Bangkok Bank Question

[Pib]

I have a joint account so if above is true it is not available - which confirms what my I-Banking says. It also appears to be new (sign up by June 30 for two free months). Cost seems to be a nominal 10 baht per month so wonder why bank does not pick it up as a feature to protect customers rather than charge anything?

Remember, in Thailand Consumer Protection should really be renamed Bank Protection. Plus, you need to think like a modern day banker...that is, why give it away free when you can charge a fee. Banks are getting more fee-based everyday in storing and using our money.

[Tomtomtom69]

BBL likes to give foreign customers the run around about needing a work permit which is not required by Bank of Thailand regulations. It is pure racism on their part. Once I asked for a new savings account book and was told they would close my account of over 10 years because I couldn't produce a work permit. Being a permanent resident I produced my alien book and residence certificate and they said they didn't care about those, they only wanted a work permit. Eventually I forced them to call head office who called off the dogs. So they decided you weren't qualified for a domestic account and opened an external account for you. What nonsense. The solution is to bank with another bank that is less into racism and never darken BBl's racist portals again.

On a similar note, Bangkok Bank allowed me to open a savings account years ago on just a tourist visa (but I applied at their head office). I lost my blue bankbook but recently but was also told to apply for a replacement at the branch where I opened the account - so I again went to the head office in Silom. No problems.

However, for some bizarre reason a work permit is required to apply for internet banking? Why in the world would a bank allow a foreigner temporarily in Thailand to open a bank account but requires that you are working in Thailand to get access to something as simple as internet banking?

[Tomtomtom69]

BBL likes to give foreign customers the run around about needing a work permit which is not required by Bank of Thailand regulations. It is pure racism on their part. Once I asked for a new savings account book and was told they would close my account of over 10 years because I couldn't produce a work permit. Being a permanent resident I produced my alien book and residence certificate and they said they didn't care about those, they only wanted a work permit. Eventually I forced them to call head office who called off the dogs. So they decided you weren't qualified for a domestic account and opened an external account for you. What nonsense. The solution is to bank with another bank that is less into racism and never darken BBl's racist portals again.

Wasn't there some news that they were going to tighten the rules on foreigners openeing bank accounts?

Whereas basically it was decided that regular tourists do not warrant bank accounts, but only foreigners who could prove some more permanent tie with Thailand.

In Pattaya, SCB will not open an account unless you either have a work permit or a visa with 1 year extension on. Seems to be in all the branches.

Kasikorn opens an account and they don't even bother looking at your visa page/stamps, nor do they take a copy from it, only the picture page.

Mind you, seemingly they will only issue the Kasikorn SME Business ATM card to foreigners, at a hefty 800 Baht.

Kbank opened a company account for me when I hadn't yet got a WP in the name of that company after I had been refused by BBL.

The reason for my contretemps with BBL seemed to be that the BoT had just issued some new money laundering regulations but had left the details vague for foreign customers, so banks interpreted them in their own way. The BoT said customers needed ID and tabien baan to open an account but said nothing about foreigners. I had an existing account and when challenged by BBL I produced my blue tabien, alien book (legally equivalent to ID card), residence book and passport but they said I must have a WP to keep the account open. I asked that, since I have been given life time permission to stay in the country by the Interior Minister, how am I expected to survive without a bank account. They just answered "need work permit", until I virtually exploded.

The BoT still insists on strict controls over new accounts but refuse to stipulate what is needed for foreigners. So the banks have to decide for themselves what to ask for. They now have to ask what are you going to use the account for. I told a girl at SCB I wouldn't answer that question and she just scribbled something and moved on the next question and opened the account anyway.

What is a Kbank SME ATM card? Is it just an ATM card for a company bank account?

You need to get together with the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce of THailand or JFCCT and lobby for the requirement for a work permit for permanent residency holders to be abolished. Apply pressure and write to the ministries. This was talked about back in 2008 when I was working for the Australian Chamber but as of 2013 (a full 5 years later) nothing seems to have changed. Some action is required but bitching about it on TV is not going to help the issue. Contact the JFCCT and lobby for your rights now. Get together other PR holders and get them to join in.

