Bangkok Bank "Be 1St Smart"

[freedomnow]

My bank gave me Bangkok Bank "Be 1st Smart" but never told me I needed to activate it for online banking.Do any of you know if after activating it you can wire

domestically and international ? I'm outside Thailand just now and will arrive a month or so later to fume at my bank....

What is the best way to go if you are travelling outside Thailand ,get travellers cheques or is there any prepaid visa card that can be use internationally from Bangkok Bank ?

I'm not a resident in Thailand,I just invest there and am looking to draw down on my stock income from India while I travel there for 6 months.

Thanks in advance to any of you banking gurus....

[MrRed]

Yes... can send money once you have activated it domestically and international.

[freedomnow]

Yes... can send money once you have activated it domestically and international.

Great ! Is there any solution to getting a prepaid visa card rather than carrying around a wad of T/Cs ?

[MrRed]

I am not so sure about pre-paids in Thailand as of yet,it will be travellers checks and your ATM card i think.....no problem though ATM'S are everywhere so it is always easy to get cash in most places.

Bangkok Bank do visa cards also maybe you can chat with your branch manager for a quick upgrade if you use some of your funds as a sort of pre-pay plan?

[freedomnow]

I am not so sure about pre-paids in Thailand as of yet,it will be travellers checks and your ATM card i think.....no problem though ATM'S are everywhere so it is always easy to get cash in most places.

Bangkok Bank do visa cards also maybe you can chat with your branch manager for a quick upgrade if you use some of your funds as a sort of pre-pay plan?

Yeah ,I just want to get at my money from India as and when I need it so it can sit in the SET as long as possible rather than T/Cs in my back pocket from day 1 when I fly out.

I'm looking into opening a bank account in India to receive my golden eggs from the SET via BKK Bank ! Will also look into BKK Bank international ATM use and if that involves hefty fees plus poor exchange rates.

[aurelius]

Your questions are a bit confusing...but sorting through them...

Your Be1st Card can be used at a Bangkok Bank ATM to enrol for internet banking. Therefore this needs to be done in Thailand.

Once enrolled for internet banking, you can make domestic and international transfers - however the baht is regulated - so (relatively) unfettered international transfers are available online to people who have work permits and sources of income in Thailand (as evidenced by documents which have to be supplied to the bank once a year). Other customers are required present evidence of the reason for their funds transfer on a transaction by transaction basis.

Be1st Smart is the chip card which can be used abroad for shopping at chip (EMV) enabled VISA merchatns and also at EMV enabled ATMs (some countries don't have any/many EMV ATMs and most banks don't put signs on them, so it may be hard to know which ATMs can be used).

If you are travelling outside of Thailand and you need cash easily, ie. without regard for the protection provided by the EMV chip, then you may be better off with the regular magnetic Be1st card which can be used in ATMs all over the world (but with the card copying risk).

Prepard cards in Thailand are all for domestic use only, by regulation.

You can buy travellers cheques in Thailand.

Hope this helps.

[bifftastic]

If you want to make international transfers to your Bangkok Bank account online, once you have registered for Bualuang ibanking you can just make a SWIFT transfer. In fact, you can do this even if you don't have ibanking, but it would be better if you did, so that you can see when the money has arrived.

I don't have a work permit, nor was I asked to show any paperwork to set this up.

I'm not currently living in Thailand.

There is a contact I have with Bangkok bank who is tasked with assisting foreigners with any difficulties they may have with their accounts. Send me a PM and I will pass on his contact details.

[brd]

I am not so sure about pre-paids in Thailand as of yet,it will be travellers checks and your ATM card i think.....no problem though ATM'S are everywhere so it is always easy to get cash in most places.

Bangkok Bank do visa cards also maybe you can chat with your branch manager for a quick upgrade if you use some of your funds as a sort of pre-pay plan?

Better to go to Bangkok Bank Headquarter in Silom Road than any of their branches less aware of all the benefits for Foreigners themselves dealing mainly with Thai people.

[Daveroc]

Freedomnow, I work for BBL. If you care to PM I can look to see if there are some solutions to your current predictament.

[freedomnow]

Hi ,thanks everyone. Yes I was just looking at either at pulling cash out at once in T/C's then going to India or at best, pulling cash out via Net banking to a newly opened bank account there for the main reason of keeping my money in the market to make it work...rather than in my money belt under my T-shirt.I'm not looking to send money INTO Thailand but pull it OUT monthly as profits from the SET for living costs in India over 6 months. I don't work in Thailand, only invest there and have no tax liability on stocks there (except dividends) or outside Thailand.

I suppose I could also ask for the visa card that has a wider net of machines that accept it, but was worried it gets gobbled up due to some glitch in chaotic India. So I preferred the online banking cash wire ,country-to-country as the best route !

I'll read over the new posts again to see the best route .Thanks !

In India ,things a re bit stricter but you can open a foreign currency account for 6 months on a 6-month tourist visa.