Best Bank Account In Pattaya These Days

[bmanly]

I have held a Bangkok Bank Account with Visa Electron card for nearly 10 years now. My branch is the one opposite soi6 on 2nd. road. Last year I tried to set up internet access with this account at that branch but I wasn't successful. Apparently I had the wrong visa and needed a Non immigrant visa.

This year I am coming over for a long term stay. I want to open up a new account which is hassle free. I would like:

1. Internet Access

2. SWIFT code so I can transfer foreign funds into my account when the rate is good

3. An ATM card that works all over Thailand and overseas

Who would you recommend in Pattaya these days and how hard is it to get all the above? Good customer service would be nice as well as an efficient bank.

Mods, can you leave this post in the Pattaya section as that is where I am based so I really only need to know about the local branches there, thank you.

[BB1950]

K Bank, otherwise known as Kasikorn Bank.

Very easy to get all of the above on the spot. Any kind of Visa will do. No work permit requirement. No residence certificate required.

Branches and ATMs located all over Pattaya/Jomtien.

Edited March 14, 2012 by BB1950

[hoss21]

K Bank, otherwise known as Kasikorn Bank.

Very easy to get all of the above on the spot. Any kind of Visa will do. No work permit requirement. No residence certificate required.

Branches and ATMs located all over Pattaya/Jomtien.

+1 I recommend Kasikorn Bank as well.

I opened my Kasikorn savings account at the Central Festival Branch (4th flr) last March on a 30 day Visa exemption.

All that was required were my passport, address in Thailand (hotel business card was accepted), Thai cell phone number, & my e-mail address.

Walked out with an ATM card, passbook, & a slip of paper with all the SWIFT code information needed for international transfers.

Recieved an e-mail the next day with instructions to set up internet banking.

The whole process took less than 30 minutes. Cost a total of 350 baht (200 for opening account & 150 for issuing ATM card).

There is a 200 baht annual fee (may have increased to 250 baht, not sure) for the ATM card.

The process went very smoothly & the clerk was very helpful & proffesional in answering all my questions.

[bmanly]

Thanks to both of you. I feel sure that is what I need. I'm going to close out the Bangkok Bank Account, I hate it when they are so pedantic for something like internet access, they don't deserve the business, cheers.

[smedly]

some concerns I've had over the years

I would be very causious about having a Visa ATM card, over the year people have had large sums of money removed from their accounts by very suspect foreign withdrawals, they where adamant their cards could not have been skimmed - I firmly suspect inside job - if you don't have ATM this cannot happen

In branch withdrawals can be suspect also in terms of id etc

How much interest is the K bank paying on savings ?

just some points to be aware of

[Para]

For me K Bank is the best as you can apply for their virtual VISA - 'K Checkout Card' which works perfect for PayPal accounts.

[craigt3365]

bmanly: where are you from? Could have an impact on which bank you select.

[toenail]

I think Kasikorn has a good reputation and has many branches open at night. UOB (from Singapore) is my bank (due to my place of work chosing this bank to deposit my money in) and the main office closes at 3pm; no branches open on Saturdays; very few branches; cyberbanking doesn't work at night...and when you do need to talk to someone on the phone in English, 75% of the time the person cannot speak English.

[bmanly]

bmanly: where are you from? Could have an impact on which bank you select.

I am from Australia. What happened? On the old format it use to show where you were from, now it's gone.

Anyhow, my plan in the future is to transfer AUD over when it is strong. I did it with Bangkok Bank about 8 years ago and worked fine.

Seems like K Bank's the go, cheers.

[MrJ]

i can recommnd SCB Siam Com. Bank - like K Bank 30miops sUPERMARKET

[MrJ]

i can recommnd SCB Siam Com. Bank - like K Bank 30miops sUPERMARKET

SORRY

30MIN TO OPEN acc, incl. online banking/ATM card, no visa requited - main branch @ 2nd road opp. TOPS Supermarket - about 8 yars with no problems there.......

[simple1]

I also use K Bank and you can set up a cyber banking account that will send an SMS message to your mobile phone each time you transact, good way to be informed on any reetail shopping transactions on the account, internet transactions such as Amazon, Agoda etc. However note that any changes to your banking requirements should be done at the branch where you opened the account e.g. changing email address, phone number, daily limit etc

Also no longer allow your TGF to access your account without your authority, as has happened in the past

[Langsuan Man]

Whatever bank you select I would suggest that you pick one in a shopping mall to open your account in since that becomes your "home" branch and is where you will have to go to sort things out if there should be a problem with your account

Picking a branch in a shopping mall will give you greater access to your home branch since their hours will follow the malls hours

[FarangBuddha]

I join the consensus here that Kasikorn Bank is one of the best banks in Thailand. (I have also used Bangkok Bank and Bank of Ayudha.) I have never had a problem with them, they have many branches and sub-branches, and scores of working ATMs (unlike Bangkok Bank) and CDM and PUMs scattered around Pattaya. They also have a very useful "K-web" service you can sign up for that allows you to conduct internet transactions (hotel res or purchase airline tix, etc.) online via the Visa transaction network and the funds are debited from your account.

