Best Thai Bank To Have Accounts With In Phuket

[IrishIvan]

Stevenl knows nothing about how Australian banks operate just thinks he doesYou or your authorized representative can transfer money from any bank branchit does not go through the banks head office its done at the branchThey take the required amount from your bank then do the transfer in front of youand give you a statement stating the amount and time of the transfer and what bank account its been transferred toAnd only takes a few minutes,Its transferred in Australian dollars and changed into baht in ThailandMy bank in Australia could send it in Baht but i get a better exchange rate here

Stevenl has forgotten more than we will ever know. Im sure his vast experiences of dealing with Australian banks makes him an expert on this subject also.

Another thing about Australian banks which stevenl forgot to tell us was that they run on a BSB code not Swift. So any overseas transaction cannot be done through the banks websites. A form has to be filled out, scanned and then emailed off along with a colour photocopied, signatured and dated copy of your ID

Edited March 2, 2013 by IrishIvan

[Jimi007]

Stevenl knows nothing about how Australian banks operate just thinks he doesYou or your authorized representative can transfer money from any bank branchit does not go through the banks head office its done at the branchThey take the required amount from your bank then do the transfer in front of youand give you a statement stating the amount and time of the transfer and what bank account its been transferred toAnd only takes a few minutes,Its transferred in Australian dollars and changed into baht in ThailandMy bank in Australia could send it in Baht but i get a better exchange rate here

Stevenl has forgotten more than we will ever know. Im sure his vast experiences of dealing with Australian banks makes him an expert on this subject also.

Another thing about Australian banks which stevenl forgot to tell us was that they run on a BSB code not Swift. So any overseas transaction cannot be done through the banks websites. A form has to be filled out, scanned and then emailed off along with a colour photocopied, signatured and dated copy of your ID

Good thing I don't deal with an Ozzie bank. But, it did make me curious and I found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_State_Branch

International transactions

For international transfers, a SWIFT identifier is used in addition to a BSB and bank account number.

Edited March 2, 2013 by Jimi007

[IrishIvan]

Yes the Australian Banks might have swift codes but BSB is what is used within the country. Never tried sending money from Thai to Oz so you could have me on a technicality there

[Jimi007]

Yes the Australian Banks might have swift codes but BSB is what is used within the country. Never tried sending money from Thai to Oz so you could have me on a technicality there

If you are doing a "wire transfer" internationally from any country, you will need a SWIFT code. If you are transferring inside your own country you use your countries banking code. Since Bangkok Bank has a US branch, I don't need a SWIFT code, I can use the US ACH code to transfer to the Bangkok Bank branch in New York. But I don't seem to find that they have a branch office in Australia.

Edited March 2, 2013 by Jimi007

[petercallen]

Stevenl knows nothing about how Australian banks operate just thinks he doesYou or your authorized representative can transfer money from any bank branchit does not go through the banks head office its done at the branchThey take the required amount from your bank then do the transfer in front of youand give you a statement stating the amount and time of the transfer and what bank account its been transferred toAnd only takes a few minutes,Its transferred in Australian dollars and changed into baht in ThailandMy bank in Australia could send it in Baht but i get a better exchange rate here

Stevenl has forgotten more than we will ever know. Im sure his vast experiences of dealing with Australian banks makes him an expert on this subject also.

Another thing about Australian banks which stevenl forgot to tell us was that they run on a BSB code not Swift. So any overseas transaction cannot be done through the banks websites. A form has to be filled out, scanned and then emailed off along with a colour photocopied, signatured and dated copy of your ID

No you are wrong mate, the NAB bank uses a swift code when you transfer money to Thailand

copies of ID or anything else are not required

Edited March 3, 2013 by petercallen

[petercallen]

Kasikorn @ central.

Been using for many years. No issues ever. Problem? Call 24hrs and get someone who speaks perfect english with no thai or indian accent.

