Cberlin985 Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Nothing more really to add. I am travelling to Thailand for 90 days and I was in need of some suggestions on the best way to bring my money over. I don't exactly want to have $2,500 on me and risk being robbed and my trip ruined. Any help is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancealot Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Split the risk. $500 cash on you $500 on your debit card $500 on your credit card $500 to someone you trust in your country(for emergencies) $500 to hire someone sensible to advice you on how to live on $2000 for 90 days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beb Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 My suggestion is to bring $1,300 cash and then just pull out the last $1,200 in 2 increments. The max per day is 20,000 baht (unless it's changed or my numbers are off) so you'll have less to lose if something unfortunate happens. You'll lose about $10 each time you make those two withdrawals in the ATM but $20 is probably worth the peace of mind for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob8891 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Get an Escape Travel Money Card. There is no charge for withdrawals (except for the 150 baht ATM charge). You can get a second card, and load each one separately, then keep them in different places. It's a Mastercard, so you can use it to make purchases too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMSteve Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Think the previous posters made some good suggestions. Keep things separate in case of loss/theft. Carry a small amount of cash to get you going once on the ground, but then keep most of it in one or two ATM/Credit cards. Use the card inside the bank branches(with passport) and ask for counter withdrawals, or find the location of the closest Aeon ATM's so you don't get charges the extra 150B/withdrawal charge. Also, if possible use an account/open an account with a bank that reimburses their ATM fee. Try one of the national brokerage houses (Schwab/etc) or maybe a credit union. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mania Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Personally I would not worry about 2500 cash before I moved here I traveled many times with much more & never a scary moment. But if your really worried I guess travelers checks are still a good deal at many US bank & credit Unions they are free if you have an account there. They do charge a small fee on this end though when cashed at banks. Also since your here for 90 days you may just want to open a bank account deposit the cash & get an ATM card for use while your here. Nice thing is if you plan to make more trips in the future you can just fund your Thai account from home for next to nothing if using Bangkok Bank New York as a domestic transfer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradinAsia Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Think the previous posters made some good suggestions. Keep things separate in case of loss/theft. Carry a small amount of cash to get you going once on the ground, but then keep most of it in one or two ATM/Credit cards. Use the card inside the bank branches(with passport) and ask for counter withdrawals, or find the location of the closest Aeon ATM's so you don't get charges the extra 150B/withdrawal charge. Also, if possible use an account/open an account with a bank that reimburses their ATM fee. Try one of the national brokerage houses (Schwab/etc) or maybe a credit union. If you are in the U.S, open an account with USAA Federal Savings Bank. They not only reimburse ATM fees, they are the best bank on the planet (maybe)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Travelers Cheques? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyMcCollum Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Not sure where your from, nor did you say where your going here or what your doing. If $2500 is everything for your whole trip, You will need to be a miser with your funds and quickly get a low cost apartment and rent a low cost motorbike or scooter As for getting robbed, much more likely where your coming from then here. Be smart, don't flash a lot of cash, and stay away from the bar girls, they go to special schools to learn how to make you want to part with your money. ATM's are everywhere, even out in the sticks. First few trips here I budgeted $100 a day. got that down to $50 and now live family of 3 on less than $1000 a month But I have friends who can burn through $1000 in a day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rene123 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Don't be a miser. Just bring a couple of suitcases filled with hundred dollar bills. Spread it around and have a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellodolly Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 (edited) My suggestion is to bring $1,300 cash and then just pull out the last $1,200 in 2 increments. The max per day is 20,000 baht (unless it's changed or my numbers are off) so you'll have less to lose if something unfortunate happens. You'll lose about $10 each time you make those two withdrawals in the ATM but $20 is probably worth the peace of mind for you. The cost of a withgdrawel on a ATM card is 150 baht ($5) Make sure your bank will allow 20,000 baht (about $675) a day on one withdrawel. Personally I hope you have resources to more money for a 90 day visit. It is doable but you might be kicking your self for limiting your self. Just my opinion Just thought what ever you do have avalable enough cash to convert at the airport for a taxi at least. The airport rates are the worst you can find. Edited January 23, 2013 by hellodolly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lsk Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 (edited) To the OP You make no mention where you are from. Visiting on an 90 day visa you should be able to open an Thai bank account and use an specialized money transfer service. Being from Oz I use Ozforex. If you are unable to do that I would suggest you bring in the cash and have it