15,500 Baht !

[deejah]

first time in a long time

max 500 USD

debit card USA

1% at home and

apporx 1% 150 baht ATM fee thailand

[Pib]

Yea, 15,500 divide by 500 works out to a 31.0 to the USD exchange rate. Bangkok Bank TT Buying rate is 30.93 right now....just got 30.85 for a credit card charge at Sizzler.

But, you know you didn't really get 31 when the fees are considered. Since it seems your debit card has a 1% foreign transaction fee that will probably show as a separate charge to your account as will the 150 baht Thai bank fee. So, when taking in consideration the 1% foreign transaction fee on the of 15,500 baht that comes out to 150 baht (approx $5), and you also have the separate 150 Thai bank ATM fee (approx $5)...crank in that 300 baht (approx $10) total of additional fees to hit your account along with the 15,500 baht/$500, you effectively got around a 30.4 exchange rate. That is, 15,500 baht hits your account for a $500 charge along with 300 baht worth of fees for $10...grand total $510 charge hitting your account....15,500 baht divided by $510 equals a 30.4 exchange rate. But even that rate sure beats the rate from a few months ago. Using an AEON ATM a person can avoid the 150 baht Thai bank ATM fee. Avoiding the foreign transaction fee of 1% in your case (not uncommon to see a 3% fee for some cards) you just need to find a bank that offers a card with no foreign transaction fee (fewer of these everyday but they are still out there). Yea, still better than a few weeks/months ago....hope the exchange rate continues to climb. Cheers.

[mogoso]

Yea, 15,500 divide by 500 works out to a 31.0 to the USD exchange rate. Bangkok Bank TT Buying rate is 30.93 right now....just got 30.85 for a credit card charge at Sizzler.

But, you know you didn't really get 31 when the fees are considered. Since it seems your debit card has a 1% foreign transaction fee that will probably show as a separate charge to your account as will the 150 baht Thai bank fee. So, when taking in consideration the 1% foreign transaction fee on the of 15,500 baht that comes out to 150 baht (approx $5), and you also have the separate 150 Thai bank ATM fee (approx $5)...crank in that 300 baht (approx $10) total of additional fees to hit your account along with the 15,500 baht/$500, you effectively got around a 30.4 exchange rate. That is, 15,500 baht hits your account for a $500 charge along with 300 baht worth of fees for $10...grand total $510 charge hitting your account....15,500 baht divided by $510 equals a 30.4 exchange rate. But even that rate sure beats the rate from a few months ago. Using an AEON ATM a person can avoid the 150 baht Thai bank ATM fee. Avoiding the foreign transaction fee of 1% in your case (not uncommon to see a 3% fee for some cards) you just need to find a bank that offers a card with no foreign transaction fee (fewer of these everyday but they are still out there). Yea, still better than a few weeks/months ago....hope the exchange rate continues to climb. Cheers.

Capital One didn't have an exchange rate last time I used it.

[jfchandler]

It's true that Capital One doesn't charge any foreign currency exchange fees on their credit and debit cards...

However, be advised, another TV member recently has reported that he suddenly as of a week or so ago was unable to use his Cap One debit card in AEON ATMs here. And when he called Cap One to try to figure out the problem, he said he was told that Cap One had just in the past week changed the card network affiliation for its debit cards from the PLUS network to the Cirrus network.

AEON ATMs accept PLUS network cards and have the PLUS sticker on their front of their ATMs showing that. But there's no sticker on the AEON ATMs indicating they accept CIRRUS network cards....

At this point, I think I'll also try to confirm if in fact Cap One has made that change, and if it means their debit cards no longer will work in AEON ATMs.

Card Networks List on AEON ATM

[grin]

Here's a small tip on using ATM cards based in the US. Find out what time of day your ATM daily withdrawal limit is reset. For my Schwab ATM cards it is at midnight PST. That means that I can visit an AEON ATM machine at slightly before 3 PM Thai time and withdraw up to the daily limit and then wait a few minutes until after 3 PM and withdraw the daily limit again. When US daylight savings time is in effect it is midnight PST at 2 PM here. To save trips to the ATM I have multiple accounts and multiple ATM cards as well.

[jfchandler]

That's a good tip, especially for those who need to withdraw more than the debit card daily limit amount...

My understanding was that Schwab's daily limit for ATM cash withdrawals is $1,000..

