Getting Bank Cards Sent From Abroad

[virtualtraveller]

Is anyone else having sheer frustration and deadlock in trying to get their bank cards sent to THailand from UK banks.

Recently I lost my Barclays Bank card, called the helpline, ordered a new one, it never arrived. Ordered another one, it too never arrived. Back UK in September went into local branch, asked to collect card from there, no can do, only will send to an address. OK, waste of time requesting a third card (seems there wasn't even a card on the account so no other option). It too never arrived, then I called their Premier help line only to be told that Barclays will not send cards to Thailand, and probably didn't despatch any of the first three! They can't explain to me either why they do not have a policy of courier sending billed to my account, as Lloyds have done in the past. Final solution is to change addresses to my mothers (reluctant to do so since banks value a consist address), and have her send it. Meanwhile I hadn't bothered to renew or use my Barclaycard (credit card) for same reason, finally did change addresses and have one sent to me mum's except when she tried yesterday to get it couriered, all courier companies refused. Apparently they are no longer permitted to carry cards, everything gets X-rayed and bank cards get destroyed.

SO, HOW THE F*&K DOES ONE GET A BANK CARD REPLACED WHEN LIVING IN THAILAND!!! There's 80, 000 Britons living here apparently, many living off sterling with addresses here, haven't been back to the UK in ages. What to do???

Any clues....

[webfact]

I searched but could only find an address - no phone/mail. If you are located in BKK it may help you

Barclays Bank PLC

102 Soi Aree, Sukhumvit 26,

Bangkok 10110

Thailand

I have no idea the address is correct but if, they should be able to assist you there.

[Crossy]

I gave up trying to get cards sent direct form the UK.

My parents send them 'International Signed-For', tucked in a small Jiffy bag (can't find an envelope so not sure what they put on the customs form). Never had an issue with failed cards.

[Heng]

Dabbled in the 'mail to Thailand thing' years ago when I first moved here when our house and my condo stateside were unoccupied. A relative pain as well.

Maintaining home country address, preferably a place you really own (not a friend's place) works best IMO. Either your tenants or property management company -both of whom have an incentive to stay on your good side- can usually receive your cards for you and either mail them over themselves or hold them for you for when you are visiting. Lots of card redundancies (I use 7-8 banks) as well is a good idea.

Amex is good in that they'll either mail to your home address or generate a card for you in their Bangkok office (haven't tried yet, but I assume they don't have any issues with local courier services if you don't live in BKK).

[CHdiver]

My Bank Cards go to a family Member then they get forward to me. If they send a new PIN Code, that letter gets sent out separately. Till now all cards did arrive. Btw. I / they use normal postal service, even not registered post.

[Geekfreaklover]

Was about a year ago they stopped dealing with brits in Thailand. They won't even send out a statement here anymore.

I given up on them also. They must have the worse call center team in the world. And that takes some beating. The Indian call center was more helpful but equally useless.

I was told the only way to have a new card issued (last one expired registered in Thailand) is to fly back to England and apply in person. Nice.

[eek]

Not sure how much this wiII heIp you at this stage but if you have (or can get) an account opened with HSBC, they do send cards and maiI to overseas addresses. However, ive been with HSBC a Iong time, not sure if that changes anything.

[Gaccha]

Not sure how much this wiII heIp you at this stage but if you have (or can get) an account opened with HSBC, they do send cards and maiI to overseas addresses. However, ive been with HSBC a Iong time, not sure if that changes anything.

I second this. HSBC will send to your address in Thailand or they will send the card by internal mail to their Bangkok branch for you to collect. In either case they are very careful. They rang me on their initiative to see if it had arrived at their Bangkok branch when I picked the latter option, as they pointed out they have no communication with each other (Bangkok and London branches). Brutual honesty, that might explain Barclays reluctance to suggest the same solution.

