Western Union

[Lelipad]

can somebody be so kind to tell me where I can found a Western Union office in the Khon Kaen area?

Thank you in advance

[H2oDunc]

Hi, I dont know for sure but as nobody from the area has given you any idea here goes. If you go into town check the banks. One of them, or maybe more will be an agent for estern Union. Here in Chumphon its the bank of Ayudayah. If that fails check out any money exchange places. Hope you find one.

[Totster]

I'm sure I saw a Western Union sign outside the post office in Kalasin recently.. probably means all main branches have the capability

Totster

[Totster]

Just checked - More info here - Thailand Post

Totster

[rono]

Normally bank of ayudhaya and post office but western union is very expensive compared to other payment options

rono

[milesm]

Normally bank of ayudhaya and post office but western union is very expensive compared to other payment options

rono

hi rono,

would you care to elaborate on those other payment options? thanks.

milesm

[yorkman]

Normally bank of ayudhaya and post office but western union is very expensive compared to other payment options

rono

hi rono,

would you care to elaborate on those other payment options? thanks.

milesm

1. Remit to bank account unless it is a very small amount. Send in home currency to be converted in Thailand

2. Use a card at an ATM; this can be somewhat expensive but likely to be still cheaper than WU

Don't forget, WU not only charge a rather large fee, the exchange rate they give is another nice little earner for them

Probably the only advantage of WU is that the money is available very quickly and the recipient does not need a Thai bank account or plastic

[Boo]

if you google western union they will give you a list of all the WU offices in Thailand by province. We have in the past sent money to one of the small towns in Khon kaen but never to the city but would assume that it is available.

If you are in the Uk & need to send money often then getting a nationwide account & posting over the cash card will save you a lot of money in the long run as withdrawals from overseas are free.

[WISteve]

Open the Western Union site here:

Western Union

Middle of the page is a find an agent location hotlink.

When the window opens scroll down and choose Thailand and press continue.

It will list a few hundred agents in Thailand.

The whole notion was very new to Joy when I sent her some money this fall, and she thought I was a little crazy telling her to go to the Thailand Post office in Si Bun Ruaeng with a ten digit number and her Thai ID to get money.

She caught on rather quickly though!

The worst part for her was that the office locally is only open for limited hours, the lines are long and people show up very early in the morning to get in line.

Now I just use an HSBC savings account and she has an ATM card to access it.

It's cheaper and since she has savings, checking and credit cards of her own she's quite familiar with using an ATM.

~WISteve

[Tafia]

If you are in the Uk & need to send money often then getting a nationwide account & posting over the cash card will save you a lot of money in the long run as withdrawals from overseas are free.

This is what I have done, I opened another account with Nationwide My GF has the card and I manage the account on line. (Free withdrawels with good rates)

[rockyysdt]

If you are in the Uk & need to send money often then getting a nationwide account & posting over the cash card will save you a lot of money in the long run as withdrawals from overseas are free.

This is what I have done, I opened another account with Nationwide My GF has the card and I manage the account on line. (Free withdrawels with good rates)

/quote]

Great advice Tafia.

I've been using travelex.

Depending on how much you're sending you pay a fee (I've been paying AUD$25.00).

Then I give them Australian Dollars which they convert to US Dollars and then transfer to the gf's account.

That's when a further conversion takes place to Thai Baht.

GF's bank then charges her 300 baht for their end of the transaction.

Lose AUD$25.00 fee.

Lose on conversion to US$'s.

Lose 300 baht on Thai bank fee.

I just looked into your opening up a new savings account with an ATM card as you described.

Costs are:

Free Savings account.

Overseas ATM Withdawal = AUS$4.00 plus 2% of withdrawal amount.

GF gets cash.

Much cheaper than Travelex.

I'm headed to my bank tomorrow.

[Bicko]

If you are in the Uk & need to send money often then getting a nationwide account & posting over the cash card will save you a lot of money in the long run as withdrawals from overseas are free.

This is what I have done, I opened another account with Nationwide My GF has the card and I manage the account on line. (Free withdrawels with good rates)

/quote]

Great advice Tafia.

I've been using travelex.

Depending on how much you're sending you pay a fee (I've been paying AUD$25.00).

Then I give them Australian Dollars which they convert to US Dollars and then transfer to the gf's account.

That's when a further conversion takes place to Thai Baht.

GF's bank then charges her 300 baht for their end of the transaction.

Lose AUD$25.00 fee.

Lose on conversion to US$'s.

Lose 300 baht on Thai bank fee.

I just looked into your opening up a new savings account with an ATM card as you described.

Costs are:

Free Savings account.

Overseas ATM Withdawal = AUS$4.00 plus 2% of withdrawal amount.

GF gets cash.

Much cheaper than Travelex.

I'm headed to my bank tomorrow.

Did i miss something somewhere. Please correct me if i got it wrong. Based on what you have quoted if you transfer AU$10,000 x 2% = AU$200 + AU$4.00 = $204.00 and i assume you will pay that $4.00 or a percentage every time you make a withdrawal in Thailand.