[Pib]

A lot of polices that Thai banks follow stem from Bank of Thailand (BOT) regulations/policies; however, it seems the banks many times interpret and enforce those BOT rules differently at the headquarters level and further down stream at the branch level the rules get another level of interpretation and enforcement....throw in a bank branch manager that would prefer not to deal with foreigner and it gets even more frustrating sometimes.

[bifftastic]

I have neither a work permit, nor any kind of long-stay visa for Thailand.

I have a Bangkok Bank savings account with internet access.

May I suggest, for those who are experiencing some problems with BB, that they contact;

Expatriate Banking Services

Bangkok Bank PCL

on [email protected]

I found them to be very helpful. I had an issue with my account which should have meant going to my branch, but seeing as I was in London at the time, that wasn't really practical. They sorted it out for me quite quickly.

I also had an issue a couple of years ago with setting up my internet access, which was also sorted via email (I think you initially have to have submitted the forms for that access in person, but it might be worth asking).

All in all, I find the service from BB very good, once you can find a way to contact them.

Hope this helps.

[ianguygil]

Sorry for the late response on this. I typed a whole response while in the lounge at Suvarnabhumi yesterday and they came and go me for the flight before I could send it....So I'll respond to several posts right here in this single post.

We do not allow people to use iBanking who are not living in Thailand, at least part of the year. So we do not give people iBanking on a tourist visa. This is because of AML concerns (money laundering). I won't get into the whole rights or wrongs of this as each of you will have your own opinions. But it is our legal and moral responsibilitty to prevent money laundering as that supports many of the worst things in the world (terrorism, drugs, human trafficking etc.)...

There are lots of restrictions on joint accounts because of certain legal issues in Thailand which do not exist in other countries. I won't go into all of them, but that is why some products are not available on joint accounts

Bank charges in Thailand are strictly controlled, and are in general dropping. If you look at the minimum balance requirements and per transaction charges, they are, in general, much lower overall than in other countries. Our minimum balance is 500 Baht and you can do unlimited ATM transactions on that account (on-us ATMs). In other countries it is often in the thousands of USD in order to avoid charges. While there are exceptions (e.g. I use SCHWAB in the USA). this is generally true if you look at averages. So I would say that overall 10 Baht per month for an account balance alert for all transactions over 500 Baht is a pretty good deal.

[chubby]

I guess the transfer to NY branch is unique for a USA resident

I'm thinking of calling the NY branch, and see if they will /can give me the 'test' deposit amounts, then I guess it's a matter of figuring out which side is going to charge what for what amounts

I also have the be 1st ATM card, fwiw

And if I'm needing this WP, how does it work, if I'm planning on a Non-O retirement Visa, or an Ed Visa, for which I would not have a WP; would I be expected to open a non interest bearing account with the large sum required for the retirement 800k baht ?

Edited June 12, 2013 by chubby

[ianguygil]

I guess the transfer to NY branch is unique for a USA resident

I'm thinking of calling the NY branch, and see if they will /can give me the 'test' deposit amounts, then I guess it's a matter of figuring out which side is going to charge what for what amounts

I also have the be 1st ATM card, fwiw

And if I'm needing this WP, how does it work, if I'm planning on a Non-O retirement Visa, or an Ed Visa, for which I would not have a WP; would I be expected to open a non interest bearing account with the large sum required for the retirement 800k baht ?

Sorry, I thought I was clear no need for a work permit to open an account.

If you want to transfer funds out of Thailand you will need to prove where they came from. Just as in any country if you are not living there or generating income there. So if it was transferred in, if you are legally working there (which would need a work permit) or if you had legally sold assets there (property etc.) you could transfer it out.

