Atm Charge Increased...............

[comserve]

My Veteran's Disability and Social Security are both done by direct deposit to Bangkok Bank, NY branch. Available for withdrawal and transfer from the D.D. account to joint acct I have with my wife after 12:30 the next day. No transfer fees.

That's fine, but you are stuck with the transfer rate that your government entity applies which you have no control over.

I prefer to draw my money by visa debit card from my own Australian bank. I also do halfof my spending on my Australian Visa credit card & pay the credit card bill by internet banking within my own bank. I believe that gives me the best deal.

[SunsetT]

SCB charged 180bt for Mastercard on Saturday, Krungthai ATM, I think, charged 180bt for Mastercard on Sunday, but TMB ATM only charged 150bt for it today -Monday......No Aeon ATM in Nakhon Phanom. Please complain to Aeon on my behalf !

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

My Veteran's Disability and Social Security are both done by direct deposit to Bangkok Bank, NY branch. Available for withdrawal and transfer from the D.D. account to joint acct I have with my wife after 12:30 the next day. No transfer fees.

That's fine, but you are stuck with the transfer rate that your government entity applies which you have no control over.

I prefer to draw my money by visa debit card from my own Australian bank. I also do halfof my spending on my Australian Visa credit card & pay the credit card bill by internet banking within my own bank. I believe that gives me the best deal.

No... transfers done thru BKK Bank's New York branch are exchanged into baht by the bank in Thailand at the normal T/T rate... not in the U.S. or by any government entity there.

It's a very economical system, despite the small handling fee the New York branch charges and the 0.25% commission the bank charges here in Thailand much more economical than the typical international wire transfer.

PS - from what I've seen, most Australian credit cards seem to have a sizable foreign currency surcharge on transactions made abroad. How about your card???

Edited May 27, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Basically I would never use an ATM to withdraw cash from overseas because of the charges and the exchange rates. I transfer the cash from time to time and use only my local ATM card to get cash

It all depends on what kind of debit card the person is using, and their habits in withdrawing funds.

If someone staying in Thailand has a home country debit card, preferably VISA, that has no foreign currency fee -- and they either use a no-fee AEON ATM or a Thai bank ATM but have a home account that reimburses other banks' ATM fees -- then those ATM withdrawals are going to net a better return of funds than almost any available international wire transfer.

If someone staying in Thailand has a home country debit card, preferably VISA, that has no foreign currency fee -- but they end up paying 150 baht per Thai ATM withdrawal but only make very FEW withdrawals -- then the equation evens out a bit and the spread gets closer.

If someone staying in Thailand has a home country debit that charges a foreign currency fee AND they end up paying a lot of 150 or 180 baht Thai bank ATM withdrawal fees, then a periodic international wire transfer of a relatively large amount probably would be more economical than the ATM alternative.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

SCB charged 180bt for Mastercard on Saturday, Krungthai ATM, I think, charged 180bt for Mastercard on Sunday, but TMB ATM only charged 150bt for it today -Monday......No Aeon ATM in Nakhon Phanom. Please complain to Aeon on my behalf !

When the Thai Bankers' Assn. first concocted the 150 baht fee on foreign card ATM withdrawals, several of the bigger Thai banks implemented it right away. But some of the others straggled a bit... And a couple took many months -- Government Savings Bank and UOB as best as I recall -- before they finally implemented the same fee. Presumably because they couldn't reprogram their ATMs or make other changes as rapidly as some of their peers.

So if this latest development is the same kind of fee rejiggering across the various Thai banks, it may well be once again that some are going to take longer than others to pass along the increase from 150 baht to 180 baht for foreign MasterCard withdrawals.

[DekDaeng]

Check balance before & after drawing at AEON. I am finding and extra 150 +/- a few baht deducted, compared to the amount drawn.

Bangkok Bank has only charged me 50 baht on ATM draws from HSBC HK recently.

EDIT - BKK bank 50 baht on UnionPay Card (as mentioned by previous posters)

Edited May 27, 2013 by DekDaeng

[tomallison]

Basically I would never use an ATM to withdraw cash from overseas because of the charges and the exchange rates. I transfer the cash from time to time and use only my local ATM card to get cash

My method also. I do a SWIFT transfer from my UK bank every 1 year or more. I thus use BKK bank for all cash requirements. Using foreign cards in any Thai ATM's is definitely a no-no.

[Langsuan Man]

Still waiting for a photographic evidence , either a ATM slip, or extract from online banking page, showing the 150 or 180 THB charged by AEON for use of a Foreign ATM / Debit Card

Until then AEON, IMHO, remains free from the Thai Bankers Association fee

[GeorgeO]

With these increases ... a 12 to 15% shortfall in currency exchange (British pound) in the last 6 months and inflation - possible another 5/6% .. is Thailand finally losing it's attractioness ....