BTW, I wonder if the day cutoff time is the same for all Schwab account holders, or if it varies by your account location. Or more particularly, how one finds out when their own daily cutoff time is???

[Pib]

Yea, 15,500 divide by 500 works out to a 31.0 to the USD exchange rate. Bangkok Bank TT Buying rate is 30.93 right now....just got 30.85 for a credit card charge at Sizzler.

But, you know you didn't really get 31 when the fees are considered. Since it seems your debit card has a 1% foreign transaction fee that will probably show as a separate charge to your account as will the 150 baht Thai bank fee. So, when taking in consideration the 1% foreign transaction fee on the of 15,500 baht that comes out to 150 baht (approx $5), and you also have the separate 150 Thai bank ATM fee (approx $5)...crank in that 300 baht (approx $10) total of additional fees to hit your account along with the 15,500 baht/$500, you effectively got around a 30.4 exchange rate. That is, 15,500 baht hits your account for a $500 charge along with 300 baht worth of fees for $10...grand total $510 charge hitting your account....15,500 baht divided by $510 equals a 30.4 exchange rate. But even that rate sure beats the rate from a few months ago. Using an AEON ATM a person can avoid the 150 baht Thai bank ATM fee. Avoiding the foreign transaction fee of 1% in your case (not uncommon to see a 3% fee for some cards) you just need to find a bank that offers a card with no foreign transaction fee (fewer of these everyday but they are still out there). Yea, still better than a few weeks/months ago....hope the exchange rate continues to climb. Cheers.

Capital One didn't have an exchange rate last time I used it.

What I'm talking about is when I use my Captial One Cash Rewards Credit Card (Mastercard), I immediately get an email alert stating I have just used the card at Store XYZ for $XX.XX. I then just look at the receipt and divide by the dollar amount in the email and I have the initial exchange rate provided for that transaction. On your Capital One online account you can set a variety of Alerts up, email or SMS alerts, and one of those is you get an alert/email for any foreign transaction, even a one penny/one stang transaction. Now this alert gives the the initial exchange rate, it's not the final transaction/posted exchange rate....but over the last 10 days of so of use of my new Capital One credit card the final/posted rates has fallen between the Bangkok Bank Sight Bill and TT Rate. The rate itself is not shown...I just divide the posted dollar charge into the receipt's baht amount. The card has a zero foreign transaction fee and pays cash back of 2% for gas and groceries and 1% for everything else. So far I've used the card at Carrefour, Lotus, Big C, and Foodland and got 2% cash back reward.........used at my dental office and got 1% cash back rewad......used at Sizzler's yesterday and the final transaction hasn't posted yet so I can't say whether I will get 2% or 1% but I fully expect 1%...oh yea, Sizzler asked me if I wanted the charge made in dollars or baht (the DCC related question) and I said baht to avoid the lower rate from the DCC process. Regarding the 2% or 1% cash back, there are no other fine print like start earning that amount after you spend so much per month or year like so many credit cards do...it just a flat 2% or 1% cash rewards for everything with no foreign transaction fee and an exchange rate which falls between the sight bill and TT rate of exchange. And I get US consumer law protection. Thanks to jfchandler for pointing me toward this Capital One card about a month ago. Like the McDonald's slogan, I'm lovin' it!

[el jefe]

It's really not a big deal one way or the other and we're definitely going off topic, but I doubt you got 2% back at Lotus and Carrefour. Both code their credit card transactions as general merchandise, even if all you buy is food.

There are other credit cards that give 2% cash back on every purchase.

[jfchandler]

Thanks Pib for the mention... Good post...

I should also add.... the 2% cash back credit card apparently is available from Cap One only via new card applications...

For existing customers who already have some other Cap One rewards program, they can request to have their rewards program changed to the cash back variety.... But supposedly, for existing customers, they'll only offer 1% cash back across the board for existing cards.

Also, if you're an existing Cap One CC holder and want to change from some other rewards program (such as travel) to the cash back variety, you'll forfeit any remaining unused miles in your current rewards program when you move to the cash back variety.

Also, as an aside, Cap One is particularly fussy about their account holders having their address of record be in the U.S.

With those caveats, I'd say the combination of the 2%/1% cashback combined with no foreign currency fee make Cap One one of the better CC options available for expats... No annual fee also.

Edited January 29, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

Actually, I believe Pib will confirm that he has been getting the 2% cash back on general grocery/home shopping purchases from the major retailers here...the fact that they're Thai stores notwithstanding.