I am not clear on your point about US residents. Do you mean transferring money to Thailand via our NY Branch, or do you mean transferring money to the USA from Thailand via our NY branch?

Feel free to IM me if you need specific help. I am traveling so it may take a few days, but I can then deal with you via official Bank channels. thank you

[chubby]

just curious, what IS required to open ibanking? An interest bearing Savings account? (as that would indicate residency?) I believe I do have savings account, but registering on BBL ibanking didn't work.

fyi, I was able to get the test amounts (in USD) deposited by Ach over Bualuang Phone, thanks to Pib

 

If you have a savings account you can get internet banking and check your balance any-time anywhere even with your smartphone. If BKK Bank can not help you use K-Bank they will help you

Please read OP again, the poster is overseas so he can't open another account or i-banking

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

  Edited June 29, 2013 by chubby

[chubby]

pib, guess, i am curious do you have a "standing wire" transfer setup, say with Schwab, if you have these various ACH connections ?

i'm wondering if using the NY Branch of BBL for "standing wire" transfer , is necessary, wise, and/or possible....

And don't make the mistake I did a few months ago when I setup some new transfer links since I had opened another saving account at a Bangkok Bank branch. I logged onto 3 different U.S. bank accounts, initiated the procedure to setup transfer links...and the next day I had 6 trial deposits hitting my Bangkok Bank account at the same time...and the name in the SMS saying who is was from was the same/generic because apparently all three U.S. banks used the same middleman/agency to manage the trail deposits flow. So, here I have 6 deposits from 3 U.S. banks...with 2 deposits coming from each bank. I even went to HQ Bangkok Bank to get a printout of the transfers which had more detailed info...but it didn't show specifically which U.S. bank the trial deposits came from...just had that generic/middleman name. From looking at some other details on the printouts such as whether the sending bank used my middle initial also and some guessing I got lucky and verified the trail deposits correctly but I did get one rejection on the first try during the verification at one bank and it said something alone the lines of, "OK the amount(s) you entered is incorrect you will get one more try to enter the correct amount." I then entered two other amounts and it was accepted....that was part of my guessing processing. Yes sir, do not initiate trial deposits from more than one bank at a time....let those two trial deposit arrive before you initiate a transfer link at another bank otherwise you may end up like me in not being able to specifically/clearly identify which bank the transfer came from for these trial deposits amounts.

[Johnniey]

BBL likes to give foreign customers the run around about needing a work permit which is not required by Bank of Thailand regulations. It is pure racism on their part. Once I asked for a new savings account book and was told they would close my account of over 10 years because I couldn't produce a work permit. Being a permanent resident I produced my alien book and residence certificate and they said they didn't care about those, they only wanted a work permit. Eventually I forced them to call head office who called off the dogs. So they decided you weren't qualified for a domestic account and opened an external account for you. What nonsense. The solution is to bank with another bank that is less into racism and never darken BBl's racist portals again.

They are all racist. The worst is Krung Thai.

Edited August 2, 2013 by Johnniey

[dave2]

re

I would say that overall 10 Baht per month for an account balance alert for all transactions over 500 Baht is a pretty good deal.

this sounds a great idea to me

but does anybody know if any of these other banks offer the same or a similer service ?

coz i spread my 800 odd between these 6 banks after ive got my new visa every year and it could be months before i noticed a balance change that i didnt know about in

any of them

dave2

[Pib]

I have a Bangkok Bank ACH funds transfer link setup in all my U.S. online bank accounts, including Schwab. That way, when and if I want to do an ACH transfer from that bank to Bangkok Bank (or any of my other banks), I logon, click that link, enter the dollar amount to transfer, maybe click when I want to sent the money (now or in a few days), click the Submit button, and in a day or two the money is in my local Bangkok Bank account (or whatever bank I was transferring to). Now if I didn't have that link already setup I would have to use a one time SWIFT transfer, personally contact the bank to work out a one time transfer, may have to fax in a written request, etc...it would be somewhat of a pain....if will vary from bank to bank on how easy or hard it easy to do an immediate transfer to another bank if you don't have a transfer link already established. It's good to already have a funding transfer link established, because when you need BIG money fast, you probably don't have several days just to get the link established before you can then initiate the transfer.

