Atm In Myanmar - Have You Used Your Foreign Credit Card Yet?

[SeaVisionBurma]

Banking seems to be coming along in leaps and bounds.

Would like to ask if any members have used their foreign Visa or MasterCard to make a withdrawal so we can get a definitive list of what is working and what isn't

So far I know that a Kasikorn Visa debit card is okay to use...please let us know your experiences

Card type, country of issue etc would be helpful - obviously don't post any other details, just looking for a general overview on which cards work where.

Best

SVB

[manhattan55]

Justin Heifetz of The Myanmar Times asked a similar question on another Myanmar expat forum. I believe ThaiVisa rules do not allow me to link to other forums, so I will send you the link privately. Maybe you can get in touch with him to see what responses he has gotten so far. I would think he is doing research for an upcoming article in The Myanmar Times.

Also, on the same forum, there is another thread where with some real color on people's experiences. Will include this link as well in the message to you.

[SeaVisionBurma]

Thanks for this - look forward to the PM

best

SVB

[mingalaba]

Atms of Kanbawza Bank: Visa Card, CB Bank: Visa, Master, Maestro, Unionpay, Cirrus, Myanmar Oriental Bank: Visa.

Have used the ATMs of any bank a few times and generally no problems.

[Tomtomtom69]

CB Bank: Have used both VISA and Mastercard cards, in Mawlamyaing (Moulmein) and Yangon (Rangoon) a number of times without incident. Used both a Bangkok Bank Visa and an Australian Commonwealth Bank issued Mastercard. Maximum withdrawal limit per time is 300,000 Kyats, with a 5,000 Kyat withdrawal fee slapped onto every withdrawal you make.

This was last month. Increasingly, you can rely on ATMs to fund your Myanmar trip. I even saw an ATM in the baggage claim hall at Yangon airport, but didn't try to use it. I would stick to banks, especially CB bank and maybe Kanbawza, preferably during business hours just in case.

[SeaVisionBurma]

I'm still going to advise visitors to Myanmar (especially first time travellers) NOT to rely solely on ATM's (as per above post) as there is still evidence that they are not 100% reliable.

Make sure you carry sufficient funds in foreign currency such as USD (in clean, crisp, unmarked notes), Euro, SGD etc.

DO NOT arrive in the country with only a foreign ATM card to rely on for your funds in country. Myanmar has only recently introduced ATM's which accept foreign cards - and I am receiving regular reports of problems.

[manhattan55]

Are the VISA and MasterCards you are using debit cards, i.e. are your accounts with Bangkok Bank and Australian Commonwealth Bank directly debited for the amounts of withdrawals plus fees?

CB Bank: Have used both VISA and Mastercard cards, in Mawlamyaing (Moulmein) and Yangon (Rangoon) a number of times without incident. Used both a Bangkok Bank Visa and an Australian Commonwealth Bank issued Mastercard. Maximum withdrawal limit per time is 300,000 Kyats, with a 5,000 Kyat withdrawal fee slapped onto every withdrawal you make.

This was last month. Increasingly, you can rely on ATMs to fund your Myanmar trip. I even saw an ATM in the baggage claim hall at Yangon airport, but didn't try to use it. I would stick to banks, especially CB bank and maybe Kanbawza, preferably during business hours just in case.

[hyperdimension]

I'm still going to advise visitors to Myanmar (especially first time travellers) NOT to rely solely on ATM's (as per above post) as there is still evidence that they are not 100% reliable.

Make sure you carry sufficient funds in foreign currency such as USD (in clean, crisp, unmarked notes), Euro, SGD etc.

DO NOT arrive in the country with only a foreign ATM card to rely on for your funds in country. Myanmar has only recently introduced ATM's which accept foreign cards - and I am receiving regular reports of problems.

Is this stil the case, or have ATM withdrawals become more reliable over the past few months?

It's such a hassle firstly to acquire clean notes and then to hope that they will be accepted once in Myanmar (when you realize that quite a few of the notes are not clean or new enough).

Also, how does the rate compare after accounting for the 5000 kyat ATM withdrawal fee?

Edited June 20, 2013 by hyperdimension

[anto]

Last month my Thai Kasikorn bank visa debit card worked in Yangon .Plenty of ATMs around the center of the City .They all seemed to charge the 5000 kyat fee. What was strange was the machines gave you an option of taking out 20,000 Kyat the next option was 100,000 with no figure in between .