Do you have any money invested in the bank and what interest do they pay

The best deal i can get with the SCB is 4% interest and no tax on the interest for a i year deposit

The i year period runs out this month on those accounts

Banks here do not tell you about there best accounts, i got these accounts at 4% because i told the bank manager

i would go to all the banks head offices and ask them what interest they would pay

Its no problem finding out interest rates on term deposits and bank accounts with the NAB they are all on there web sight

[Mr Brown]

I find KBank to be excellent. As for transfer of funds between Australia and the LOS. It usually takes about 3 hours for KBank to deposit the funds from my
National Australia Bank account, in Australia.

[keestha]

Right. My recent experiences with KBank: transfer from South Africa arrived in 1 day, and from Germany in 2 days. All the customer needs is my name and account number, name of the branch office, and the SWIFT number.

I find KBank to be excellent. As for transfer of funds between Australia and the LOS. It usually takes about 3 hours for KBank to deposit the funds from my
National Australia Bank account, in Australia.[/size]

[patongphil]

Stevenl knows nothing about how Australian banks operate just thinks he doesYou or your authorized representative can transfer money from any bank branchit does not go through the banks head office its done at the branchThey take the required amount from your bank then do the transfer in front of youand give you a statement stating the amount and time of the transfer and what bank account its been transferred toAnd only takes a few minutes,Its transferred in Australian dollars and changed into baht in ThailandMy bank in Australia could send it in Baht but i get a better exchange rate here

Stevenl has forgotten more than we will ever know. Im sure his vast experiences of dealing with Australian banks makes him an expert on this subject also.Another thing about Australian banks which stevenl forgot to tell us was that they run on a BSB code not Swift. So any overseas transaction cannot be done through the banks websites. A form has to be filled out, scanned and then emailed off along with a colour photocopied, signatured and dated copy of your ID

No you are wrong mate, the NAB bank uses a swift code when you transfer money to Thailandcopies of ID or anything else are not required

I have regularly been sending money from Aus to Thai and do it all on the net. No signature, no color ID etc etc. Use ANZ.

[petercallen]

NanKangMan know what you are talking about

My son does not have to look for a parking spot he can park within 50 metres of the bank

Its australia not Thailand parking is no problem and he does not have to wait for service

You are wrong the amount of money i transfer cannot be done on the Internet from Thailand

In the beginning when i first decided to make Phuket my home i transferred $30K AUD at a time

Now i transfer a lot more each time if the exchange rate is right,also i can keep it in Australian

dollars in my Thai bank for 12 months and send it back to my Australian bank if i am not happy with the exchange rate

I never have insufficient funds in my Thai bank accounts, not like some people

I would like to know more about the best Thai bank to deal with, not someone who tries to tell me how

To deal with banks in Australia or Thailand, Who in MHO does not have a clue just thinks he does

Well, unless your son lives 50 meters from the bank, and parks in his own driveway, I don't know how you can say he can ALWAYS park 50 meters from the bank. Anyway, that's off topic.

What is on topic is the fact that the Australian Tax Office has deemed you to be a non-resident. This is something that may not have happened if you only moved $9999AUD in a single transaction, thus, the transaction is not reported.

Anyway, what do I know, Peter?

Why do you bother to post a question if you are not prepared to absorb all of the info, do further research yourself, and make an informed decision????

You are deemed a non resident if you do not spend at least 6 months of the year in australia

Its nothing to do with the amount of money you tranfer to a overseas account

I am absorbing accurate information from people who know what they are talking about

And there are quite a few people on this forum who do but ot all of the posters

I could mention the ones that do not by name and guess who is among them

[petercallen]

Different banks have different rules about transferring money personally

on the Internet to different countries

The NAB would not allow you to do it on the Internet to Thailand yourself when i first did it

They may have changed the rules but the amount you would be limited to approx $30K a time

with any larger amounts have to be done by the bank when you go there personally or send

your authorized representative

Having my son do it for me and he is happy to is no one else's business, i was asked how i transferred

money between different banks and told people how i did it without going to the bank myself