Now if you mean an "automatic transfer" every month where you say "standing wire" transfer setup, no, I do not have any of my funds transfer links setup to automatically transfer X-dollars per month/quarterly/etc. It's so easy and fast to just logon to your account "whenever you may need to do an ACH transfer", enter the amount you need...you may only need a $1,000...or you may want $10,000 or more. In an automatic/standing transfer you wouldn't be selecting the amount you really needed/wanted at this point in time because it's already been setup for a specific amount. But of course you could change the automatic/standing amount, but if doing that then aren't you really doing an adhoc/when needed transfer. However, I can see where an automatic/standing transfer could come in handy. A lot just depends on how a person desires to manage their finances.

And like I've mentioned before I haven't done an ACH transfer for around 2 years now...no need as using my no foreign transaction fee debit cards puts money in my hands immediately from my home country banks with absolutely no fees along the way and at a Visa exchange rate that equals/betters the TT Buying Rate used by Thai banks for wire transfers. But, having an ACH transfer link already setup can come in handy when you need BIG money fast like in an emergency, want to buy a BIG BAHT item really soon, etc. I have no doubt I will do ACH transfers in the future...when and for what I don't know as I can't see into the future...but at least I'm prepared to logon and initiate the transfer within minutes versus starting from ground-zero....ground-zero is not a good place to be when the "I need big money now bomb drops!"

pib, guess, i am curious do you have a "standing wire" transfer setup, say with Schwab, if you have these various ACH connections ?

i'm wondering if using the NY Branch of BBL for "standing wire" transfer , is necessary, wise, and/or possible....

And don't make the mistake I did a few months ago when I setup some new transfer links since I had opened another saving account at a Bangkok Bank branch. I logged onto 3 different U.S. bank accounts, initiated the procedure to setup transfer links...and the next day I had 6 trial deposits hitting my Bangkok Bank account at the same time...and the name in the SMS saying who is was from was the same/generic because apparently all three U.S. banks used the same middleman/agency to manage the trail deposits flow. So, here I have 6 deposits from 3 U.S. banks...with 2 deposits coming from each bank. I even went to HQ Bangkok Bank to get a printout of the transfers which had more detailed info...but it didn't show specifically which U.S. bank the trial deposits came from...just had that generic/middleman name. From looking at some other details on the printouts such as whether the sending bank used my middle initial also and some guessing I got lucky and verified the trail deposits correctly but I did get one rejection on the first try during the verification at one bank and it said something alone the lines of, "OK the amount(s) you entered is incorrect you will get one more try to enter the correct amount." I then entered two other amounts and it was accepted....that was part of my guessing processing. Yes sir, do not initiate trial deposits from more than one bank at a time....let those two trial deposit arrive before you initiate a transfer link at another bank otherwise you may end up like me in not being able to specifically/clearly identify which bank the transfer came from for these trial deposits amounts.

[Langsuan Man]

Most US banks allow you to set up EFTS in two different ways

Do you have signature authority on the account?

Yes. I can make deposits and withdrawals with this account.
No. I can only make deposits to this account.

And the verification system will be different. If you can make deposits and withdrawals from the account your account will have to be verified by "test" deposits

If you can only make deposits to the account then you will not have to go through the " test " deposit verification procedure

Since Bangkok Bank will only allow you to deposit funds into your Thai Bangkok Bank account anyway, you can save yourself some time and trouble by only requesting deposit authority from your US bank

[chubby]

I suppose, I'm wondering, if it makes sense for redundancy purposes, Say, I have to ACH linked (capone360 allows it to be setup online, schwab wants an application filled out?) ;

I'm looking at the Schwab 'wire transfer request' form, it offers a 'standing instruction' option ; In the past I guess I had also read people talking about making sure that 'wire transfers' were setup before moving to the LOS.