This morning I transferred this amount from my Australian bank account to my Bangkok Bank account. Fee was AU$30.00 by my Australian bank and no fee by Bangkok bank. I received better than 1% above todays quoted Australian dollar/Baht exchange rate on Yahoo finance and OANDA.

I withdraw at the ATM at my own branch of the Bangkok Bank and there is no fee.

[rockyysdt]

If you are in the Uk & need to send money often then getting a nationwide account & posting over the cash card will save you a lot of money in the long run as withdrawals from overseas are free.

This is what I have done, I opened another account with Nationwide My GF has the card and I manage the account on line. (Free withdrawels with good rates)

/quote]

Great advice Tafia.

I've been using travelex.

Depending on how much you're sending you pay a fee (I've been paying AUD$25.00).

Then I give them Australian Dollars which they convert to US Dollars and then transfer to the gf's account.

That's when a further conversion takes place to Thai Baht.

GF's bank then charges her 300 baht for their end of the transaction.

Lose AUD$25.00 fee.

Lose on conversion to US s.

Lose 300 baht on Thai bank fee.

I just looked into your opening up a new savings account with an ATM card as you described.

Costs are:

Free Savings account.

Overseas ATM Withdawal = AUS$4.00 plus 2% of withdrawal amount.

GF gets cash.

Much cheaper than Travelex.

I'm headed to my bank tomorrow.

Did i miss something somewhere. Please correct me if i got it wrong. Based on what you have quoted if you transfer AU$10,000 x 2% = AU$200 + AU$4.00 = $204.00 and i assume you will pay that $4.00 or a percentage every time you make a withdrawal in Thailand.

This morning I transferred this amount from my Australian bank account to my Bangkok Bank account. Fee was AU$30.00 by my Australian bank and no fee by Bangkok bank. I received better than 1% above todays quoted Australian dollar/Baht exchange rate on Yahoo finance and OANDA.

I withdraw at the ATM at my own branch of the Bangkok Bank and there is no fee.

Hi Bicko.

I guess it's horses for courses.

Modest amounts make the 2% method more affordable.

The cut off point is $1,300.00.

Lower than $1,300, use the ATM method.

Over $1300.00, then your the transfer method with fee.

Example, if you transfer $200, charges equal $4.00 plus $4.00 = $8.00. Much better than the $30.00 fee.

Also, you'll find with the transfer method, your GF will be charged a fee by her bank to accept the transfer at their end.

[rockyysdt]

If you are in the Uk & need to send money often then getting a nationwide account & posting over the cash card will save you a lot of money in the long run as withdrawals from overseas are free.

This is what I have done, I opened another account with Nationwide My GF has the card and I manage the account on line. (Free withdrawels with good rates)

/quote]

Great advice Tafia.

I've been using travelex.

Depending on how much you're sending you pay a fee (I've been paying AUD$25.00).

Then I give them Australian Dollars which they convert to US Dollars and then transfer to the gf's account.

That's when a further conversion takes place to Thai Baht.

GF's bank then charges her 300 baht for their end of the transaction.

Lose AUD$25.00 fee.

Lose on conversion to US s.

Lose 300 baht on Thai bank fee.

I just looked into your opening up a new savings account with an ATM card as you described.

Costs are:

Free Savings account.

Overseas ATM Withdawal = AUS$4.00 plus 2% of withdrawal amount.

GF gets cash.

Much cheaper than Travelex.

I'm headed to my bank tomorrow.

Did i miss something somewhere. Please correct me if i got it wrong. Based on what you have quoted if you transfer AU$10,000 x 2% = AU$200 + AU$4.00 = $204.00 and i assume you will pay that $4.00 or a percentage every time you make a withdrawal in Thailand.

This morning I transferred this amount from my Australian bank account to my Bangkok Bank account. Fee was AU$30.00 by my Australian bank and no fee by Bangkok bank. I received better than 1% above todays quoted Australian dollar/Baht exchange rate on Yahoo finance and OANDA.

I withdraw at the ATM at my own branch of the Bangkok Bank and there is no fee.

Hi Bicko.

I guess it's horses for courses.

Modest amounts make the 2% method more affordable.

The cut off point is $1,300.00.

Lower than $1,300, use the ATM method.

Over $1300.00, then the transfer method with fee.

Example, if you transfer $200, then the charges are $4.00 fee plus 2% of amount or $4.00 = $8.00 total. Much better than the $30.00 fee.

Also, you'll find with the transfer method, your GF will be charged a fee by her bank to accept the transfer at their end, but the cash from the ATM is cash.

Both methods are valid and suitable for different circumstances.

[rono]

Normally bank of ayudhaya and post office but western union is very expensive compared to other payment options

rono

hi rono,

would you care to elaborate on those other payment options? thanks.

milesm

sorry being late, I use a kasikorn webcard which is a virtual debit card, easy to get when you open an account with them

rono