I trust my son completely unlike some people

[NamKangMan]

NanKangMan know what you are talking about

My son does not have to look for a parking spot he can park within 50 metres of the bank

Its australia not Thailand parking is no problem and he does not have to wait for service

You are wrong the amount of money i transfer cannot be done on the Internet from Thailand

In the beginning when i first decided to make Phuket my home i transferred $30K AUD at a time

Now i transfer a lot more each time if the exchange rate is right,also i can keep it in Australian

dollars in my Thai bank for 12 months and send it back to my Australian bank if i am not happy with the exchange rate

I never have insufficient funds in my Thai bank accounts, not like some people

I would like to know more about the best Thai bank to deal with, not someone who tries to tell me how

To deal with banks in Australia or Thailand, Who in MHO does not have a clue just thinks he does

Well, unless your son lives 50 meters from the bank, and parks in his own driveway, I don't know how you can say he can ALWAYS park 50 meters from the bank. Anyway, that's off topic.

What is on topic is the fact that the Australian Tax Office has deemed you to be a non-resident. This is something that may not have happened if you only moved $9999AUD in a single transaction, thus, the transaction is not reported.

Anyway, what do I know, Peter?

Why do you bother to post a question if you are not prepared to absorb all of the info, do further research yourself, and make an informed decision????

You are deemed a non resident if you do not spend at least 6 months of the year in australia

Its nothing to do with the amount of money you tranfer to a overseas account

I am absorbing accurate information from people who know what they are talking about

And there are quite a few people on this forum who do but ot all of the posters

I could mention the ones that do not by name and guess who is among them

Non-residency for tax purposes is a little more complicted than just being out of Australia for more than 6 months, but since I am not on your list of posters that appear to know what they are talking about, I will not offer any further info.

HOWEVER, I would suggest you avail yourself of some important information, especially since you are Australian, and suggest you google "taxation equalisation scheme australia" and have a read.

"Cashing out" of Australia and moving all your cash to Thailand may not be the right strategy for you, but more background information would be needed before determining this.

Like I said, to be completely legitimate, there's a lot more involved than just you, or your money, being in, or out, of Australia for more than 6 months.

[stevenl]

Peter, You're underlining my point. The money disappears from your account, but that does not mean it is transfered to Thailand at that minute. It goes into the vast money pit that is called 'your Australian Bank', where they hold it for 24 hours. After that it goes to the Thai Bank, where it goes into the vast money pit called 'your Thai Bank' for again about 24 hours. After that it is exchanged into Thai Baht and released into your account.

This is on of the most important ways for banks to make money, holding on to already transfered funds.

Edited March 3, 2013 by stevenl

[NamKangMan]

Peter, You're underlining my point. The money disappears from your account, but that does not mean it is transfered to Thailand at that minute. It goes into the vast money pit that is called 'your Australian Bank', where they hold it for 24 hours. After that it goes to the Thai Bank, where it goes into the vast money pit called 'your Thai Bank' for again about 24 hours. After that it is exchanged into Thai Baht and released into your account.

This is on of the most important ways for banks to make money, holding on to already transfered funds.

Yes, it's invested on the short term money market. It's the same reason cheques used to take 5 days to clear.

Free money for the bank to invest. They make money on it, rather than have to pay any interest on it.

[petercallen]

I find KBank to be excellent. As for transfer of funds between Australia and the LOS. It usually takes about 3 hours for KBank to deposit the funds from my

National Australia Bank account, in Australia.[/size]

That's the way it is supposed to work and does in most countries and with your bank in Thailand

Internet transfers of funds should be in the bank you transfer to the same day or at the latest

the following day depend on the time zones

[petercallen]

NanKangMan know what you are talking about

My son does not have to look for a parking spot he can park within 50 metres of the bank

Its australia not Thailand parking is no problem and he does not have to wait for service

You are wrong the amount of money i transfer cannot be done on the Internet from Thailand

In the beginning when i first decided to make Phuket my home i transferred $30K AUD at a time