exchanged in CM. Avoid the major banks. But at the end of the day it's only $2500. Any savings will be marginal. In regards to safety, on settling in CM and not knowing any better I walked around with 10 times that amount strapped to my waist with no problem. Edited January 23, 2013 by lsk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masuk Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I been using the Travelex cards for years, and no problems and made withdrawals from ATMs in about 5 countries. You get two at time of purchase (in Australia from the Post Office or some banks) each card has a different PIN. If you lose one, cancel it on the internet immediately or change the PIN. Balances etc can be checked on the internet at anytime. As mentioned, there's a 150baht fee at the local ATM. WARNING: do not try and withdraw money not used back in your home country. there is about a $30 fee. If you have a big hotel bill coming up, make withdrawals over 2 or 3 days. Pay it off at the hotel if you doubt the security there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beb Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 The cost of a withgdrawel on a ATM card is 150 baht ($5) Make sure your bank will allow 20,000 baht (about $675) a day on one withdrawel. Personally I hope you have resources to more money for a 90 day visit. It is doable but you might be kicking your self for limiting your self. Just my opinion Just thought what ever you do have avalable enough cash to convert at the airport for a taxi at least. The airport rates are the worst you can find. I'm sure different banks have different fees but I am dinged 150 baht on this end and then about $5 from my US bank totaling around $10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellodolly Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 The cost of a withgdrawel on a ATM card is 150 baht ($5) Make sure your bank will allow 20,000 baht (about $675) a day on one withdrawel. Personally I hope you have resources to more money for a 90 day visit. It is doable but you might be kicking your self for limiting your self. Just my opinion Just thought what ever you do have avalable enough cash to convert at the airport for a taxi at least. The airport rates are the worst you can find. I'm sure different banks have different fees but I am dinged 150 baht on this end and then about $5 from my US bank totaling around $10. Sounds about the same to me. I use my visa inside the bank and get dinged $5 on the Canadian end. I use the bank of Siam and they will not take my debit card inside the bank they send me to the machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masuk Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 the Travelex charges are one off. No extra charges apart from the 150baht ATM fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB1955 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I would bring travelers checks and I would bring more than 2500 for 3 months ... Its do able but you will be eating alot of rice .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancealot Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Is the OP from 'down under' ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tingtongtourist Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 The cost of a withgdrawel on a ATM card is 150 baht ($5) Make sure your bank will allow 20,000 baht (about $675) a day on one withdrawel. Personally I hope you have resources to more money for a 90 day visit. It is doable but you might be kicking your self for limiting your self. Just my opinion Just thought what ever you do have avalable enough cash to convert at the airport for a taxi at least. The airport rates are the worst you can find. I'm sure different banks have different fees but I am dinged 150 baht on this end and then about $5 from my US bank totaling around $10. you get off easy..Australian bank ANZ extort over $30 per swift transfer regardless of the amount IF you insist the money to be sent over in AUS$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancealot Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 The cost of a withgdrawel on a ATM card is 150 baht ($5) Make sure your bank will allow 20,000 baht (about $675) a day on one withdrawel. Personally I hope you have resources to more money for a 90 day visit. It is doable but you might be kicking your self for limiting your self. Just my opinion Just thought what ever you do have avalable enough cash to convert at the airport for a taxi at least. The airport rates are the worst you can find. I'm sure different banks have different fees but I am dinged 150 baht on this end and then about $5 from my US bank totaling around $10. you get off easy..Australian bank ANZ extort over $30 per swift transfer regardless of the amount IF you insist the money to be sent over in AUS$ In your online banking dont you have an option for: "receiver pays charges"? ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drnkurmlkshk Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Just bring cash most likely nothing will happen. Keep it on your person and not in a bag. I carry around large amounts of cash here and I never feel threatened at all. Routinely I will pull out 30k baht from my pocket while at a tesco/etc and don't even think anything of it and nobody here seems to care at all. BTW I know this makes me seem to have no street smarts, but I would never do the same thing in a country like Philippines for example... or even in the USA probably. It is just safe here as long as you're not a complete idiot. Flashing that money around in a few places - like bars - is a bad idea certainly... but besides that you're not going to get robbed almost certainly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xen Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 the Travelex charges are one off. No extra charges apart from the 150baht ATM fee. I have tried Travelex once and the exchange rate was where they make their money. Well down on the cash FX rate . I cannot recomeded them at all. Apart from good old $100 notes to save space in my wallet ,I am now using a pre-loaded 28 Degrees card ,issued from GE Money. Good exchange