Add dirty, polluted beaches ... Hua Hin for example ... maybe time to rethink ...

attractioness...!?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Still waiting for a photographic evidence , either a ATM slip, or extract from online banking page, showing the 150 or 180 THB charged by AEON for use of a Foreign ATM / Debit Card

Until then AEON, IMHO, remains free from the Thai Bankers Association fee

As I mentioned above, I did AEON ATM withdrawals on May 23 and 24 using two different U.S. VISA debit cards, and the amounts deducted were exactly the amount I withdrew -- nothing else added/deducted.

The AEON ATM receipts for those withdrawals listed exactly the amounts I withdrew, and had no other amounts listed. Thus those withdrawals were fee-free, as they've always been.

If anyone has made more recent AEON ATM withdrawals, it'd be good to hear the outcome.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Basically I would never use an ATM to withdraw cash from overseas because of the charges and the exchange rates. I transfer the cash from time to time and use only my local ATM card to get cash

My method also. I do a SWIFT transfer from my UK bank every 1 year or more. I thus use BKK bank for all cash requirements. Using foreign cards in any Thai ATM's is definitely a no-no.

That's perhaps because most UK banks have pretty sizable foreign currency fees on foreign ATM withdrawals. And then, the Thai banks pile on by adding $5 extra fee for VISA cards and now $6 extra for MasterCards.

However, there are some UK banks and building societies, a few, that don't charge their customers foreign currency fees when using their cards abroad. Last time I checked, for example, Metro Bank had a current account debit card with no foreign currency charges when used for foreign ATM withdrawals, and several of the building societies did also.

From Metro Bank:

If you use your card abroad, foreign currency transactions will be converted into sterling on the day it is paid out of your account – the exchange rate is set by MasterCard®**. Metro Bank will not add any additional charges.

Combine a card like Metro's with no-fee AEON ATM withdrawals in Thailand, and you're good to go. Really, foreign currency fees are a problem that's entirely possible to avoid, even for UK folks.

But if you're not careful about how you choose your bank cards, The Guardian detailed in this December 2011 report what can result:

The OFT [Office of Fair Trading] found that once abroad, holidaymakers are paying as much as 6% to withdraw money from cash machines, and ordered the banks to reveal to consumers the true amount they are charged.

It said: "We found that the cumulative nature of foreign use charges is often not well understood by consumers. A number of card providers do not break out and show the exchange rate fee on statements. Our consumer research suggests that the majority of consumers are unclear about the charges that may apply." Many of the charges were buried in the small print of bank statements, sometimes in separate documents.

Lloyds, HSBC, Co-op, Capital One, RBS/Natwest and American Express have agreed to display the actual charges incurred by customers far more clearly on their monthly and annual statements.

All major card providers will be required to break out and show in pounds and pence the amount of the exchange rate fee on monthly statements, and an annual statement, again in pounds and pence, which will show the total foreign use charges applied over the year.

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

In total, British holidaymakers spend £27bn while abroad. Seven out of 10 change money before they go, while one in five use debit or credit cards in foreign ATMs.

Stevan Litobac, technical director at MyTravelMoney.co.uk, said: "Currency providers are abusing the trust customers place in their brands and are giving the false impression that '0% commission' means they make no money from the transaction. What is really happening is that most customers are paying over 10% more than they need to for their travel money, which goes straight into the provider's pocket. It's an opaque and confusing market.

"The worst culprits are airport bureaus, which offer terrible rates, building in margins of up to 15%."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/dec/20/foreign-currency-debit-card-charges-scrapped

Edited May 28, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[tomallison]

Ref: Metro bank: I did look at this in the past. You need to give a UK address, with proof that you live there. This would be difficult for me, as I have resided in Thailand for more than 10 years. Good for those to consider who are shortly moving to Thailand and leaving family or good friends at the same address.

[bdenner]

I do the annual 800K top up thingy and live off that - no worries!

BUT - I'm sure the time will come when I can't just freely insert my Kasikornbank ATM card into the nearest machine, no matter whose bank, and withdraw cash. Most anywhere else in the western world a fee is charged if you use a competitors ATM machine.