Now i transfer a lot more each time if the exchange rate is right,also i can keep it in Australian

dollars in my Thai bank for 12 months and send it back to my Australian bank if i am not happy with the exchange rate

I never have insufficient funds in my Thai bank accounts, not like some people

I would like to know more about the best Thai bank to deal with, not someone who tries to tell me how

To deal with banks in Australia or Thailand, Who in MHO does not have a clue just thinks he does

Well, unless your son lives 50 meters from the bank, and parks in his own driveway, I don't know how you can say he can ALWAYS park 50 meters from the bank. Anyway, that's off topic.

What is on topic is the fact that the Australian Tax Office has deemed you to be a non-resident. This is something that may not have happened if you only moved $9999AUD in a single transaction, thus, the transaction is not reported.

Anyway, what do I know, Peter?

Why do you bother to post a question if you are not prepared to absorb all of the info, do further research yourself, and make an informed decision????

You are deemed a non resident if you do not spend at least 6 months of the year in australia

Its nothing to do with the amount of money you tranfer to a overseas account

I am absorbing accurate information from people who know what they are talking about

And there are quite a few people on this forum who do but ot all of the posters

I could mention the ones that do not by name and guess who is among them

Non-residency for tax purposes is a little more complicted than just being out of Australia for more than 6 months, but since I am not on your list of posters that appear to know what they are talking about, I will not offer any further info.

HOWEVER, I would suggest you avail yourself of some important information, especially since you are Australian, and suggest you google "taxation equalisation scheme australia" and have a read.

"Cashing out" of Australia and moving all your cash to Thailand may not be the right strategy for you, but more background information would be needed before determining this.

Like I said, to be completely legitimate, there's a lot more involved than just you, or your money, being in, or out, of Australia for more than 6 months.

What a load of rubbish, i am not cashing out of Australia i still have ample funds in bank accounts

there and plenty of other assets there

I am bring funds to Thailand so i can afford to live the life i want to live here in retirement

My background information or anyone else's is none of your business

[petercallen]

Peter, You're underlining my point. The money disappears from your account, but that does not mean it is transfered to Thailand at that minute. It goes into the vast money pit that is called 'your Australian Bank', where they hold it for 24 hours. After that it goes to the Thai Bank, where it goes into the vast money pit called 'your Thai Bank' for again about 24 hours. After that it is exchanged into Thai Baht and released into your account.

This is on of the most important ways for banks to make money, holding on to already transfered funds.

Yes, it's invested on the short term money market. It's the same reason cheques used to take 5 days to clear.

Free money for the bank to invest. They make money on it, rather than have to pay any interest on it.

Bank or cashiers checks are cleared overnight

Personal checks are not and its not hard to work out why

[petercallen]

Peter, You're underlining my point. The money disappears from your account, but that does not mean it is transfered to Thailand at that minute. It goes into the vast money pit that is called 'your Australian Bank', where they hold it for 24 hours. After that it goes to the Thai Bank, where it goes into the vast money pit called 'your Thai Bank' for again about 24 hours. After that it is exchanged into Thai Baht and released into your account.

This is on of the most important ways for banks to make money, holding on to already transfered funds.

A Internet transfer of money should go through as fast as a Email and does in quite a few countries

I am well aware of how banks make there money and try to make sure they make the minimum out of me

The last time i transferred money my local bank claimed they had not received it, so i told them when

they did receive it i would transfer it straight back to Australia, it took them less than a minute

confirm they had received the money

Edited March 3, 2013 by petercallen

[stevenl]

Peter, You're underlining my point. The money disappears from your account, but that does not mean it is transfered to Thailand at that minute. It goes into the vast money pit that is called 'your Australian Bank', where they hold it for 24 hours. After that it goes to the Thai Bank, where it goes into the vast money pit called 'your Thai Bank' for again about 24 hours. After that it is exchanged into Thai Baht and released into your account.

This is on of the most important ways for banks to make money, holding on to already transfered funds.