As also mentioned, security is very good with SMS allert service you can sign up for whenever a transaction occurs using the ATM/debit card and for major transactions, e.g., money transfers to outside accounts or web purchases, second-step verification via a SMS code sent to your mobile phone is required.

I am very happy with my K-bank banking experience.

Edited March 15, 2012 by FarangBuddha

[bmanly]

As also mentioned, security is very good with SMS allert service you can sign up for whenever a transaction occurs using the ATM/debit card and for major transactions, e.g., money transfers to outside accounts or web purchases, second-step verification via a SMS code sent to your mobile phone is required.

I am very happy with my K-bank banking experience.

Thanks, how do you go about SMS verification when you are out of the country? Pre paid sim cards can not be used for global roaming as far as I know. For example I spend 6 Months in OZ and 6 Months in Thailand? Thanks.

Edited March 15, 2012 by bmanly

[Upnotover]

As also mentioned, security is very good with SMS allert service you can sign up for whenever a transaction occurs using the ATM/debit card and for major transactions, e.g., money transfers to outside accounts or web purchases, second-step verification via a SMS code sent to your mobile phone is required.

I am very happy with my K-bank banking experience.

Thanks, how do you go about SMS verification when you are out of the country? Pre paid sim cards can not be used for global roaming as far as I know. For example I spend 6 Months in OZ and 6 Months in Thailand? Thanks.

Prepaid 1-2-Call can be used for international roaming, just need to make sure your credit is valid long enough to cover the time you're away.

[jimmybkk]

I would also recommend Siam Commercial (SCB). I've never banked with K bank so maybe they are good too. I've banked with Bangkok Bank for years and I don't like them but I have a credit card with them so don't want to give it up.

With SCB once you open your account you can sign up for online banking from the comfort of your home via the Internet, but (unless things have changed in the last year or so) you must use Internet Explorer and not another browser to do so - it took me ages to figure this out and as far as I could tell they don't inform you of this on their website.

I went overseas last year and used my ATM card - 5 mins after using it I got a call from SCB asking where I was (i.e. verifiying it was me using it) which i thought was quite impressive.

Another tip, and I'm not sure what kind of visa you need to be eligible, is to look into the banks Personal Accident insurance. For around 800 baht per year they will cover you up to around 20,000 Baht I think. I had a minor accident last year which required a few stitches and on the back of that accident I got the PA cover from Bangkok Bank. On one of my return trips to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital to have the stitches removed I showed them my new PA card and asked if it would have covered me for this accident and they said yes. The cost of fixing me up was around 5,000 baht so if you do happen to have an accident the PA coverage pays for itself in no time.

[DMC1]

some concerns I've had over the years

I would be very causious about having a Visa ATM card, over the year people have had large sums of money removed from their accounts by very suspect foreign withdrawals, they where adamant their cards could not have been skimmed - I firmly suspect inside job - if you don't have ATM this cannot happen

In branch withdrawals can be suspect also in terms of id etc

How much interest is the K bank paying on savings ?

just some points to be aware of

+1 Open 2 accounts. I have Kasikorn for my salary with bank book only & internet access for transferring money to my BKK bank account. I also have BKK bank account with internet access which I keep for day to day use with basic ATM card. I don't keep too much money in BKK bank as I had a card skimming problem with K-Bank 5 years ago and they were not helpful nor did I get the money back.

[bmanly]

Thanks for all replies. I understand the concerns some of you have regarding ATM cards and card skimming. It isn't just Thailand though, we have had Eastern European gangs doing it in Australia too. They make a living by going from country to country doing the quick big hit, grab some money and fly out. You just got to be alert, take a good look at the ATM and make sure there are no suspicious devices on them. You are probably best to use the shopping centre ATM's or the ATM's inside the banks themselves.

In this day and age I can't live without the ATM card so I will go with it. Plus as others have mentioned they are useful for paypal, overseas withdrawals and perhaps accident insurance. I didn't know about the accident insurance so might take it up. Also I don't like wasting time in branches filling out forms and lining up for 15 minutes or so waiting to get a withdrawal done. Thanks again.

[toenail]

Credit cards.. In order to get a credit card from my local bank, I had to live in Thailand for 2 years (UOB) though I had a work permit. What I do, is use my local Thai bank credit card when necessary (booking hotels, flights...in country) and the limit I chose is $3,000 us dollar. That way if someone gets my number, it is easier for me to catch and go to the bank (and it isn't a large amount compared to my other credit card. If I use my USA credit card from my American Bank, the credit is a lot higher; thus, I don't want to use it in Asia.