Edited May 28, 2013 by bdenner

[SunsetT]

Here is a list of UK Bank/BS charges for overseas card use:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/overseas-card-charges

Make sure you are not using a 'Card from Hell':

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money#hell

Edited May 28, 2013 by SunsetT

[Pib]

TallGuyJohninBKK, on 28 May 2013 - 08:08, said:

Langsuan Man, on 28 May 2013 - 07:03, said:

Still waiting for a photographic evidence , either a ATM slip, or extract from online banking page, showing the 150 or 180 THB charged by AEON for use of a Foreign ATM / Debit Card

Until then AEON, IMHO, remains free from the Thai Bankers Association fee

As I mentioned above, I did AEON ATM withdrawals on May 23 and 24 using two different U.S. VISA debit cards, and the amounts deducted were exactly the amount I withdrew -- nothing else added/deducted.

The AEON ATM receipts for those withdrawals listed exactly the amounts I withdrew, and had no other amounts listed. Thus those withdrawals were fee-free, as they've always been.

If anyone has made more recent AEON ATM withdrawals, it'd be good to hear the outcome.

I did an AEON ATM withdrawal today at 2pm using a no foreign transaction fee Visa debit card...withdrew 29000 baht...charge that hit my U.S. bank account was $970.78 which equates to an exchange rate of 29.87. I just check the Visa exchange rate webpage and today's exchange rate is 29.87. So, no additional charge was applied.

I expect some folks who are using AEON ATMs are using debit cards which have a foreign transaction fee...a fee applied by the bank issuing the card...and therefore think AEON is applying a charge when it fact it the bank that issued them their card.

Summary: no AEON ATM fee applied to my AEON ATM withdrawal a few hours ago or the withdrawals I made over the last week.

[easyride]

Ref: Metro bank: I did look at this in the past. You need to give a UK address, with proof that you live there. This would be difficult for me, as I have resided in Thailand for more than 10 years. Good for those to consider who are shortly moving to Thailand and leaving family or good friends at the same address.

And reside within the M25 since that's where the UK ends if Metro are to be believed.

They refused to give me an account because my address was in Lancashire.

Metro make no charges for foreign withdrawals but I suspect the 180 baht fee will still apply.

Edited May 28, 2013 by easyride

[garyk]

Funny I have used an ATM twice since I have been here in four years. I have two bank accounts. One just started charging 3%. For counter transactions. I switched the next day to the other. And all ok again. I loose .2/dollar bhat on every transaction with a walk in counter transaction. So if the rate is 30/dollar. I get 29.8. I have complained to no end. And still do not know who is getting the .2 baht. So for 10,000 baht I loose 2.24 dollars at 30/baht. It doesn't matter if I withdraw 100000 or 10000 it is still .2 baht? From America I have found the Credit unions offer me the best deals.

Edited May 29, 2013 by garyk

[Pib]

Funny I have used an ATM twice since I have been here in four years. I have two bank accounts. One just started charging 3%. For counter transactions. I switched the next day to the other. And all ok again. I loose .2/dollar bhat on every transaction with a walk in counter transaction. So if the rate is 30/dollar. I get 29.8. I have complained to no end. And still do not know who is getting the .2 baht. So for 10,000 baht I loose 2.24 dollars at 30/baht. It doesn't matter if I withdraw 100000 or 10000 it is still .2 baht? From America I have found the Credit unions offer me the best deals.

Could be several different things. Say when doing a counter withdrawal the local Thai bank gives you the Sight Bill Rate...like at SCB I see that their Sight Bill rate is exactly 0.2 baht lower than their TT Buying Rate. Could be a flat percentage charge by your card issuing bank. Could be you have a MasterCard whose exchange rate is approx. 0.2 baht lower than the Visa exchange rate. I expect with a closer look you could see who getting the 0.2 baht slice. First thing would be to determine if you are being given an exchange rate set by the local Thai bank or by the card issuing bank (note: the card issuing bank may or may not follow the Visa or MasterCard exchange rate by tacking on a foreign transaction fee).

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Went to my local AEON ATM in BKK today and made a couple of withdrawals using a U.S. bank VISA debit card.

No ATM fee charged by AEON. Not 150b, not 180b, not any...

Got an exchange rate of 30.013 late in the afternoon on a card with no foreign currency fee.

Nice to have the baht up above 30 to the dollar again...

[Greenwich Boy]

Withdrew money at AEON in Chiang Mai yesterday with a UK debit card.

Paid the usual 2% fee to my bank but no 150 or 180B.

If I withdraw money from a Thai bank the 150B is added to the money withdrawn on my statement ie take out 10,000B my statement shows 10,150B so you should be able to tell where you are paying fees to.

will be sticking with AEON!