A Internet transfer of money should go through as fast as a Email and does in quite a few countries

Not accross borders Peter, it takes time so the banks can make money of it.

Agree with you that shouldn't be the case, but that's the way it is.

[NamKangMan]

@ petercallen

What are your thoughts on the tax equalisation scheme?

Maybe you should ask your accountant if he thinks it's "a load of rubbish." :)

[Valentine]

I believe the OP asked for suggestions on which bank is best for investment accounts, credit cards & general service, not about international transfers from Australia, overnight money market, taxation. The OP has his system from Australia & he is happy with it.

I would like to suggest that as the Thai banking system has pretty strict rules none of the banks can really offer anything radically different from another. Individual branch managers may have limited flexibility in what they can offer but are still bound by head office & the "rules". Probably best to cultivate a good relationship with the branch manager but they do get transferred on a regular basis.

I have found Bangkok Bank to be the most archaic over the years & seem to bring up conditions when opening an account that others don't bother with. I tried to open a current account with Kungsri recently as most payments to our company are from an account there but gave up after spending a couple of days gathering all the paperwork only to be told I had to maintain a minimum amount in the account (10,000 I think).

I feel pretty much at home in Kasikorn, Chalong as the staff know my name & always get a friendly greeting. Been using this branch for a few years now, never been any issues & sending money back to NZ from here has always been hassle free.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Valentine

[NamKangMan]

I believe the OP asked for suggestions on which bank is best for investment accounts, credit cards & general service, not about international transfers from Australia, overnight money market, taxation. The OP has his system from Australia & he is happy with it.

I would like to suggest that as the Thai banking system has pretty strict rules none of the banks can really offer anything radically different from another. Individual branch managers may have limited flexibility in what they can offer but are still bound by head office & the "rules". Probably best to cultivate a good relationship with the branch manager but they do get transferred on a regular basis.

I have found Bangkok Bank to be the most archaic over the years & seem to bring up conditions when opening an account that others don't bother with. I tried to open a current account with Kungsri recently as most payments to our company are from an account there but gave up after spending a couple of days gathering all the paperwork only to be told I had to maintain a minimum amount in the account (10,000 I think).

I feel pretty much at home in Kasikorn, Chalong as the staff know my name & always get a friendly greeting. Been using this branch for a few years now, never been any issues & sending money back to NZ from here has always been hassle free.

I've already cast my vote for Kasikorn, and also agree Bangkok Bank seem to be very cumbersome with their requirements.

I choose to transfer my money electronically, over the internet. The 24 to 48 hour period of waiting for funds to clear is not an issue for me. The transaction is usually done on the balcony of my apartment, with a beer in hand - this ensures a pleasant banking experience. :)

That said, I admit, I only transfer small amounts, regularly, for day to day living. I will not "park" a large portion of my life savings into a 3rd world country with an unstable Government and laws in place that make it difficult to get the money out of the country, once you have bought it in - but each to their own.

[Valentine]

I believe the OP asked for suggestions on which bank is best for investment accounts, credit cards & general service, not about international transfers from Australia, overnight money market, taxation. The OP has his system from Australia & he is happy with it.

I would like to suggest that as the Thai banking system has pretty strict rules none of the banks can really offer anything radically different from another. Individual branch managers may have limited flexibility in what they can offer but are still bound by head office & the "rules". Probably best to cultivate a good relationship with the branch manager but they do get transferred on a regular basis.

I have found Bangkok Bank to be the most archaic over the years & seem to bring up conditions when opening an account that others don't bother with. I tried to open a current account with Kungsri recently as most payments to our company are from an account there but gave up after spending a couple of days gathering all the paperwork only to be told I had to maintain a minimum amount in the account (10,000 I think).

I feel pretty much at home in Kasikorn, Chalong as the staff know my name & always get a friendly greeting. Been using this branch for a few years now, never been any issues & sending money back to NZ from here has always been hassle free.

