Best Rates In Bangkok, Currency Exchange Shops.

[kian]

I'm looking for a currency exchange shop having a good rate (w/o commission) for converting AUD to USD, i am going to Myanmar, and i have a lot of AUD, and i want to convert them to new, crisp, clean looking US bills of all denominations, without marks, ink, stamps, or CB serial numbers, basically they should look brand new, does anyone know where I can find such a place, near a MRT, or BTS station? Today's rate, 1.00 AUD = 1.02134 USD, but i am satisfied to convert at 1:1 ratio. Thank you.

[smokie36]

Super Rich.

[rak sa_ngop]

Super Rich on Silom Road near Chong Nonsi BTS gives good rates for baht to USD and reverse. One time I changed money I bought USD from baht. If I had changed the USD back to baht straight away I would have lost 5 baht on 100 USD. Incredibly narrow spread. Lots of jewellery shops not far away so probably gem and jewellry traders are their main customers.

I don't think that you can do a direct conversion of AUD to USD. You will have to buy baht first.

[Marcel1]

try vasu at sukhumvit 9

www.vasuexchange.com

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[georgey]

try vasu at sukhumvit 9

www.vasuexchange.com

Sent from my GT-S5660 using Thaivisa Connect App

agree, I think Vasu tends to be marginally better, but worth looking at both if you have a decent amount to do - they'll quote you over the phone, so you can see which is better on the day

[asanee]

Super Rich on Silom Road near Chong Nonsi BTS gives good rates for baht to USD and reverse.

GAVE-this outlet has stoped selling US$-as was noted in this all-knowing forum too.

For this-you cannot avoid it being transferred into THB and then into USD-by the buying/selling rate-but at SR this is not a sum to worry about.

You MUST go to one of 3 main locations-to the left of BigC opposite WTC/Rajprasong. They are well used to Burma goers wanting what you ask.

In geneal it is in about any developed country about impossible to transfer direct from valuta A->C when the country has B. I have never sen any bank/change office in TH to charge ''commission''its hidden in the rates.

[Hairy]

How bad are the airport rates nowadays? I have to fly in very late on Friday night (don't have a flight booked yet) and will need a bit until I can get to a decent place.

[rak sa_ngop]

Super Rich on Silom Road near Chong Nonsi BTS gives good rates for baht to USD and reverse.

GAVE-this outlet has stoped selling US$-as was noted in this all-knowing forum too.

For this-you cannot avoid it being transferred into THB and then into USD-by the buying/selling rate-but at SR this is not a sum to worry about.

You MUST go to one of 3 main locations-to the left of BigC opposite WTC/Rajprasong. They are well used to Burma goers wanting what you ask.

In geneal it is in about any developed country about impossible to transfer direct from valuta A->C when the country has B. I have never sen any bank/change office in TH to charge ''commission''its hidden in the rates.

Are you sure you are not confusing SR BTS Sala Daeng, Silom Road with SR BTS Chong Nongsi Silom Road? The SR I am talking about is a 3 storey building painted in SR colours not an exchange kiosk. It certainly is a main location. They were selling and buying USD 6 months ago. Good rates as well.

[lomatopo]

Superrich (orange) http://www.superrich1965.com/location.php

Superrich (green) http://www.superrichthailand.com/profile.html

Some say SR-green is always better. YMMV. Typically the best rates are achieved at the Ratchadamri locations rather than the "remote" stores. Again, YMMV.

Most savvy Thais go to Thanon Pradiphat where the absolute best rates are available, although maybe just enough to cover the taxi fare (plenty of banks nearby as well), but not sure this is worth it for most foreigners?

There are have been some reports of problems at VASU (Sukhumvit Soi 7/1), specifically counterfeit bills substituted and returned, and some mis-counts.

[SantiSuk]

An extract of a longer posting by me on how to get home country cash into Thai cash - on one of the many other threads covering this topic. It uses UK pound sterling (GBP) and a specific date as a live example, but I suspect the principles apply more generally accross all popular currencies and I observe that the differentials in type of exchange facility have applied consistently from year to year.

[The exchange rate for GBP has already dropped by 2% in the last 3 weeks. You have to monitor your currency and strike while the iron is hot if the percentage differentials between different types of exchange rate booths bother you]

..........................................................................................................................................................

`I would never use a credit card for an ATM withdrawal - forget the exchange rate - any plusses there I would assume to be gobbled up by the issuing card's transaction and financing fees. Always well down the pecking order as an option for getting cash from your home country bank account into your hot hand in Thailand IMO. It seems to me that the best options in order of best returns (for reasonably significant sums - say $2,500 up - are):

1. Bring cash and exchange it at Super Rich, Pratunam, Bangkok* (if you stomach the security risks of carrying cash). Always likely to be the best whatever home currency amounts you are exchanging (but bigger home currency notes attract a slightly higher rate at Super Rich for some currencies)

exchange rate 50.1 for GBP 50 notes and 50.0 for smaller notes

2. Transfer from home country to Thai bank account specifying your home country's currency, rather than Thai baht to be sent by your bank (may not be cheap for small amounts though - the bank charge is usually fixed rate no matter how much you send).

depends on the bank - Bangkok Bank would have converted at 49.74 and charged about 250 baht for an incoming transfer of GBP 2,000 and exactly 500 baht for an incoming transfer of GBP 5,000 and up. HSBC bank in the UK would have charged a flat fee of GBP 17 to your UK acount, whatever the amount of UK currency used

3. Bring cash and exchange at other good exchange rate booths (including the Super Rich branch locations) on the streets of Bangkok (other tourist locations?)

Super Rich branches would have exchanged at 49.6 for all GBP notes. Other street exchange booths in Bangkok would have been between 49.4 and 49.6.

The cartel rate at Suvarnabpum would have been 1 to 1.5 baht worse than this (though another recent thread suggests that there is a cartel-busting Kasikorn ATM machine on the train station concourse at Swampy which gives a rate similar to Bankok street rate)

That last bit is how I wrote it, but I should have said

The cartel rate at Suvarnabpum would have been 1 to 1.5 baht worse than this, though another recent thread** suggests that there is a cartel-busting Kasikorn exchange booth on the train station concourse at Swampy which gives a rate similar to the general Bankok street exchange booth rates (but still probably marginally less than Super Rich in Pratunam).

* Super Rich exchange rates are on this web-site: http://www.superrich1965.com/rate.php

**I quote Cheynewalk, `Kasikorn bank (green signs) on the basement level near the entrance to the train station seem to give the best rates by far. Yesterday (12/9) they were giving 31.74 baht to one australian dollar as opposed to the the other banks 30.53. That's nearly a 4% difference, quite a lot if you're changing a bit of money. Even on $100 its 120 baht, enough to pay your train fare into the city.`

Edited October 12, 2012 by SantiSuk