Perhaps things have changed with ACH, and the option, isn't worthwhile as a backup, which is what I'm asking ?

---
Now if you mean an "automatic transfer" every month where you say "standing wire" transfer setup, no, I do not have any of my funds transfer links setup to automatically transfer X-dollars per month/quarterly/etc. It's so easy and fast to just logon to your account "whenever you may need to do an ACH transfer", enter the amount you need...you may only need a $1,000...or you may want $10,000 or more. In an automatic/standing transfer you wouldn't be selecting the amount you really needed/wanted at this point in time because it's already been setup for a specific amount. But of course you could change the automatic/standing amount, but if doing that then aren't you really doing an adhoc/when needed transfer. However, I can see where an automatic/standing transfer could come in handy. A lot just depends on how a person desires to manage their finances.

pib, guess, i am curious do you have a "standing wire" transfer setup, say with Schwab, if you have these various ACH connections ?

i'm wondering if using the NY Branch of BBL for "standing wire" transfer , is necessary, wise, and/or possible....

And don't make the mistake I did a few months ago when I setup some new transfer links since I had opened another saving account at a Bangkok Bank branch. I logged onto 3 different U.S. bank accounts, initiated the procedure to setup transfer links...and the next day I had 6 trial deposits hitting my Bangkok Bank account at the same time...and the name in the SMS saying who is was from was the same/generic because apparently all three U.S. banks used the same middleman/agency to manage the trail deposits flow. So, here I have 6 deposits from 3 U.S. banks...with 2 deposits coming from each bank. I even went to HQ Bangkok Bank to get a printout of the transfers which had more detailed info...but it didn't show specifically which U.S. bank the trial deposits came from...just had that generic/middleman name. From looking at some other details on the printouts such as whether the sending bank used my middle initial also and some guessing I got lucky and verified the trail deposits correctly but I did get one rejection on the first try during the verification at one bank and it said something alone the lines of, "OK the amount(s) you entered is incorrect you will get one more try to enter the correct amount." I then entered two other amounts and it was accepted....that was part of my guessing processing. Yes sir, do not initiate trial deposits from more than one bank at a time....let those two trial deposit arrive before you initiate a transfer link at another bank otherwise you may end up like me in not being able to specifically/clearly identify which bank the transfer came from for these trial deposits amounts.

[chubby]

Schwab Checking is asking for

--

• Deposit slip from external savings account
• Signed letter from financial institution (on its letterhead) which includes the name on the account, account number, account type, and ABA routing number

--

Trouble is I would not have one of those for the BBL NY Branch, I just have a passbook from BBL and the Visa Be1st card, which may be hard to explain to Schwab.

Or am I supposed to just link it to the brokerage side via "money link", and then move it to the Schwab Checking ?

I don't see what the difference is between the "money link" which I set up all electronic, and the EFT to the Checking, for which they want an expired check or dep slip

[Pib]

Schwab sure makes some of their stuff complicated. Just setup a transfer link from your Schwab Brokerage Account to Bangkok Bank...you can do all of this online. I have several such links setup to Bangkok Bank and I did it all online...none of that mailing in stuff. A couple of trial deposits ranging from 1 to 99 cents will be sent to your Bangkok Bank account, find out the amount of the trail deposits that hit your Bangkok Bank account in 1 to 3 business days (probably two business days), then complete the verification with Schwab which is a two step process of verifying online and then giving Schwab a quick call. I added another Bangkok Bank transfer link approx. 3 months ago this way. These same instructions in better English will come Schwab email once you initiate the transfer setup.

OK, once you have the link setup and you want to transfer money you just transfer money from you Schwab checking (or savings) account to the brokerage account which posts immediately...then do an online transfer from your brokerage account to Bangkok Bank account.