I've already cast my vote for Kasikorn, and also agree Bangkok Bank seem to be very cumbersome with their requirements.

I choose to transfer my money electronically, over the internet. The 24 to 48 hour period of waiting for funds to clear is not an issue for me. The transaction is usually done on the balcony of my apartment, with a beer in hand - this ensures a pleasant banking experience.

That said, I admit, I only transfer small amounts, regularly, for day to day living. I will not "park" a large portion of my life savings into a 3rd world country with an unstable Government and laws in place that make it difficult to get the money out of the country, once you have bought it in - but each to their own.

I think the rules for sending money out of Thailand are better these days but for me personally I can send because I have a work permit but without one all you have to do is show proof of money coming in e,g. if you have a slip showing 100,000 in then you can send 100,000 out. I have sent money out using SCB (no problems) but have not tried the other banks.

I remember in the early days a friend of mine saying he used the Chinese method (it has a particular name) for sending out money. He would give cash to a Chinese guy in Phuket Town & then collect the relevant cash from another Chinese guy in Singapore. Obviously requires a degree of trust but apparently is an old & trusted system.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Valentine

[NamKangMan]

I believe the OP asked for suggestions on which bank is best for investment accounts, credit cards & general service, not about international transfers from Australia, overnight money market, taxation. The OP has his system from Australia & he is happy with it.

I would like to suggest that as the Thai banking system has pretty strict rules none of the banks can really offer anything radically different from another. Individual branch managers may have limited flexibility in what they can offer but are still bound by head office & the "rules". Probably best to cultivate a good relationship with the branch manager but they do get transferred on a regular basis.

I have found Bangkok Bank to be the most archaic over the years & seem to bring up conditions when opening an account that others don't bother with. I tried to open a current account with Kungsri recently as most payments to our company are from an account there but gave up after spending a couple of days gathering all the paperwork only to be told I had to maintain a minimum amount in the account (10,000 I think).

I feel pretty much at home in Kasikorn, Chalong as the staff know my name & always get a friendly greeting. Been using this branch for a few years now, never been any issues & sending money back to NZ from here has always been hassle free.

I've already cast my vote for Kasikorn, and also agree Bangkok Bank seem to be very cumbersome with their requirements.

I choose to transfer my money electronically, over the internet. The 24 to 48 hour period of waiting for funds to clear is not an issue for me. The transaction is usually done on the balcony of my apartment, with a beer in hand - this ensures a pleasant banking experience.

That said, I admit, I only transfer small amounts, regularly, for day to day living. I will not "park" a large portion of my life savings into a 3rd world country with an unstable Government and laws in place that make it difficult to get the money out of the country, once you have bought it in - but each to their own.

I think the rules for sending money out of Thailand are better these days but for me personally I can send because I have a work permit but without one all you have to do is show proof of money coming in e,g. if you have a slip showing 100,000 in then you can send 100,000 out. I have sent money out using SCB (no problems) but have not tried the other banks.

I remember in the early days a friend of mine saying he used the Chinese method (it has a particular name) for sending out money. He would give cash to a Chinese guy in Phuket Town & then collect the relevant cash from another Chinese guy in Singapore. Obviously requires a degree of trust but apparently is an old & trusted system.

I have heard of this system. Usually, you are with the guy at this end, and a family/friend is with his guy at the other end. You are on the phone to your family/friend as the transaction takes place. Eg. You hand him 100,000 baht here, and as you are doing this, his man in another country is handing over the equivilent currency to your family/friend in the other country. Of course, there is a fee for the service, but it's usually quite reasonable.

Edited March 3, 2013 by NamKangMan

[petercallen]

I believe the OP asked for suggestions on which bank is best for investment accounts, credit cards & general service, not about international transfers from Australia, overnight money market, taxation. The OP has his system from Australia & he is happy with it.

I would like to suggest that as the Thai banking system has pretty strict rules none of the banks can really offer anything radically different from another. Individual branch managers may have limited flexibility in what they can offer but are still bound by head office & the "rules". Probably best to cultivate a good relationship with the branch manager but they do get transferred on a regular basis.