PS - I don't know of any other U.S. CC that offers 2% cashback across the board, with no foreign currency fee and no annual fee -- except for what used to be the Charles Schwab Visa card that's no longer available to new applicants.

Do you have some other to suggest?

It's really not a big deal one way or the other and we're definitely going off topic, but I doubt you got 2% back at Lotus and Carrefour. Both code their credit card transactions as general merchandise, even if all you buy is food.

There are other credit cards that give 2% cash back on every purchase.

[siam2007]

Yea, 15,500 divide by 500 works out to a 31.0 to the USD exchange rate. Bangkok Bank TT Buying rate is 30.93 right now....just got 30.85 for a credit card charge at Sizzler.

if they charge you in your HOME currency it is ALWAYS a RIP-OFF.

this usually includes a 3% mark-up on the actual xchange-rate.

NEVER accept payments that show your own home currency on the CC-slip

the Bank who is the main culprit nowadays is KASIKORN.

BANGKOK BANK used to do that a lot, but nowadays less so. for example, the Supermarkets at Paragon and Emporium would have a 10% mark-up (!!!) on the actual xchange-rate 2 or 3 years ago, but thanks god nowadays, they refrain from doing so - maybe too many complaints by disgruntled.

ASIABOOKS is the latest RIP-OFF company, they now always try to charge u in your home currency, offering a lousy rate.

[jfchandler]

I don't believe it's any particular Thai bank(s) that force merchants to ring up charges in a person's home currency, as opposed to Thai baht.

Rather, it's up to the merchant to do it one way or the other, depending on how they enter the transaction via their credit/debit card machine...

Every time I've had a merchant try to do that, I decline the charge and tell them to go back and ring up the charge with my same home country card in Thai baht. Most of the time, they just do it... Sometimes, it requires a manager or supervisor to get the line staff person to know how to do it properly...

[Pib]

It's really not a big deal one way or the other and we're definitely going off topic, but I doubt you got 2% back at Lotus and Carrefour. Both code their credit card transactions as general merchandise, even if all you buy is food.

There are other credit cards that give 2% cash back on every purchase.

Your doubt is misplaced in this case. You are correct the credit card transaction are coded as "Merchandise" but I'm getting 2% cash reward. Repeat, I'm definitely getting 2%. Additionally, you would think Capital One would have a category for "Groceries" since their rewards says 2% for gas and groceries, but they don't. They have a category for "gas/automotive" but do not have one for groceries only. I just looked again...the third time I''ve looked over the last few days...they have approx a dozen different codes they use. So, I guess Merchandise is the one they use for grocery stores and apparently some big box type stores that sell groceries plus other stuff. Of course, it also depends on how the store has itself coded in the credit card system where additional codes can be used to identify the type of transaction...codes we can not see...only the store and credit card company can see and use. Just two examples: for my Carrefour purchase of $35.10, I got a cash reward of 0.70....for my Lotus purchase of $22.05, I got a cash reward of 0.44)....in doing the math you will see each transaction earned a 2% cash reward. And it's not a promotional thing where the 2% is only for the first 6 months or something.

I'm sure there are other cards that give 2% back...and maybe even without no fine print like you only start earning that full 2% after you spend $XXX dollars per month/year...until then you only get a lower percentage...the Discover card is famous for their fine print. Few cards out there give the 2% "with no fine print" and with a "no" foreign transaction fee with the majority of cards charging a 1 to 3% foreign transaction fee. Plus, the card has no annual fee. Even if you got 2% rewards cards but it happens to charge a 3% foreign transaction fee, this puts you in the hole by 1% on your purchase (i.e., actually cost you 1% more).

Nope, I'm getting 2% at Carrefour, Big C, Lotus, and Foodland. Today I did a purchase at Global House (a hardware store)...will probably know on Monday or Tuesday when the transaction posts if I got 2% or 1% cash back. Yeap, I'm lovin' it!

Edited January 29, 2011 by Pib

[Pib]

I don't believe it's any particular Thai bank(s) that force merchants to ring up charges in a person's home currency, as opposed to Thai baht.

Rather, it's up to the merchant to do it one way or the other, depending on how they enter the transaction via their credit/debit card machine...

Every time I've had a merchant try to do that, I decline the charge and tell them to go back and ring up the charge with my same home country card in Thai baht. Most of the time, they just do it... Sometimes, it requires a manager or supervisor to get the line staff person to know how to do it properly...