I don't know what Schwab does the paperwork route when wanting to setup links between your Schwab checking/savings accounts and external banks and then if I remember right once setup you gotta call to initiate the transfers. Seems Schwab makes transfer setup easy for the brokerage account but hard for their checking/savings account. I remember when I first got my Schwab accounts and found this out. I guess they want to do everything possible to keep you thinking "brokerage....buying/selling stocks...paying a trade commission...that's where Schwab makes their real money...it's not their banking operation.

I suppose, I'm wondering, if it makes sense for redundancy purposes, Say, I have to ACH linked (capone360 allows it to be setup online, schwab wants an application filled out?) ;

I'm looking at the Schwab 'wire transfer request' form, it offers a 'standing instruction' option ; In the past I guess I had also read people talking about making sure that 'wire transfers' were setup before moving to the LOS.

Perhaps things have changed with ACH, and the option, isn't worthwhile as a backup, which is what I'm asking ?

---
Now if you mean an "automatic transfer" every month where you say "standing wire" transfer setup, no, I do not have any of my funds transfer links setup to automatically transfer X-dollars per month/quarterly/etc. It's so easy and fast to just logon to your account "whenever you may need to do an ACH transfer", enter the amount you need...you may only need a $1,000...or you may want $10,000 or more. In an automatic/standing transfer you wouldn't be selecting the amount you really needed/wanted at this point in time because it's already been setup for a specific amount. But of course you could change the automatic/standing amount, but if doing that then aren't you really doing an adhoc/when needed transfer. However, I can see where an automatic/standing transfer could come in handy. A lot just depends on how a person desires to manage their finances.

pib, guess, i am curious do you have a "standing wire" transfer setup, say with Schwab, if you have these various ACH connections ?

i'm wondering if using the NY Branch of BBL for "standing wire" transfer , is necessary, wise, and/or possible....

And don't make the mistake I did a few months ago when I setup some new transfer links since I had opened another saving account at a Bangkok Bank branch. I logged onto 3 different U.S. bank accounts, initiated the procedure to setup transfer links...and the next day I had 6 trial deposits hitting my Bangkok Bank account at the same time...and the name in the SMS saying who is was from was the same/generic because apparently all three U.S. banks used the same middleman/agency to manage the trail deposits flow. So, here I have 6 deposits from 3 U.S. banks...with 2 deposits coming from each bank. I even went to HQ Bangkok Bank to get a printout of the transfers which had more detailed info...but it didn't show specifically which U.S. bank the trial deposits came from...just had that generic/middleman name. From looking at some other details on the printouts such as whether the sending bank used my middle initial also and some guessing I got lucky and verified the trail deposits correctly but I did get one rejection on the first try during the verification at one bank and it said something alone the lines of, "OK the amount(s) you entered is incorrect you will get one more try to enter the correct amount." I then entered two other amounts and it was accepted....that was part of my guessing processing. Yes sir, do not initiate trial deposits from more than one bank at a time....let those two trial deposit arrive before you initiate a transfer link at another bank otherwise you may end up like me in not being able to specifically/clearly identify which bank the transfer came from for these trial deposits amounts.

[JimGant]

If you can only make deposits to the account then you will not have to go through the " test " deposit verification procedure

Since Bangkok Bank will only allow you to deposit funds into your Thai Bangkok Bank account anyway, you can save yourself some time and trouble by only requesting deposit authority from your US bank

Good point. USAA has this system, which, of course, allows you to set up a transfer link to not only your accounts, but third party accounts as well.

So, yeah, with USAA, setting up a transfer link in this fashion bypasses the trial deposit requirement, thus saving time. However, there is a 3 business day waiting period (at least that's how it's advertised) before you can do your first transfer. Thus, as Pib points out, best to set-up the transfer mechanism *before* you ever need it.

