An Advantage To Have Two Bank Accounts?

[bobobo]

Hallo all BM:s'

I have an O- A visa. I have been following the visa thread for a while. Some BM:s have problems with the one-year check-in which I haven't done yet. They are being asked "where are Your'e money for espensives" when they show the bank statement with 800.000 thousand bank

and with no withdrawals taken place. I don't want to have any problems with the immigration concerning this. I'm planning of getting another

bankaccount that shows a monthly cash-flow from my home country. Are they going to have opinions about that do you think? As most of You who can read beetween the lines already have understood that I'm a little bit worried. I read the horror stories and the good ones on the board.

I just don't like to be a part of the horror movie :)

If You could give me any feedback i would be grateful.

/B

[Jingthing]

I have three bank accounts here which I use for different purposes.

I don't know if you will actually NEED the second account to show cash flow someday, but it certainly can't hurt. If it works for you, I would say, why not?

[lopburi3]

I trust that BM is Black Man but others may answer as this is an open forum.

Do not believe a record of any deposits/transfer will be required but having a second account if not using primary is always a good idea in case the question comes up of how you support your stay.

[mahjongguy]

I keep 800,000+ in my bank account and I'm not about to carry that ATM card as I go about my daily errands. So, I have a 2nd account that I use for spending. Keep it topped up via online banking. Never enough in that account to kill me if I get scammed by an ATM skimmer.

That's reason enough to have a 2nd account.

[Gary A]

I have two Thai bank accounts but the one is only in case my other account is in danger of going below the 800,000 minimum before the three month seasoning required for the extension date. I top up my account once or at most twice a year with a wire transfer. I use that money throughout the year and top it up three months before my extension is due.

I was questioned the first year because I didn't use any of the 800,000 baht. They indeed wanted to know what I lived on. I had to show US bank statements showing regular ATM withdraws. Since then Citibank US has added a three percent currency exchange charge besides the 150 baht for the Thai banks. I haven't used the US ATM card for several years because of the expense.

[NancyL]

I'm definitely not going to keep 800,000 baht in an account that can be accessed via an ATM card. Plus, the accounts without the ATM cards pay higher rates. Every year I go to the bank and withdraw the year's interest earnings just before my retirement visa extensions date -- that shows some activity! Hah!

I was questioned one year about how I obtain funds to live when I haven't touched the 800,000 baht for years. I pulled out the passbook for the other account -- a joint account with Hubby at the same bank that we can access with an ATM card. I waved the passbook around and said "my husband has pension income adequate to support both of us. Would you like to see our joint account passbook?" The Immigration officer just nodded and never asked me to give it to him. Good thing -- because we aren't running 65,000 baht/month thru that account. Some of Hubby's income is deposited to our U.S. accounts and pays U.S.-based bills.

I think they just want to know if you have a reasonable story. In my case, they may have suspected I was working illegally as a teacher or something.

[lopburi3]

There is no requirement to run 65k though any account. Bank accounts pay the same interest with or without ATM cards - it is the type of account that determines the interest paid. You do not need an atm card on a normal passbook savings account if you do not want it.

[NancyL]

I was told at Bangkok Bank, the orange passbook "fixed" accounts can't be accessed with an ATM card. They pay a higher interest rate than the standard blue passbook savings accounts, which can be accessed with an ATM card. With the "fixed" account, funds can be withdrawn at any time, with interest penalty, so they met the Immigration requirements of the money being readily accessible. Never had a problem in using the orange passbook accounts at CM Immigration.

And, yes, you don't need to bring 65,000 baht/month into Thailand, but I was a little worried because I hadn't brought an evidence of our joint U.S. account or the funds flow thru that account.

[lopburi3]

Yes fixed deposit will have the interest of the type/period selected and should be more than normal passbook savings account but it is not the function of the ATM card that determines the interest but the type of account.