I agree...it appears to be individual merchants and not Visa or Mastercard. For my half dozen or so credit card purchases so far over the last week using my new Capital One card, only Sizzler offered the DCC thing...they offered before the charge was run up, I said "No, do not charge in dollars; charge in baht" and they then proceeded to ring up the purchase in baht. And I'm guessing you are more app to see DCC used/attempted where a lot of tourists are running around with their home country credit cards, many of which are clueless about DCC, foreign tranaction fees, etc.

[jfchandler]

Just one example of that...

There've been a number of complaints here on TV about the Sizzler outlet(s) in Pattaya ringing up sales in home country currency...

Whereas, every time I've eaten at a couple different Sizzler locations in BKK, I've never had one of them bring the bill in anything other than Thai baht even though I was paying with a U.S. card...

[Pib]

I expect the Sizzler cashiers felt you were living in Thailand versus being a tourist (which means you would probably know about the DCC game and reject it), and just immediately rung it up in baht.

[jfchandler]

Pib, I think that ascribes too much knowledge and initiative on the part of your average low-wage cashier, whether at Sizzler or elsewhere...

My guess would be instead that at any given business, the manager or supervisors train the new and existing staff on how to do things... And someone has to explain to them the detail of how to handle credit/debit card transactions...

And so at the places that try to do DCC, it's probably because the manager or supervisors at that particular place have instructed the staff that when they get a non-Thai card, they're supposed to process it in a particular way... And it may well be because those managers, but I think not the staff, know it will mean somewhat better profit on the transaction.

In my experience, most of the time, the line level staff don't know the difference in what they're doing between DCC and charging in baht... They're just following whatever routine they've been given. I've been in a couple of places where the line staff didn't know how to do it any other way, and it took the manager coming to show them how to ring up a U.S. card in baht...

[Pib]

Could be...good training can definitely make a difference in customer service.

[bkk_mike]

Just a note. If your card is using the plus network and not Visa or Cirrus you can avoid the 150 baht fee at Siam Commercial Bank as well as at Aeon.

SCB appears to only charge the 150 to Visa and MC...

[bkk_mike]

Duplicate post removed...

Edited January 30, 2011 by bkk_mike

[jfchandler]

This above is the first report I remember seeing about PLUS cards and SCB ATMs....

I think people need to be careful about that, though, because a lot of VISA logo debit cards also carry the PLUS logo on the reverse...

There are some ATM only (non VISA logo, non debit) cards that also carry the PLUS logo. I have some of those, but don't think I've ever tried them in an SCB ATM...

BKK, what exact kind of card did you use at SCB that produced no 150 baht ATM fee?

[Pib]

Nope, I'm getting 2% at Carrefour, Big C, Lotus, and Foodland. Today I did a purchase at Global House (a hardware store)...will probably know on Monday or Tuesday when the transaction posts if I got 2% or 1% cash back. Yeap, I'm lovin' it!

Just got my first monthly statement for my Cap One credit card. Exchange rates for each transaction are on the statement, and match my calculations I did each time as I got an alert email of a purchase...I haven't found anywhere on the online account where you can see the exchange rate given per purchase before the monthly statement is issued...it may be there somewhere in the details of the each purchase but I don't see it...a person needs to do the calculation in the interim of the monthly statement. The Sizzler purchase has posted and I got 1% cast rewards as promised by the card. I expect the Global House purchase will post tomorrow....2% would be great/a pleasant surprise, but it suppose to be 1%.

[Pib]

Just FYI....I think this flyerguide article gives a good layman's general description of U.S. bank issued credit/debit card exchange rates under the Visa/Mastercard/American Express/etc logo, foreign transaction fees, and the Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) ripoff some merchants try to use (the article refers to the DCC as sometimes an exorbitant exchange rate). The article also covers a few UK and Canadian banks. And always check your individual card's disclosure agreement for specific fees related to your card, as this article is talking in general terms. Just FYI.

http://www.flyerguid...oreign_Exchange

Edited January 30, 2011 by Pib

[jfchandler]

fyi, I spoke to a Cap One supervisor on the phone today, and she confirmed that as of late January, Cap One had changed over the affiliation of its straight ATM cards from the PLUS network to the Cirrus network. At some future point, she said, Cap One will be sending out new cards to customers along with a notification of the change. But that hasn't happened yet.