I also brought USD .When i told the exchange people i was going to Mynamar ,they gave me perfect notes at a slightly exra charge .

[Tomtomtom69]

Are the VISA and MasterCards you are using debit cards, i.e. are your accounts with Bangkok Bank and Australian Commonwealth Bank directly debited for the amounts of withdrawals plus fees?

CB Bank: Have used both VISA and Mastercard cards, in Mawlamyaing (Moulmein) and Yangon (Rangoon) a number of times without incident. Used both a Bangkok Bank Visa and an Australian Commonwealth Bank issued Mastercard. Maximum withdrawal limit per time is 300,000 Kyats, with a 5,000 Kyat withdrawal fee slapped onto every withdrawal you make.

This was last month. Increasingly, you can rely on ATMs to fund your Myanmar trip. I even saw an ATM in the baggage claim hall at Yangon airport, but didn't try to use it. I would stick to banks, especially CB bank and maybe Kanbawza, preferably during business hours just in case.

If you withdraw 300,000 an extra 5,000 is automatically added to the amount shown on your statement so it shows withdrawal: MMK 305,000 and then the amount in AUD. For Bangkok Bank, only the Thai Baht amount is shown as if the withdrawal took place in Thailand. No indications about the amount withdrawn in foreign currency. Yes the cards used were debit cards, but I also used one credit card to make a withdrawal in Myanmar, which I'll explain below.

At the end of April, I also used a Kanbawza Bank ATM by making a cash withdrawal from a credit card, this time from another foreign account using MasterCard in Mu-se, Shan State on the Chinese border, a place only a handful of foreigners have ever been to (it's open now without a permit though). This is the only bank in town where you can reliably use a foreign credit or debit card. Otherwise, the nearest ATMs able to accept numerous foreign credit and debit cards are across the border in Ruili, China or over in Lashio.

I think that if you start your trip in Yangon, you should be OK with bringing in just a small amount of foreign cash and the rest can be withdrawn from ATMs. Stick to CB Bank and Kanbawza. If you are heading to smaller towns, stock up on Kyat before you get there. If you enter the country from the newly opened border checkpoints with Thailand (Myawaddy, Tachileik, Kawthoung, Htee Khee (where is that?)) then bring Baht in cash and exchange it in the border town before you leave town for the interior of Myanmar (or on the Thai side of the border) as I'm not sure any of those towns having working ATMs though perhaps they do by now.

[Tomtomtom69]

I'm still going to advise visitors to Myanmar (especially first time travellers) NOT to rely solely on ATM's (as per above post) as there is still evidence that they are not 100% reliable.

Make sure you carry sufficient funds in foreign currency such as USD (in clean, crisp, unmarked notes), Euro, SGD etc.

DO NOT arrive in the country with only a foreign ATM card to rely on for your funds in country. Myanmar has only recently introduced ATM's which accept foreign cards - and I am receiving regular reports of problems.

Is this stil the case, or have ATM withdrawals become more reliable over the past few months?

It's such a hassle firstly to acquire clean notes and then to hope that they will be accepted once in Myanmar (when you realize that quite a few of the notes are not clean or new enough).

Also, how does the rate compare after accounting for the 5000 kyat ATM withdrawal fee?

ATMs worked just fine for me in Yangon, Mawlamyine, Naypyidaw and even Mu-se (opposite Ruili, China), a town probably no other Thaivisa user has even been to before, as foreigners are quite rare up there. And my experiences were back in February and April, respectively. I would therefore say that it's quite OK to arrive in Myanmar with just a small amount of foreign cash and the rest can be withdrawn from ATMs. Particularly true if you are starting your trip in Yangon where ATMs are plentiful.

Everyone keeps making a big deal out of the 5,000 Kyat ATM withdrawal fee - nearly all banks in Thailand charge a similar fee in Baht, as do most banks in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and other countries (China is an exception). The exchange rates you get are just fine - I would rather make withdrawals from ATMs than risk bringing in thousands of dollars/Euros etc. in cash (like I did last time), you never know what might happen if you get robbed with thousands on you just because you were told ATMs in Myanmar aren't reliable. CB Bank and Kanbawza are reliable, all other banks aren't - however, there are enough CB Bank and Kanbawza branches and ATMs in major towns around the country so there's no need to worry. You can take my word for it. Just don't try finding ATMs in rural areas as you won't find any....yet.