[by the way, ACH transfers vary in speed, depending on your bank, whether they have a middleman or not, and whether they charge extra for speed (Bank of America is guilty of the last two). I'm only familiar with USAA, as I use that as my hub, "pulling" from my other financial institutions into USAA before "pushing" to Thailand. My results have always been timely, at least by ACH standards, e.g., 10:00 PM Thai time, 4 Aug, transfer request to USAA on-line -- waiting at the bank door at 8:30 AM Thai time, 6 Aug. If I needed it faster, I'd pay the $35 for a SWIFT transfer. Anyway, if you're only in the contingency mode for ACH transfers, suggest you do a test transfer to see how timely, and greased, is the mechanism. ]

[chubby]

Pib, any thoughts on setting up "before you move" wire transfers as redundancy? maybe that was advice pre-ACH ?

Schwab sure makes some of their stuff complicated. Just setup a transfer link from your Schwab Brokerage Account to Bangkok Bank...you can do all of this online. I have several such links setup to Bangkok Bank and I did it all online...none of that mailing in stuff. A couple of trial deposits ranging from 1 to 99 cents will be sent to your Bangkok Bank account, find out the amount of the trail deposits that hit your Bangkok Bank account in 1 to 3 business days

[Pib]

I don't see what it would hurt, especially if the links require paperwork to mail in...probably easier and faster to do the mail thing while still in the home country.

I pulled out some notes I had made a couple years ago when setting my initial funds transfer links with Schwab right after I got the Schwab accounts. As mentioned in my other post, setting up funds transfer links on the brokerage account could all be done online with trial deposits...no paperwork. Checking account links required the mailing in of forms and then an online link would appear. However, links for the Savings account also required mail-in forms to setup but the link would not appear online; only a phone-in link would setup.

That's when it became clear to me Schwab made funds transfers setup from/to external accounts an easy process for its brokerage account, but for its savings & checking accounts it made it harder by having to use mail-in forms to setup online or phone in links. So, after setting up one link on my checking account and one on my savings account, I aborted any more links for the checking/savings accounts....got tired of the paperwork required.

Instead, I would just use the brokerage account as the gateway for outbound ACH transfers...and I would fund the brokerage account by just transferring internally to the brokerage account from the checking savings account....and actually, you can only transfer from the checking to the brokerage...if you had money in your savings account you wanted to transfer to the brokerage account you would first have to transfer from savings to checking and then form checking to brokerage. Since transfers between Schwab accounts posts immediately it wasn't a big deal to just use the brokerage account as the gateway...just took an extra minute or so to transfer money into it from the checking or savings account. For ACH transfers to fund my Schwab checking/savings accounts I would just "push" the money from one of my other banks where I had setup a transfer link to Schwab.

And although you can get your monthly account electronic statements, you can't for the savings account...the old fashioned paper statements show up....and I even called Schwab over a year ago to ask about electronic statements for my savings account(couldn't find anyplace to set it up online) like I have/setup for the brokerage and checking accounts, but was told they still don't have that capability yet for their savings account...and to this day I don't see where you can setup electronic statements online for the savings account...up to them if they still want to continue to waste a stamp in mailing it to me each month.

Yeap, Schwab definitely makes inbound and outbound transfer setup a piece of cake for the brokerage account but not for the checking/savings account as they still request forms be mailed in and then after being setup for a savings account you still have to phone-in the transfer. So, you might want to consider using the brokerage account as your "gateway" for setting up "outbound" funds transfer links since it's easy and fast to setup--no paperwork like for the checking and savings accounts...just the trial deposits and deposit verification thing.

Pib, any thoughts on setting up "before you move" wire transfers as redundancy? maybe that was advice pre-ACH ?

Schwab sure makes some of their stuff complicated. Just setup a transfer link from your Schwab Brokerage Account to Bangkok Bank...you can do all of this online. I have several such links setup to Bangkok Bank and I did it all online...none of that mailing in stuff. A couple of trial deposits ranging from 1 to 99 cents will be sent to your Bangkok Bank account, find out the amount of the trail deposits that hit your Bangkok Bank account in 1 to 3 business days