Because Cap One has already implemented the change, their straight ATM cards (non MC or VISA logo) now must be used in ATM machines that accept Cirrus network cards. And that may well exclude the AEON ATMs, which don't display a Cirrus card network affiliation sticker on the front.

The supervisor mentioned they hadn't thought the changeover was a big deal because, as she said, most ATMs in the U.S. accept both PLUS and Cirrus cards. But without any prompting by me, she added that they soon discovered they were getting a lot of complaint calls from their customers overseas who suddenly found they were unable to use their cards because, outside the U.S., apparently, the dual PLUS and Cirrus acceptance is not so widespread.

Unlike AEON, I noticed the other day that BKK Bank, Kasikorn Bank and some others' ATMs do display the Cirrus logo on the front...But of course, they also charge the 150 baht Thai bank ATM fee.

For its savings and money market accounts, Cap One issues non VISA, non MC logo ATM cards, and doesn't do any third party ATM fee reimbursements. Those are the ones most clearly affected by the card network change.

For its Interest Online Checking account, Cap One issues a MC logo debit card and reimburses up to $10 per month in third party ATM fees, though it's not clear to me how that works if the fee originates overseas. I'm not sure if those cards will be affected by the change, since they ought to be accepted by ATMs (AEON and others) that accept MasterCard logo cards (apart from the difference between PLUS and Cirrus networks).

However, be advised, another TV member recently has reported that he suddenly as of a week or so ago was unable to use his Cap One debit card in AEON ATMs here. And when he called Cap One to try to figure out the problem, he said he was told that Cap One had just in the past week changed the card network affiliation for its debit cards from the PLUS network to the Cirrus network.

AEON ATMs accept PLUS network cards and have the PLUS sticker on their front of their ATMs showing that. But there's no sticker on the AEON ATMs indicating they accept CIRRUS network cards....

At this point, I think I'll also try to confirm if in fact Cap One has made that change, and if it means their debit cards no longer will work in AEON ATMs.

Card Networks List on AEON ATM

[Pib]

It's really not a big deal one way or the other and we're definitely going off topic, but I doubt you got 2% back at Lotus and Carrefour. Both code their credit card transactions as general merchandise, even if all you buy is food.

There are other credit cards that give 2% cash back on every purchase.

Your doubt is misplaced in this case. You are correct the credit card transaction are coded as "Merchandise" but I'm getting 2% cash reward. Repeat, I'm definitely getting 2%. Additionally, you would think Capital One would have a category for "Groceries" since their rewards says 2% for gas and groceries, but they don't. They have a category for "gas/automotive" but do not have one for groceries only. I just looked again...the third time I''ve looked over the last few days...they have approx a dozen different codes they use. So, I guess Merchandise is the one they use for grocery stores and apparently some big box type stores that sell groceries plus other stuff. Of course, it also depends on how the store has itself coded in the credit card system where additional codes can be used to identify the type of transaction...codes we can not see...only the store and credit card company can see and use. Just two examples: for my Carrefour purchase of $35.10, I got a cash reward of 0.70....for my Lotus purchase of $22.05, I got a cash reward of 0.44)....in doing the math you will see each transaction earned a 2% cash reward. And it's not a promotional thing where the 2% is only for the first 6 months or something.

I'm sure there are other cards that give 2% back...and maybe even without no fine print like you only start earning that full 2% after you spend $XXX dollars per month/year...until then you only get a lower percentage...the Discover card is famous for their fine print. Few cards out there give the 2% "with no fine print" and with a "no" foreign transaction fee with the majority of cards charging a 1 to 3% foreign transaction fee. Plus, the card has no annual fee. Even if you got 2% rewards cards but it happens to charge a 3% foreign transaction fee, this puts you in the hole by 1% on your purchase (i.e., actually cost you 1% more).

Nope, I'm getting 2% at Carrefour, Big C, Lotus, and Foodland. Today I did a purchase at Global House (a hardware store)...will probably know on Monday or Tuesday when the transaction posts if I got 2% or 1% cash back. Yeap, I'm lovin' it!