[eek]

One more thing about HSBC aIso that I may as weII mention. A coupIe of year ago they did an auto security update which changed aII passwords which contained the same digit more than two times in a row. My account was shut down because it was a Iong one, which had a coupIe of repeat digits. I had to caII customer services, which was bIoody useIess (HSBC, Iike many banks i think, outsource to customer services in other countries such a India). I had so many transfers on the phone with noone knowing a way for me to reactive my account without going into a UK branch personaIIy or having the paperwork sent to me to fiII out and sign (which I had no idea how Iong it wouId take to get to me and i couIdnt fax or emiaI back). I was upset because i wasnt forewarned and didnt cover my backside (which i do now) by having emergency funds in a Thai account. Customer services couIdnt even arrange for a tranfer into another account, because my account was on hoId. Anyway...i wrote a stern (but stiII poIite) emaiI expressing my concern, frustration, and upset to HSBC. Within one day of that I received a personaI phonecaII from them to my mobiIe phone. The Iady gave her name and direct contact number and said she couId issue me an emergency transfer into another bank account whiIst i am waiting for my paper work to arrive. She apoIogised for the situation and that customer services are not abIe to handIe something Iike that as it invoIves accessing a different security IeveI, but that she wouId sort out anything i wouId need then and there. I was reaIIy overwheImed! As Iong as HSBC keeps treating their customers with this IeveI of concern and respect, i wiII be a customer with them for Iife.

[chickenslegs]

I know this doesn't help the OP but...

For the past 5 years my wife and I have received monthly bank statements and new debit cards from Barclays without a hitch. We also get regular newsletters about changes to bank rules and regs.

The only slight problem we experienced was getting our PINSentry, but it arrived after the third attempt (actually 2 arrived at the same time).

So, I don't think there is any policy of not posting to Thailand.

[PattayaParent]

I use HSBC Bank in Jersey and although they have sent debit cards out to me by DHL (at no cost) the credit card part of HSBC will only send to a UK address.

So I have my CC sent to HSBC Jersey and they DHL it to me.

Last time was about 2 years ago.

[thetefldon]

I bank with First Direct (HSBC) in the UK. Excellent service as overseas customer by both phone and Internet. I have received new debit card now on two occasions, once when the Bangkok bank machine kept it, once for normal renewal. Both were posted to my LOS address by normal mail. I also receive statements for my credit card monthly since for some reason you cannot "turn them off" on First Direct site.

My only gripe with their service is that they charge me £25 every month to fund my BB account!

[doctormann]

Was about a year ago they stopped dealing with brits in Thailand. They won't even send out a statement here anymore.

I given up on them also. They must have the worse call center team in the world. And that takes some beating. The Indian call center was more helpful but equally useless.

I was told the only way to have a new card issued (last one expired registered in Thailand) is to fly back to England and apply in person. Nice.

This is not correct, in my experience anyway.

I receive regular statements from both of my Barclays accounts - one in UK and one in IoM - and only one has failed to arrive in 5 years. Also get regular Barclaycard credit card statements.

There was no problem in getting Barclays to send out new bank cards for both accounts when my old cards expired. Thet sent them out by DHL and didn't even charge me for this.

Replacement credit cards are, for some reason, a different matter. Barclaycard do seem to have a policy of not sending credit cards to Thailand and will not budge on this. My solution was to get them to send credit cards to a relative in the UK who then used DHL to get them to me. Cost about £30 but a lot cheaper than a trip to UK and probably about as secure as it gets.

DM

[seedy]

I used DHL the last time for expired CC. Had a friend who does my mail when I am overseas include it in a package of magazines, junk mail, letters, etc. Package was opened, but they either did not find the new card or ignored it.

[garycm]

I used DHL the last time for expired CC. Had a friend who does my mail when I am overseas include it in a package of magazines, junk mail, letters, etc. Package was opened, but they either did not find the new card or ignored it.

A few years ago a bkk bank ATM ate my card. The next morning i went to the bank explaining with serial numbers, passport etc. They said they had my card but no. it is their policy to not return your card. I had to call my bank in Holland to get a new one!

[dumball]

Picked up a new credit card whilst in Canada , my first ever actualy , first time i used it , it became inactive , called the credit card division af my bank , it was explained what and why had occured , gave them my Cambodian address and in 5 days a new card was delivered to my door by courier , no charges to me . That is service .

