kobuk2 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 I'm just traveling, not living here. So I won't be setting up an account. Are there any strategies for avoiding or minimizing ATM fees. It seems all (or at the least the ones I've checked) the banks here charge 150Baht per transaction, and my home bank charges $5. That's $10 per withdrawal in fees. Is there some way to avoid some of these fees? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Dont use the ATM....LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobuk2 Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 Plenty of views, but no advice. I guess the banks are putting the screws to everybody... And if you live here you probably use a local bank and beat the fees that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonititan Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 To minimize fees, take out bigger withdrawals less often. Don't take out 1000 baht one day and 1500 the next day. Take out large amounts, and then just be careful not to lose it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramds Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 That's what I used to do, always take out 20,000 baht per transaction. Don't try this on a Saturday evening around Sukhumvit, the ATMs all say insufficient funds, first you might think it's your account, but it's actually the ATM itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrilled Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Even though you don't live in thailand,open up A bank account.Transfer vsome money in it from the bank in your country.Thats the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nakachalet Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 (edited) it is not that simple anymore.... and it is getting more and more universal nowadays.... my home bank advised me yesterday that regardless of whichever cards i used (debit, credit) overseas .... each use oversea entails a 2 dollars surcharge, irrespective of geographical location... furthermore, bkk bank also adds another 2% service fee per transaction to each withdrawal in person.... they used to be very friendly.... lol so folks, remember if and when you withdraw your own hard earned money of 10k amount, there will be a service charge of 200 dollars by bkk bank.... OOOOOOoooouch.... or pay a 150 baht for each atm withdrawal.... darn it.... well, then i sneaked over the border to malaysia.... it was even more complicated.... the line at the bank there that day was even longer.... and the transaction itself took also longer to process.... well, oh well ....so are they trying indirectly to get us back to our old country.... LOL Edited February 7, 2010 by nakachalet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodcourt49 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 (edited) Even though you don't live in thailand,open up A bank account.Transfer vsome money in it from the bank in your country.Thats the way to go. You can't..you have to prove your residency here in Thailand to qualify first. Try using an AEON ATM..no 150 baht fee. Edited February 7, 2010 by rodcourt49 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rinrada Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Bring Travellers Cheques....they cost you to buy but its swings and roundabouts ...or try (as above)AEON...who hopefully still dont charge... I will be back out for my first 2010 Jolli in 3 weeks time so hopefully.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
britmaveric Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Even though you don't live in thailand,open up A bank account.Transfer vsome money in it from the bank in your country.Thats the way to go. You can't..you have to prove your residency here in Thailand to qualify first. Try using an AEON ATM..no 150 baht fee. Wrong - all you need to do is show your passport at a friendly Kasikorn bank and you will have a savings account in 20min, course need to wait a few days for the atm card with your name on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
britmaveric Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Even though you don't live in thailand,open up A bank account.Transfer vsome money in it from the bank in your country.Thats the way to go. You can't..you have to prove your residency here in Thailand to qualify first. Try using an AEON ATM..no 150 baht fee. Wrong - all you need to do is show your passport at a friendly Kasikorn bank and you will have a savings account in 20min, course need to wait a few days for the atm card with your name on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdnvic Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 If you have an AMEX card you can cash travellers checks at their outlets for free. The service you get if you lose them is also fast and helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timekeeper Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 use AEON ATM's 40,000 baht in one transaction if your bank allows and no fees you have only your home banks fees to find then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt1591 Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Even though you don't live in thailand,open up A bank account.Transfer vsome money in it from the bank in your country.Thats the way to go. You can't..you have to prove your residency here in Thailand to qualify first. Try using an AEON ATM..no 150 baht fee. Wrong - all you need to do is show your passport at a friendly Kasikorn bank and you will have a savings account in 20min, course need to wait a few days for the atm card with your name on it. I guess, as a resident, it's different. We have never been able to open an account in under an hour. use AEON ATM's40,000 baht in one transaction if your bank allows and no fees you have only your home banks fees to find then This is true, as of last Saturday. Not only are there no fees, their rates even beat "Super Rich" which consistantly tops the rates lists. And, Super Rich doesn't accept ATM cards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaigold Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 If you have an American Express card, you can cash a personal check drawn on your home bank at many Bangkok Bank locations. There's a 200 baht fee, but you get the exchange rate with no surcharge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trickcyclist Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Bank of Ayudhya charges nothing for ATM withdrawal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt1591 Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Bank of Ayudhya charges nothing for ATM withdrawal. Bank of Ayudhya charges 150 baht.