usually most consistent day.

For 2026, not so much:

One on the 2nd, 5th & 6th

Two on the 4th

Leaves only three on 3rd

Edited August 4Aug 4 by KhunLA

25 minutes ago, Galong said:

Going back a year, the latest I've ever had a deposit is the 6th. There have been 7 instances where it was the 4th, 5th, or 6th. I just assumed it was BKK Bank being BKK Bank. Thanks for your clearer explanation.

I have enjoyed the PROMPTPAY transfers. They were quick and reliable. BTW further questions to AI said this is mainly coming from the US side because, of course, "money laundering." That be all, catch all term they use to monitor every penny we spend. The Thais are also using this to tighten up on tax compliance, according to AI, as the above message about the reversion to FTT coding makes clear.