[happylarry]

I am with Nat West who refuse to send to Thailand, so I got my son to send by post and never to be heard of again.

"They" seem to have a sixth sense to find credit cards in the post even though they are useless to them without being activated.

Courier companies refuse to send credit cards too, so the only way is to secrete them in a book or something and not tell about the card.

I now wait for a friend to travel over and then I renew my card to coincide with that.

HL

[Heng]

Not completely useless, not that I'm one of the bad guys. They can be used to make current templates for blanks, like what that Russian guy just got busted for not too long ago.

[dumball]

I am with Nat West who refuse to send to Thailand, so I got my son to send by post and never to be heard of again.

"They" seem to have a sixth sense to find credit cards in the post even though they are useless to them without being activated.

Courier companies refuse to send credit cards too, so the only way is to secrete them in a book or something and not tell about the card.

I now wait for a friend to travel over and then I renew my card to coincide with that.

HL

So if courier companies refuse to send them , why did mine get delivered by courier service a few short weeks ago ? .

[CarlBkk]

I gave up trying to get cards sent direct form the UK.

My parents send them 'International Signed-For', tucked in a small Jiffy bag (can't find an envelope so not sure what they put on the customs form). Never had an issue with failed cards.

Exactly the same as me. Recently lost all my cards including 6 from UK banks. I keep UK finances going using mother's address so within 4 days all cards arrived there and got posted out to me "international signed for". Arrived within another week. Simples.

[IMA_FARANG]

I know this has nothing to do with Thailand....but here's my storey of getting an ATM/debit card mailed to GREECE.

My ATM/debit card needed to be renewed, Called my bank in U.S.A. to have them send a new one. No problem, it will be in the mail. About 10 days later the card arrived. No problem.

A nice letter with the card explained that for security reasons the PIN number to activate the card would arrive by seperate registered mai in about a week. So I waited.

3 weeks later...still no PIN number. I called the bank agaib.

Apologies all around...we will mail you another PIN number by registerd mail.

2 weeks more...no PIN, no letter.

Call the bank again...please verify the mailing adress for that letter with PIN number. Yes, it's correct. Will mail another PIN to that address.

2 more weeks, no PIN.

To male it short...I had my card for 80 days, no PIN number. A useless piece of plastic.

Finally I called the bank again...spent over an hour on the phone with 3 people. Finally got them to understand that since I was in Greece I couldn't just "pop in" to the local bank branch. Had to answer 2 or 3 of those "secret questions" they have you enter pre-arranged answers to verify your identity. Finally had them agree I was who I said I was. The bank manager and made a conference call to the "data entry center" where they can enter and verify PIN numbers for ATM/debit cards. (For the New England regional area I was told).

With the bank manager's verification and with my call recorded "for security purposes", the clerk in that regional data entry office agreed to generate a PIN number, and pass it to me by phone.

It takes 48 hours for the entry to be propagated world-wide via the ATM computer system (updated daily, but give them another 24 hours for certainty). So 2 days later, ny ATM card finally first worked in a Greek ATM. Of course that was a temporary PIN...once I was in and verified, I had to change my PIN.

Total time from the time I recieved my ATM card until I got a vaild PIN number....86 days.

At least it finally worked.

[JusMe]

Not sure if it relates, but -

Last year, my Canadian bank ATM card cracked, and as I'd stupidly let my Bangkok Bank account dwindle, I was pretty short of funds.

Emailed my Canadian bank (helps to have established a relationship with the manager) and had them create a new card for me. It was sent to me by registered mail.

The PIN for the old cracked card was cancelled when I requested the new one. On arrival of the new card, I emailed my bank again to confirm that I had received the card. They then renewed the same PIN as my old one.

It took a couple of efforts to make it work - I think they had to tweak something because I was using it outside of Canada - but haven't had a problem since.

Probably using a small bank and knowing the manager personally is an advantage over one of the bigger impersonal institutions.