I have found Bangkok Bank to be the most archaic over the years & seem to bring up conditions when opening an account that others don't bother with. I tried to open a current account with Kungsri recently as most payments to our company are from an account there but gave up after spending a couple of days gathering all the paperwork only to be told I had to maintain a minimum amount in the account (10,000 I think).

I feel pretty much at home iother day i openedn Kasikorn, Chalong as the staff know my name & always get a friendly greeting. Been using this branch for a few years now, never been any issues & sending money back to NZ from here has always been hassle free.

Correct, i opened a new bank account at SCB in Rawai because i am not happy with the information

given to me by the SCB in Jungceylon

Of coarse my long term bank manager here knows this and has promised better service

Time will tell i now have two banks i can transfer money into and who ever gives me the best service and

information will get my business, i also intend to open a bank account in a different bank

when i know the best one to do it with and have received good information by some posters on this topic

i believe the best information about banks comes from happy customers, forget what bank managers tell or promise you

[petercallen]

I believe the OP asked for suggestions on which bank is best for investment accounts, credit cards & general service, not about international transfers from Australia, overnight money market, taxation. The OP has his system from Australia & he is happy with it.

I would like to suggest that as the Thai banking system has pretty strict rules none of the banks can really offer anything radically different from another. Individual branch managers may have limited flexibility in what they can offer but are still bound by head office & the "rules". Probably best to cultivate a good relationship with the branch manager but they do get transferred on a regular basis.

I have found Bangkok Bank to be the most archaic over the years & seem to bring up conditions when opening an account that others don't bother with. I tried to open a current account with Kungsri recently as most payments to our company are from an account there but gave up after spending a couple of days gathering all the paperwork only to be told I had to maintain a minimum amount in the account (10,000 I think).

I feel pretty much at home in Kasikorn, Chalong as the staff know my name & always get a friendly greeting. Been using this branch for a few years now, never been any issues & sending money back to NZ from here has always been hassle free.

I've already cast my vote for Kasikorn, and also agree Bangkok Bank seem to be very cumbersome with their requirements.

I choose to transfer my money electronically, over the internet. The 24 to 48 hour period of waiting for funds to clear is not an issue for me. The transaction is usually done on the balcony of my apartment, with a beer in hand - this ensures a pleasant banking experience.

That said, I admit, I only transfer small amounts, regularly, for day to day living. I will not "park" a large portion of my life savings into a 3rd world country with an unstable Government and laws in place that make it difficult to get the money out of the country, once you have bought it in - but each to their own.

I think the rules for sending money out of Thailand are better these days but for me personally I can send because I have a work permit but without one all you have to do is show proof of money coming in e,g. if you have a slip showing 100,000 in then you can send 100,000 out. I have sent money out using SCB (no problems) but have not tried the other banks.

I remember in the early days a friend of mine saying he used the Chinese method (it has a particular name) for sending out money. He would give cash to a Chinese guy in Phuket Town & then collect the relevant cash from another Chinese guy in Singapore. Obviously requires a degree of trust but apparently is an old & trusted system.

Correct all my assets and money that paid for them in Thailand came from Australia

I and the bank have documentation to prove this and any time if i wanted to i can send the money back to Australia

[NamKangMan]

I believe the OP asked for suggestions on which bank is best for investment accounts, credit cards & general service, not about international transfers from Australia, overnight money market, taxation. The OP has his system from Australia & he is happy with it.

I would like to suggest that as the Thai banking system has pretty strict rules none of the banks can really offer anything radically different from another. Individual branch managers may have limited flexibility in what they can offer but are still bound by head office & the "rules". Probably best to cultivate a good relationship with the branch manager but they do get transferred on a regular basis.

I have found Bangkok Bank to be the most archaic over the years & seem to bring up conditions when opening an account that others don't bother with. I tried to open a current account with Kungsri recently as most payments to our company are from an account there but gave up after spending a couple of days gathering all the paperwork only to be told I had to maintain a minimum amount in the account (10,000 I think).

