Thai Credit Cards

[kurnell]

I have an SCB Platinum card and put about half a million baht a year through it, but seem to redeem very few points. Also, there are some promotions on the card, but they seem to be golf related, or something that is irrelevant to me. The missus has an HSBC Platinum card so I am thinking of changing over as we have had a few good promotions for flights etc. I also wouldn't mind using a Platinum card that offers privileges like priority parking at Central/Paragon, but they seem to jump from bank to bank on a regular basis, one month it was Kasikorn, now it seems to be Citibank.

Any suggestions?

[CWMcMurray]

I you are looking for travel rewards, Many Banks have a Thai Airways card that you may be interested in. I have one from KT but I hink there are 4 or 5 banks that also have the same thing.

[kurnell]

I take flights 5-6 times a year so yep, that is a good option.

[fiercesnake]

Honestly I don't know as they just will not write their local advertising material or conditions in English. I rang some banks to request this as I can tell there are definitely better deals around for credit cards and good related ways for where to use the cards at but the reality is that I can not decipher the writing. Unfortunately Thai uses a very specific alphabet for Thais only making it a category 4 language, in short meaning it is very difficult for farangs to learn, almost impossible to read, unless you study many years. Of course the big international banks like HSBC will of course be able to give farangs more details but the local brigade that we want to deal with unfortunately have not quite seen the benefit yet of opening the market by simply having English advertising for those customers that request it. Yet I'm sure that they DO get a lot of business from the expat community, so it's not a small amount we would be talking about here considering most expats living here are on good money by their standards, lest they can't stay here long due to visa requirements. But then again This is THAILAND for THAIS not Farang-Land! LOL!

Here's an example, the banks won't give me a loan or even ring me about anything, even though I've had a good income here every month for several years now and regular deposits into the bank but I've been regularly transferring money into my girlfriend's bank accounts (plural) who up until recently didn't have a lot. Now they are ringing her to tell her how great her credit rating has become and does she want a loan with no questions about where the money comes from. All they want to see is her depositing money in the bank on a regular basis! TITs.

[kurnell]

Girlfriends? Isn't that immoral?

[CWMcMurray]

If you want info in English your best bet is to go with one of the non thai bank credit cards i.e. Citibank, HSBC ect...

You mentioned that you think that Thai Banks will offer "a better deal", but I did not find that to be the case... they all seem to offer the same interest rates and the same min payment requirements. They also all seem to offer pretty much the same in regards to rewards... so not a whole lot of difference between them...