rates and no fees apart from the ATM withdrawal fees in Thailand. As long as you are using your own money it is great but if you use their money on credit it is at 22%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tingtongtourist Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 The cost of a withgdrawel on a ATM card is 150 baht ($5) Make sure your bank will allow 20,000 baht (about $675) a day on one withdrawel. Personally I hope you have resources to more money for a 90 day visit. It is doable but you might be kicking your self for limiting your self. Just my opinion Just thought what ever you do have avalable enough cash to convert at the airport for a taxi at least. The airport rates are the worst you can find. I'm sure different banks have different fees but I am dinged 150 baht on this end and then about $5 from my US bank totaling around $10. you get off easy..Australian bank ANZ extort over $30 per swift transfer regardless of the amount IF you insist the money to be sent over in AUS$ In your online banking dont you have an option for: "receiver pays charges"? ... i dont think so. with my swift transaction it is set so up that you are paying yourself for sustenance into Thai account. These !@$% seem to have it all stitched up so you cannot avoid there rip offs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cberlin985 Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 I am from the USA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cberlin985 Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 And I read I am unable to open a bank account in Thailand unless I have a work visa? Is that not true? If I can open one I will just put a good amount of it in their and that will be it. Someone help answer this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beb Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 And I read I am unable to open a bank account in Thailand unless I have a work visa? Is that not true? If I can open one I will just put a good amount of it in their and that will be it. Someone help answer this one. Hmmm, when I opened my account I dont' remember that being a question asked but maybe I'm wrong. But I think you don't have to have a work visa because some retirement visas are acquired by depositing a certain amount of funds into a Thai bank account. Or is that not true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mania Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 And I read I am unable to open a bank account in Thailand unless I have a work visa? Is that not true? If I can open one I will just put a good amount of it in their and that will be it. Someone help answer this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelsLariat Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 The cost of a withgdrawel on a ATM card is 150 baht ($5) Make sure your bank will allow 20,000 baht (about $675) a day on one withdrawel. Personally I hope you have resources to more money for a 90 day visit. It is doable but you might be kicking your self for limiting your self. Just my opinion Just thought what ever you do have avalable enough cash to convert at the airport for a taxi at least. The airport rates are the worst you can find. I'm sure different banks have different fees but I am dinged 150 baht on this end and then about $5 from my US bank totaling around $10. you get off easy..Australian bank ANZ extort over $30 per swift transfer regardless of the amount IF you insist the money to be sent over in AUS$ Aren't Swift transfers and ATM transactions two different things? Thought Swift was for wiring funds bank-to-bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tingtongtourist Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 The cost of a withgdrawel on a ATM card is 150 baht ($5) Make sure your bank will allow 20,000 baht (about $675) a day on one withdrawel. Personally I hope you have resources to more money for a 90 day visit. It is doable but you might be kicking your self for limiting your self. Just my opinion Just thought what ever you do have avalable enough cash to convert at the airport for a taxi at least. The airport rates are the worst you can find. I'm sure different banks have different fees but I am dinged 150 baht on this end and then about $5 from my US bank totaling around $10. you get off easy..Australian bank ANZ extort over $30 per swift transfer regardless of the amount IF you insist the money to be sent over in AUS$ Aren't Swift transfers and ATM transactions two different things? Thought Swift was for wiring funds bank-to-bank. Yes, the SWIFT transfer in my case is international funds transfer from my bank in Aus to bank in Thailand. After i consider these ridiculous charges maybe better to withdraw from my Aus account at the Thai bank or even ATM withdrawal here would work out better. Australian banks are notorious for charge gauging and giving very poor exchange rates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygreg44 Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 the Travelex charges are one off. No extra charges apart from the 150baht ATM fee. I have tried Travelex once and the exchange rate was where they make their money. Well down on the cash FX rate . I cannot recomeded them at all. Apart from good old $100 notes to save space in my wallet ,I am now using a pre-loaded 28 Degrees card ,issued from GE Money. Good exchange rates and no fees apart from the ATM withdrawal fees in Thailand. As long as you are using your own money it is great but if you use their money on credit it is at 22%. Best advise here so far ! A pre-loaded credit card is the trick. Regarding the 150 Baht ATM fee, do not pull small amounts but draw 20,000 Baht each time. The chance of getting robbed is close to zero, given the OP does not flash around his money everywhere. Paying hotels and guesthouses in cash also saves on fees and is much safer (card fraud!). And needless to say, 2500 US$ is probably not enough for a 90 day stay. OP should calculate an emergency fund, to enable him hospital care and change of return flight date plus all such expenses 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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