[SGD]

some concerns I've had over the years

I would be very causious about having a Visa ATM card, over the year people have had large sums of money removed from their accounts by very suspect foreign withdrawals, they where adamant their cards could not have been skimmed - I firmly suspect inside job - if you don't have ATM this cannot happen

In branch withdrawals can be suspect also in terms of id etc

How much interest is the K bank paying on savings ?

just some points to be aware of

You use your noggin of course. Most of your money is in a non card account which you can access online as well as perhaps two card accounts. You simply move over what you need. As you can move a million or so a day online, limits are hardly an issue.

[Phil Conners]

I use SCB both for ATM, money transfers from overseas and for E-banking. Not perfect but probably as good as it gets here. The clincher for me is there are SCB ATM's (the purple ones) all over the place including most 7/11 and supermarkets.

[mookie1]

recently lost a Bangkok bank debit card and was told i'd have to return to the city where it was issued to get a replacement card....what's up with that?

Why can't these branches all work in concert and give us some convenience? I'll just close the account and open another and not have to make the long trip back and waste my day sitting in a bank. All because different branches have different policies.....

[Langsuan Man]

recently lost a Bangkok bank debit card and was told i'd have to return to the city where it was issued to get a replacement card....what's up with that?

Why can't these branches all work in concert and give us some convenience? I'll just close the account and open another and not have to make the long trip back and waste my day sitting in a bank. All because different branches have different policies.....

Afraid that this will happen with any bank account that you open in Thailand. Your home branch becomes the focal point for all your dealings, so pick wisely. If you are now in a different province I'm surprised that you didn't notice a long time ago that you were being charged extra for out of province transactions. Another standard practice with Thai banks

[brummiebob]

K bank is the best for online stuff

K bank has a virtual credit card for people that can't get/wont use proper credit card called "K-Web Shopping Card" that you can use for online shops that doesn't accept debit cards, with added protection of delayed deduction of funds from your account, allowing things like disputing the charge or putting a hold on suspect charge, which is better protection than if you were to use debit card to shop online

Only bad thing is that their mobile 'app' is a bit iffy, using phone number in header for security, but you can always use the web

[brummiebob]

Bangkok bank is a bit anal about making you go back to your original branch to do stuff like replace bank book or cards.

From my experience the purple bank SCB does allow making new card and new bank book in branches other than the one that you open the account in. The green K bank too I think.

[toenail]

I wish I banked at "k" bank but I started out with UOB. What a mistake. UOB is well known in Singapore but when they took over the local runned bank chain (???Siam farmers bank-cant remember) they basically changed the paint and logo. Still poor service and not enough banks that stay open beyond 3pm. None of the UOB branches in Pattaya are open beyond 3pm. And when you call them the idiots put you on hold and never come back to take care of your request or question.

[ThaiBob]

My experience is that there is not that much difference between Thai banks in the rates or services provided. Why not have multiple accounts at different banks?... certainly no harm. If you are an American the nice feature with BB is the ability to do ACH transfers through their NYC office. I think the Brits can do transfers via the London office but I am not sure.

[bmanly]

Hello it's a year later and I see my thread has been revived. I ended up opening the Kasikorn Account at the Central Shopping Mall as someone suggested. I got the debit Visa K Card and it all worked fine. I also applied for internet banking with SMS alerts. This account is very good, everytime I withdraw or transfer money I get email and SMS alerts. The security of the account appears good. For this particular account I get charged 20 baht per Month and an annual card fee of 550 baht. I believe I have a small accident insurance policy included with that fee.

I also agree with another poster about having more than one account. I got one with Bangkok bank as back up too but I think the Kasikorn one is better.

Thanks for the advice from last year, I am very happy with my Kasikorn account, cheers.

[luudee]

When I first came to Thailand I opened a Bangkok Bank account.

Some 6 years ago I switched to Siam Commercial, as I found it harder

to find Bangkok Bank ATMs, and the service went downhill.

I Loved Siam Comercial as it allower me to do online transfers withing

Thailand of more than 100K baht without any issues.

This changed earlier this year and I can only do transfers online of up

to 50K baht and have to go to my local branch for anything else. On top

of everything, the manager at my local branch who has personally known

me for over 6 years, has turned in to a bitch and started to give me major

attitude.

So since about 3 months ago I switched to K-Bank as well. So far they meet

all my needs.

I still keep the other two accounts around just in case things will shift again ....

And yeah, I use international deposit (SWIFT) to all 3 accounts and online banking ....

Cheers,

luudee