[kimchibob]

Went to the AEON ATM located at Tesco Lotus on Pattaya Nua today (approx. 12 Noon) to try a test transaction. Line was very long, so decided to try another day. Maybe tomorrow will try the one at Big C on Pattaya Klang.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

End of the month... normal time for Thais to pay their 20% per year interest on AEON and other Thai credit cards.

And usually, a fair number of the locals seem to have a hard time navigating the Thai ATM menus there, even though they're reading in Thai.

[pinfold]

Ref: Metro bank: I did look at this in the past. You need to give a UK address, with proof that you live there. This would be difficult for me, as I have resided in Thailand for more than 10 years. Good for those to consider who are shortly moving to Thailand and leaving family or good friends at the same address.

And reside within the M25 since that's where the UK ends if Metro are to be believed.

They refused to give me an account because my address was in Lancashire.

Metro make no charges for foreign withdrawals but I suspect the 180 baht fee will still apply.

Same as you (Southport) but got one with card ,best one ever

[Pib]

Bangkok Bank ATMs now charging 180 baht for foreign cards. Stuck my US MasterCard credit card into a Bangkok Bank ATM this morning by mistake since the card looks very similar to my Bangkok Bank debit card and after entering my PIN one of the first screans that came up was a screen saying they would be a 180 baht fee for use of a foreign card...that's when I figured out I had probably inserted the wrong card and I hit cancel. Now more wide awake after seeing the fee they wanted to charge, I used my Bangkok Bank debit card to get the money.

What you bet that in approx one year Thai banks crank-up the fee to 200 baht.

Sent from my Samsung S4 (GT-I9500)

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Pib, I'm thinking you meant foreign MASTERCARDS going to 180 baht per withdrawal.... not all foreign cards...

From all prior indications, the rate on foreign VISA cards remains at 150 baht, right???

[Pib]

I did say my "US" MasterCard credit card. If I get a chance I will try sticking a US Visa card in a Bangkok Bank ATM today and see what the initial screen tells me fee-wise before I hit cancel.

Sent from my Samsung S4 (GT-I9500)

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I was reading your opening comment:

Bangkok Bank ATMs now charging 180 baht for foreign cards.

Also, we had BKKB's fee structure from their website posted earlier in this thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/642139-atm-charge-increased/?p=6444699

Edited June 1, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Pib]

Got it...my brain didn't register that earlier post. Not only is the MasterCard exchange rate worse than the Visa rate, the foriegn card fee in the MasterCard network is higher than the Visa network.

Sent from my Samsung S4 (GT-I9500)

[sub101uk]

Well I got a double shock when I went to use my HSBC card in Songkhla today , We all know a few years ago they put 150 baht on top of any cash withdraws on a Farang ATM card but I was able to withdraw 20.000 .

Today I went to withdraw 20.000 and was told the max was 10.000 since my card it said was a MASTERCARD and limit was 10.000 ?? But before I had no problems in withdrawing 20k , Since this is a CIRRUS HSBC ATM card its all very strange , This I might add was from my local k excellence bank .

So every time if I want to withdraw 20.000 baht its going to cost me 10000 baht because 360 Baht on ATM fees and the rest will be banking fees from HSBC .I dont think there are are AEON ATM machines in Songkhla but I think there are in Hat Yai so I think I will try in there .

They wonder why farang are leaving Thailand !

Sub101uk

[Pib]

Well I got a double shock when I went to use my HSBC card in Songkhla today , We all know a few years ago they put 150 baht on top of any cash withdraws on a Farang ATM card but I was able to withdraw 20.000 .

Today I went to withdraw 20.000 and was told the max was 10.000 since my card it said was a MASTERCARD and limit was 10.000 ?? But before I had no problems in withdrawing 20k , Since this is a CIRRUS HSBC ATM card its all very strange , This I might add was from my local k excellence bank .

So every time if I want to withdraw 20.000 baht its going to cost me 10000 baht because 360 Baht on ATM fees and the rest will be banking fees from HSBC .I dont think there are are AEON ATM machines in Songkhla but I think there are in Hat Yai so I think I will try in there .

They wonder why farang are leaving Thailand !

Sub101uk

Hopefully there are some typos in your post above. You can't be saying it will cost you 10,000 baht in fees to withdraw 20,000 in cash? That means HSBC is hitting you with around a 50% foreign transaction fee--probably not. You can sure blame Thai banks for the 150 ATM fee, but you need to blame all remaining fees on your home country bank (HSBC)...and also probably the withdrawal limit set on your card. Then again, maybe you just got an ATM that was low on cash and had a 10,000 baht per withdrawal limit...but you could have put your card in a second time to get another 10,000 baht. Edited June 1, 2013 by Pib