I feel pretty much at home in Kasikorn, Chalong as the staff know my name & always get a friendly greeting. Been using this branch for a few years now, never been any issues & sending money back to NZ from here has always been hassle free.

I've already cast my vote for Kasikorn, and also agree Bangkok Bank seem to be very cumbersome with their requirements.

I choose to transfer my money electronically, over the internet. The 24 to 48 hour period of waiting for funds to clear is not an issue for me. The transaction is usually done on the balcony of my apartment, with a beer in hand - this ensures a pleasant banking experience.

That said, I admit, I only transfer small amounts, regularly, for day to day living. I will not "park" a large portion of my life savings into a 3rd world country with an unstable Government and laws in place that make it difficult to get the money out of the country, once you have bought it in - but each to their own.

I think the rules for sending money out of Thailand are better these days but for me personally I can send because I have a work permit but without one all you have to do is show proof of money coming in e,g. if you have a slip showing 100,000 in then you can send 100,000 out. I have sent money out using SCB (no problems) but have not tried the other banks.

I remember in the early days a friend of mine saying he used the Chinese method (it has a particular name) for sending out money. He would give cash to a Chinese guy in Phuket Town & then collect the relevant cash from another Chinese guy in Singapore. Obviously requires a degree of trust but apparently is an old & trusted system.

Correct all my assets and money that paid for them in Thailand came from Australia

I and the bank have documentation to prove this and any time if i wanted to i can send the money back to Australia

There's not much of a problem getting out what you can prove you bought in, but what about and interest earned, or profits (capital gain) from the sale of a property or business etc etc. The Thai's don't like this money leaving their economy.

This is not a concern for you, but has been for people in the past.

[SeaVisionBurma]

I think the rules for sending money out of Thailand are better these days but for me personally I can send because I have a work permit but without one all you have to do is show proof of money coming in e,g. if you have a slip showing 100,000 in then you can send 100,000 out. I have sent money out using SCB (no problems) but have not tried the other banks.

I remember in the early days a friend of mine saying he used the Chinese method (it has a particular name) for sending out money. He would give cash to a Chinese guy in Phuket Town & then collect the relevant cash from another Chinese guy in Singapore. Obviously requires a degree of trust but apparently is an old & trusted system.

I have heard of this system. Usually, you are with the guy at this end, and a family/friend is with his guy at the other end. You are on the phone to your family/friend as the transaction takes place. Eg. You hand him 100,000 baht here, and as you are doing this, his man in another country is handing over the equivilent currency to your family/friend in the other country. Of course, there is a fee for the service, but it's usually quite reasonable.

Also referred to as the Hondi system - this is the system which has kept Myanmar going for so long while sanctions have been in place. Used it many many times myself to get money in and out of Myanmar.

By the way OP - I made a TT online with NAB the other day (sending money out of Australia) - and I can tell you that the transaction is certainly not instant. When I hit the submit button - I get a receipt showing "pending", not "sent" - and the funds took another 3 days to arrive. The receiving bank showed the incoming funds clearing 48 hours after I hit the submit button - so NAB held onto them for 2 days.

I then went back and checked more overseas transfer receipts from the past few years with NAB - and all of them get processed as "pending" - never as "sent".... So the NAB at least is holding the funds for a day or so...

[SeaVisionBurma]

Getting back on topic - I have used SCB in the past, and am now using Kasikorn in Phuket Town.

No complaints about Kasikorn.

I changed from SCB to Kasikorn because I had some minor issues with SCB - and heard Kasikorn were quite user friendly.

For me personally - if I am having problems with a company, I wouldn't switch branches - I would change the company.

I don't understand the logic in switching branches if you have problems with a particular company - why not move your business elsewhere to a new company?

[IrishIvan]

In my experience with the Thai banks it boils down to individual branches. Just like western banks used to be. The managers dont always abide by the rules.