After another week or so of purchases using Cap One credit card that provides a 2% or 1% back, here's how 10 purchases have come out rewards percentage wide

Carrefour, one purchase, got 2% on each purchase

Big C, one purchase, got 2% on this purchase

Foodland, two puchases, got 2% on each purchase

Lotus, three purchases, got 2% on each purchase, and one of these three purchases was for two cases of beer only from their package store right outside the main store

Global House (hardware store), one purchase, got 1% on this purchse

Denal Office, one visit, got 1% on this purchase

Sizzler visit, one visit, got 1% on this purchase (Sizzler was the only purchase to ask/attempt a DCC...they asked first, I said I want to pay in baht, they rang up the purchase.

All the Carrefour, Big C, Lotus, and Foodland purchases showed up on my Cap One account as "Merchandise" purchases, but all earned the 2%. From reveiw of my online account, for what the customer ends up seeing all purchases are lumped into one of 17 categories (i.e., merchandise, healthcare, gas/automotive, airfare, etc)...and there is no category for only groceries. But as I mentioned earlier there is coding that flows with each transaction that describes in more detail the purchase and the Merchandise Category Code (MCC) each store has itself identified as in the credit card system. These are 4 digit codes and there are a bunch of them...this code is the key code that determines whether your purchases earns 2% or 1%. Example of some of the codes: 5411 is Grocery Stores/Supermarkets, Hardware Stores is 5251, Dentists 8021, Eating Places/Restuarants is 5812, Fast Food Restrauants is 5814, most of the major air lines and rental card companies have their own specific code, etc. I expect Carrefour, Big C, Lotus, and Foodland have them selves identified under MCC code 5411. Read more about MCC codes at these web sites...heck, even the U.S. IRS has a publications on use of MCC's regarding taxes.

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-card-purchase-privacy-1282.php

[llp]

I can confirm this. I have 5 capital one ATM card so I can take out a total of $2500 split among them. When I'm in Central, I visit the AEON atm and can save 750 baht for these 5 transactions. Last two days at a AEON atm and got error messages about an invalid transaction type. Last month not a problem. No notification from Capital One whatsoever about the card network switch. Let's say an expat spends 2K to 3K USD per month that's a potential 7,000 - 10,000 baht per year that can be saved. So I guess I will be switching to Schwab. Or another alternative?

[jfchandler]

It may not be convenient for everyone, but the other no 150 baht fee ATMs in Bangkok that I'm aware of are the CitiBank ones located in the Exchange Tower building at the corner of Sukhumvit and Asoke Rd., at the same corner as the BTS Asoke and MRT Sukhumvit stations...

I would assume they accept Cirrus network cards because CitiBank is a big international bank company, but I've never really had a reason to check on that before... I guess now I have a reason to check on that...

[Pib]

Nope, I'm getting 2% at Carrefour, Big C, Lotus, and Foodland. Today I did a purchase at Global House (a hardware store)...will probably know on Monday or Tuesday when the transaction posts if I got 2% or 1% cash back. Yeap, I'm lovin' it!

Just got my first monthly statement for my Cap One credit card. Exchange rates for each transaction are on the statement, and match my calculations I did each time as I got an alert email of a purchase...I haven't found anywhere on the online account where you can see the exchange rate given per purchase before the monthly statement is issued...it may be there somewhere in the details of the each purchase but I don't see it...a person needs to do the calculation in the interim of the monthly statement. The Sizzler purchase has posted and I got 1% cast rewards as promised by the card. I expect the Global House purchase will post tomorrow....2% would be great/a pleasant surprise, but it suppose to be 1%.

After another week or so of purchases using my new Capital One No Hassles Cash Reward credit card (Mastercard) that pays a 2% or 1% cash reward for each purchase, with no foreign transaction fee, no annual card fee, or rewards fine print…just a flat 2% for gas & grocery buys and 1% for everything else. Here is how my first 10 purchases have resulted cash rewards percentage-wise.

Carrefour, one purchase, got 2% on this purchase

Big C, one purchase, got 2% on this purchase

Lotus, three purchases, got 2% on each purchase, and one of these three purchases was for two cases of beer only from their package store located right outside the main store.

Foodland, two purchases, got 2% on each purchase

Dental office visit, one visit, got 1% on this purchase

Global House (hardware store), one purchase, got 1% on this purchase

Sizzler, one purchase, got 1% on this purchase, and Sizzler has been the only merchant so far to offer the DCC option before ringing up the purchase...I said ring it up in baht, they rang it up in baht.

There was no foreign transaction fee applied and the "posted exchange rate always fell between the Sight Bill and TT Buying rates"…usually Sight Bill rates are 0.1 baht per USD below the TT Rate but as I mentioned I got a little more than the Sight Bill rate. Summary: I durn near got the TT rate.