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InSiSongkram Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Can anyone else confirm this? Bank of Ayudhya charges nothing for ATM withdrawal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdnvic Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Can anyone else confirm this?Bank of Ayudhya charges nothing for ATM withdrawal. The post above yours proved it to be false. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandy Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 I am in Thailand 3 weeks on 3 weeks off for work and always bring cash with me. I am not sure about other countries but Australian banks rip you off on the exchange rate by about 4 baht per $ compared to changing it a the the exchange booths. The exchange on Sukhumvit Soi 7/1 is consistantly the best that I have found. If your here short time then bring cash. Best bang for ya buck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt1591 Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 ... Australian banks rip you off on the exchange rate by about 4 baht per $ compared to changing it a the the exchange booths. ... Actually, the banks in Oz aren't just sitting on a big stack of baht, waiting to sell them to the next fool who walks in, nor do they print it up on demand. There is some expense involved in procuring the cash. I haven't used them, but my Stateside Credit Union simply charges a set fee for any amount of currency exchange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobuk2 Posted February 8, 2010 Author Share Posted February 8, 2010 Even though you don't live in thailand,open up A bank account.Transfer vsome money in it from the bank in your country.Thats the way to go. You can't..you have to prove your residency here in Thailand to qualify first. Try using an AEON ATM..no 150 baht fee. That's the kind of info I was looking for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melonf Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Can anyone else confirm this?Bank of Ayudhya charges nothing for ATM withdrawal. I think Bank of Ayudhya charges zero for one class of cards, namely VISA Debit Cards but charges 150 Baht for other types Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacker Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Not sure if this will help you but before I came to LOS for a long visit, I placed thousands into my visa and mastercards. Then when I needed money, I went to a bank and made a cash advance on the plastic. They told me I had to take out Baht ... and of course that is what I wanted. They did not charge me anything for the transaction. The Plastic company wants to charge you interest if you use their money ... which of course I did not because I had deposited the money before leaving. They also had a service charge of $3 or $5 which they told me they would refund if I was using my money. I have not been back to ask for the money i.e. service charge ... but they assured me that they would be happy to refund the $. When I cashed my AETC the local banks had a service fee as well as a government tax attached AND of course you are getting a shaved rate so they are even making more money off of you. Hmmm .... have a drink, smile, and forget it ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el jefe Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Using Aeon ATM's, if you can find them, will only save the OP half the fee. If he is paying $5.00 per w/d to his US bank he should open an account at one of the many US banks that do not charge a fee. There have been several threads here listing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt1591 Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Can anyone else confirm this?Bank of Ayudhya charges nothing for ATM withdrawal. I think Bank of Ayudhya charges zero for one class of cards, namely VISA Debit Cards but charges 150 Baht for other types The card used for the transaction in my post, #17, is a VISA Debit Card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhakta Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 wire transfer enough money in one lump sum so you do not need to do it again. The ATM fees are ridiculous now, no doubt. If you do not have an account here, have a friend receive the transfer for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkkbarnstormer Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Here is a link of aeon locations, for those of you , like me, who are not familiar with aeon http://www.aeon.co.th/lang/en/menu/Service...h#branchATMForm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farangene Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 (edited) That is not a complete list. I am aware of two other Aeon ATMs-- one in Siam Paragon basement (next to key place) and another ATM at rear of the first floor of Big C store opposite Central World. I also thank you for the list as I was unaware of the ATM at Ocean Tower 2 near Asok. Edited February 9, 2010 by farangene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerbera Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 The best way to minimize atm fees is to transfer funds from your home country using a currency broker. Who get you as close to the interbank rate as Ive seen. They also have NO charges and funds have arrived for me in as little as 18 hours. I saved 6000 GBP recently on a transfer of 100K You then take your money out of whichever Thai bank you want. Pm me for details if interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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