How To Withdraw Thai Savings Deposits From Uk?

[Trevor]

I have a couple of thousand Baht with Bangkok Bank and the same with Kasikorn, in passbook accounts. The ATM cards have expired so I can't use them in the UK. Kasikorn has no branch in the UK that I can find the number of. Bangkok Bank (UK) merely referred me to the issuing branch in Thailand; what a disjointed organisation that can't handle a simple matter like this!

My worry is that if I do this by post, not only will it take ages (if they do it at all) but there will be very little remaining after administration and transfer fees. Would a posted bank draft be the cheapest means of repatriating the money to me?

Only other possibility: might they registered-post me (forget courier charges!) new ATM cards to the UK? Or could I issue power of attorney to a trusted Western resident in Thailand to withdraw the funds or be mailed the ATM cards? Thanks for any advice.

[12DrinkMore]

I have a couple of thousand Baht with Bangkok Bank and the same with Kasikorn, in passbook accounts. The ATM cards have expired so I can't use them in the UK. Kasikorn has no branch in the UK that I can find the number of. Bangkok Bank (UK) merely referred me to the issuing branch in Thailand; what a disjointed organisation that can't handle a simple matter like this!

My worry is that if I do this by post, not only will it take ages (if they do it at all) but there will be very little remaining after administration and transfer fees. Would a posted bank draft be the cheapest means of repatriating the money to me?

Only other possibility: might they registered-post me (forget courier charges!) new ATM cards to the UK? Or could I issue power of attorney to a trusted Western resident in Thailand to withdraw the funds or be mailed the ATM cards? Thanks for any advice.

I doubt whether you will even get an answer to a letter. I never have. IME meeting a real person is by far the best way to sort things out, using a telephone normally involves listening to music/silence for a long time, only to be passed on to another person.

I would try the power of attorney method, although whether they accept it depends on TIT.

Otherwise give up. I did with the Ayudayha bank. Had a couple of thousand in an account and for some reason they suspended the account after I hadn't used it for some three years. Never did find out why. In order to get my money, the bank insisted I went to the branch where the account was held. This would have cost me in terms of travel plus hotel for one night almost as much as I had in the account.

[bendix]

Must admit that that was my first thought too. Why worry about it - it sounds like around 80 quid. Is it worth the hassle?

[Naam]

Must admit that that was my first thought too. Why worry about it - it sounds like around 80 quid. Is it worth the hassle?

sure it's worth the hassle! it pays for a moderate dinner for two in one of London's moderately priced restaurants and might even include a bottle of apple cidre or a couple of that dark ugly drink the Brits call "beer"

[bendix]

Must admit that that was my first thought too. Why worry about it - it sounds like around 80 quid. Is it worth the hassle?

sure it's worth the hassle! it pays for a moderate dinner for two in one of London's moderately priced restaurants and might even include a bottle of apple cidre or a couple of that dark ugly drink the Brits call "beer"

You mean real beer Naam, or that fizzy piss-coloured kiddy drink you Germans call lager?

[Trevor]

Actually the Bangkok Bank card had no date on it and a small Plus symbol on the back, so I tried it in a UK ATM. Got £30 out ! Still about B200 left behind though.

The Kasikorn one expired on 1/07 (January 2007) so I guess may be eaten by any ATM. I doubt whether Thai banks post replacement ATM cards either within Thailand or abroad as the post office is a den of thieves. Perhaps a power-of-attorney letter plus passbook to my US friend in Thailand to close the account might work. I doubt writing from the UK would elicit a reply but someone on-the-spot has a better chance at the branch of opening (Soi Nana). Thanks for comments.

[Wonderboy]

Actually the Bangkok Bank card had no date on it and a small Plus symbol on the back, so I tried it in a UK ATM. Got £30 out ! Still about B200 left behind though.

The Kasikorn one expired on 1/07 (January 2007) so I guess may be eaten by any ATM. I doubt whether Thai banks post replacement ATM cards either within Thailand or abroad as the post office is a den of thieves. Perhaps a power-of-attorney letter plus passbook to my US friend in Thailand to close the account might work. I doubt writing from the UK would elicit a reply but someone on-the-spot has a better chance at the branch of opening (Soi Nana). Thanks for comments.

UOB bank replaces ATM cards by mail. Just received my replacement and pin number in separate letters last week (Thai address). Just call and Kasikorn bank should probably be able to do the same. You need to activate the card over phone, so should be quite safe.

WB

[Eff1n2ret]

Actually the Bangkok Bank card had no date on it and a small Plus symbol on the back, so I tried it in a UK ATM. Got £30 out ! Still about B200 left behind though.

That's very interesting. I too have a Bangkok Bank passbook account which I opened about 3 years ago at the Silom Road Branch. The ATM card has a small symbol resembling 'dz' in the top righthand corner.

I've always assumed that I could effectively only transfer money one-way, and have used the account accordingly (very easy to transfer funds in via internet). As I'm off to LOS this evening I'm not about to try anything with the card now, but it could be useful for future reference. In case it makes any difference, which UK bank ATM was it?

Has anybody else done this?

[Trevor]

Actually the Bangkok Bank card had no date on it and a small Plus symbol on the back, so I tried it in a UK ATM. Got £30 out ! Still about B200 left behind though.

That's very interesting. I too have a Bangkok Bank passbook account which I opened about 3 years ago at the Silom Road Branch. The ATM card has a small symbol resembling 'dz' in the top righthand corner.

I've always assumed that I could effectively only transfer money one-way, and have used the account accordingly (very easy to transfer funds in via internet). As I'm off to LOS this evening I'm not about to try anything with the card now, but it could be useful for future reference. In case it makes any difference, which UK bank ATM was it?

Has anybody else done this?

Any UK ATM should honour the card; it's just a pool like Thailand's. I was warned there may be a fee from the issuing bank but it didn't state how much.

OUB is a Singaporean bank. Don't expect the Thai banks to be so efficient in mailing or replacing cards! They might just send to a Thai address but then I'm not there any more.

[Pib]

Must admit that that was my first thought too. Why worry about it - it sounds like around 80 quid. Is it worth the hassle?

sure it's worth the hassle! it pays for a moderate dinner for two in one of London's moderately priced restaurants and might even include a bottle of apple cidre or a couple of that dark ugly drink the Brits call "beer"

You mean real beer Naam, or that fizzy piss-coloured kiddy drink you Germans call lager?

Gosh, I feel so inferior now. I use to drink Miller Lite before moving to Thailand and now I mostly drink Beer Chang except when I go high class at a restaurant and order a Singha.

Edited November 5, 2008 by Pib

[aurelius]

Actually the Bangkok Bank card had no date on it and a small Plus symbol on the back, so I tried it in a UK ATM. Got £30 out ! Still about B200 left behind though.

That's very interesting. I too have a Bangkok Bank passbook account which I opened about 3 years ago at the Silom Road Branch. The ATM card has a small symbol resembling 'dz' in the top righthand corner.

I've always assumed that I could effectively only transfer money one-way, and have used the account accordingly (very easy to transfer funds in via internet). As I'm off to LOS this evening I'm not about to try anything with the card now, but it could be useful for future reference. In case it makes any difference, which UK bank ATM was it?

Has anybody else done this?

The "dz" is the card manufacturer - not at all related to using the card abroad. The logo you are looking for is either the "visa" logo itself (front of the card) or the "plus" mark on the back - kind of a up-ended square shape. This gives access to both the visa atm network and the plus network. You cannot transfer funds from account to account when abroad, but you can withdraw cash from your thailand a/c. Most UK ATM's will handle this.