The Carrefour, Big C, Lotus, and Foodland purchases appeared in my Cap One online account in the purchase category of "Merchandise." For what the customer can see in their online account/statements, Cap One uses approx 17 different layman's type categories to lump all purchases into such as Merchandise, Healthcare, Dining, Gas/Automotive, Airfares, etc. Cap One does not have one for Groceries only.

As mentioned earlier there is "coding" in each purchases that identifies in greater detail the type of purchase and the type of merchant the purchases was made at….the customer cannot see this coding but the merchants and credit card companies can see them and use them extensively. This coding is called "Merchant Category Codes (MCC) and consists of 3 or 4 digit codes or equivalent industry codes. Hundreds of these codes exist such as: Grocery Stores/Supermarkets – 5411, Eating Places/Restaurants - 5812, Fast Food Restaurants - 5814, Dentists - 8021, Hardware Stores - 5251, etc., and most major airlines and rental car companies have their own specific MCC code. There is no MCC code titled Merchandise in the various MCC lists I saw by googling. I expect Carrefour, Big C, Lotus, and Foodland have themselves identified as a Grocery Store/Supermarket with the MCC of 5411 which stands for Grocery Stores/Supermarkets...so, that is why I've been getting 2% for purchases at these stores whether I was buying groceries, clothes, beer, whatever, but Cap One shows the purchase as Merchandise for the customer's viewing purposes. But remember, the underlying MCC, which we the customer can't see, determines what cash back reward percentage you get. Was talking to my sister in the states last week and she mentioned that when she called Discover Card about a purchase she thought she was suppose to get a higher rewards on, the Discover customer rep said it can also depend on how the individual cash registers in the same store are coded…that is, if buying something from the Pharmacy checkout within Wal-Mart then it could be coded differently than the Groceries checkout in Wal-Mart, therefore, you can get a different rewards percentage. To me, this is an example of some of the "unwritten" fine print. There is no fine print with the Cap One Cash Rewards card, you either get 2% or 1%.

To read up on credit card MCC's here's a couple of web sites to start with...one of them is even a U.S. govt IRS link for their tax publication on MCC's.

http://en.wikipedia....t_Category_Code

http://www.creditcar...rivacy-1282.php

http://www.usfsg.com...t-mcc-list.html

[Pib]

For its Interest Online Checking account, Cap One issues a MC logo debit card and reimburses up to $10 per month in third party ATM fees, though it's not clear to me how that works if the fee originates overseas. I'm not sure if those cards will be affected by the change, since they ought to be accepted by ATMs (AEON and others) that accept MasterCard logo cards (apart from the difference between PLUS and Cirrus networks).

I have been thinking about opening up a Cap One Interest Online Checking account as a backup account since you can get to your money via checks, debit card, and online transfers. But when it comes to their ATM Fee reimbursement policy they are somewhat unclear as to whether you would get reimbursed for ATM withdrawals outside the U.S. I would use AEON whenever possible, but sometimes AEON ATMs can be hard to find. See below for a partial quote from this web link: http://www.capitalon...C_C0_04_T_SP30D

One this same webpage there a Debit Card tab that confirms the card has a zero foreign transaction fee.

Partial Quote:

ATM Fee Reimbursement For Capital One Interest Online Checking accounts, fees assessed at any ATM within the United States and at some ATMs located outside the United States will be reimbursed within 5 business days, up to $10 per statement period. Once this limit has been reached, all usual and customary fees apply.

End Quote

Maybe someone out there has a Capital One "Debit" card, repeat Debit card, and can give us some insight on ATM fee reimbursements in Thailand and does the card still work for ATM withdrawals from within Thailand.

[jfchandler]

That's a good question, Pib...

I have no idea what Cap One's web page means when they same that they will do ATM fee reimbursements for "some" ATMs abroad...when using their MC logo debit cards associated with their checking accounts...

Now that their straight ATM card associated with their savings/MMA accounts may be un-usable in AEON ATMs due to their late January switchover to the Cirrus card network for that particular card, the MC logo debit card associated with their checking accounts becomes a bit more attractive...especially to those folks abroad.

The only complication is Cap One's restriction about not being willing to open Online Checking Accounts for residence addresses where the bank operates physical branches... In those areas, they want customers to physically go into their branches to open checking accounts there.