I've been denied entry to Thailand - Now What ! ?

[Thighlander]

I'm an American with a Bangkok Bank account here in Chiang Mai. I'm traveling to Cambodia next week and I'm wondering if my account will be of any use there?

Thanks in advancs!

[Benmart]

During My last visit I don't remember seeing one. ATMs are easily accessible for cards with the visa logo, or you can go inside the bank for cash. One thing I did notice was that the ATM dispensed $USD 50 dollar bills which were difficult to cash when they were not perfect. One had an ink stain on it and I couldn't spend it until I returned to Bangkok. One bank there wouldn't take it and finally a Kasikorn Bank in Siam Center did after showing my passport. I did get rid off a few damaged $USD 20 bills in the slot machines at the PP Hotel and redeemed my small winnings for good bills from the cashier.

I'm relocating to Chon Buri province permanently in August from California. From your experience how do you rate Bangkok Bank for service, easy of funds transfer, access, etc? Any information would be very much appreciated.

[hanno]

No Bangkok Bank here but ATM's are everywhere. I never had a duff note in the 4 years I have been using the ANZ ATM's.

[ianguygil]

To the OP

Firstly, we do not have a branch presence in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Please go to the following like to see where we do have branches

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/InternationalNetwork/Pages/Default.aspx

Secondly (and I think to the point) you can use your Bangkok Bank ATM card in Cambodia at most ATMs as they are on the same International ATM networks as we use. I recently used my Be 1st card at an ACLEDA Bank ATM card while on a business trip

Another item worth considering is that in Cambodia the Thai Baht and the USD are accepted almost everywhere in additiion to their local currency the Riall (spelling).

I hope this helps.

[stoli]

To the OP

Firstly, we do not have a branch presence in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Please go to the following like to see where we do have branches

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/InternationalNetwork/Pages/Default.aspx

Secondly (and I think to the point) you can use your Bangkok Bank ATM card in Cambodia at most ATMs as they are on the same International ATM networks as we use. I recently used my Be 1st card at an ACLEDA Bank ATM card while on a business trip

Another item worth considering is that in Cambodia the Thai Baht and the USD are accepted almost everywhere in additiion to their local currency the Riall (spelling).

I hope this helps.

First, I bank with Bangkok Bank and they have been very responsive. Second, I was in Cambodia last week, and I had problems using the Thai baht while there. The US dollar though is not only welcome, but preferred. Just wish I could have found more places that would accept the baht. I travelled from Koh Kong to Phnom Penh to Bittanbang.

[ianguygil]

To the OP

Firstly, we do not have a branch presence in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Please go to the following like to see where we do have branches

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/InternationalNetwork/Pages/Default.aspx

Secondly (and I think to the point) you can use your Bangkok Bank ATM card in Cambodia at most ATMs as they are on the same International ATM networks as we use. I recently used my Be 1st card at an ACLEDA Bank ATM card while on a business trip

Another item worth considering is that in Cambodia the Thai Baht and the USD are accepted almost everywhere in additiion to their local currency the Riall (spelling).

I hope this helps.

First, I bank with Bangkok Bank and they have been very responsive. Second, I was in Cambodia last week, and I had problems using the Thai baht while there. The US dollar though is not only welcome, but preferred. Just wish I could have found more places that would accept the baht. I travelled from Koh Kong to Phnom Penh to Bittanbang.

I was only in PP on business, not in other parts of the country. And as the post was about PP, I think he is pretty safe that THB will be accepted. I even found them happy to accept it in pretty small restaurants.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Cambodia and especially Phnom Penh are easy for Americans, in that Cambodian bank ATMs dispense U.S. $ currency, and U.S. bills are universally accepted, especially in PP.

You can use any of your U.S. bank VISA or MC-logo cards there, but a lot of the local Cambodian bank ATMs charge a flat fee ($5 or so) for foreign card ATM withdrawals, similar to the Thai banks. When I was last there in 2012, though, Canadia Bank ATMs did not charge any foreign card withdrawal fee.

In my experience, Thai baht is accepted sometimes, and sometimes not, depending on the business in PP. U.S. $ transactions are pretty much assured...

Also, if I'm not mistaken, if you use your BKK Bank card to make purchases or ATM withdrawals outside Thailand, I believe they'll charge you a 2%+ foreign currency exchange fee. If you want to use a U.S. bank card, make sure you know its status in terms of charging or not charging a foreign currency fee.

Here's the banking info sectionI wrote in my ThaiVisa trip report for my PP trip last year:

MONEY
Speaking of money, for me as an American, one of the surprising and nice things about travel to PP was to discover that the U.S. $ is their principal currency there, especially in the tourism world. If you go to an ATM, you'll get U.S. dollar currency dispensed in all different denomination sizes... I did a $100 ATM withdrawal, and was expecting to get five $20 bills, and instead the ATM spit out two $50 bills.

So the basic deal is, U.S. money is accepted pretty much everywhere around Phnom Penh. They do have a local currency called the riel (pronounced REL). One U.S. dollar is equal to about 4,000 riel. So when you pay for things in U.S. dollars, if your change involves any amounts less than a dollar, you'll get that back in paper riels -- 50, 100, 500 or 1000 denominations, the 1000 bill being equal to about 25 cents U.S.

I didn't know the history, but Wikipedia has this interesting history of how the U.S. dollar became Cambodia's principal currency:

Between 1975 and 1980 [the Khmer Rouge period], the country had no monetary system. A second currency, also named "riel", has been issued since April 1, 1980. However, this currency has never gained much public acceptance, with most Cambodians preferring gold or foreign currency.^[1] The UN peacekeeping operation of 1993 injected a large quantity of U.S. dollars into the local economy. As a result, the dollar has become the country's common currency.[1]

http://en.wikipedia..../Cambodian_riel

The banking system in Cambodia appears to be far less developed and extensive than Bangkok or Thailand in general. ATMs weren't nearly as ever-present as they are around BKK, and at times it took a bit of looking to find one nearby. There also were a couple of occasions where the ATMs I found were non-functional. The ATM itself was on, but apparently not connected or communicating with the network.

Just outside the airport Immigration desks as you're walking to the outside, there's a lone ATM. The day we arrived, that ATM was on, but was non-functional. There were no other ATMs in sight, so I was trying to figure out how I was going to pay for taxi fare. Fortunately in checking, if you continue onward 20 feet or so and walk outside from the terminal and then make a hard left turn, there's another grouping of ATMs 100 feet or so back along the front wall area of the terminal building near some fast-food shops.

During our stay there, I used two different banks' ATM. One from Canadia Bank charged no extra fee for using my U.S. VISA debit cards. The other from ANZ Royal Bank, which seems to be one of the larger banking players in PP, charged a $5 fee for each withdrawal.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/545923-trip-report-for-phnom-penh-cambodia/

[ianguygil]

To the OP

Firstly, we do not have a branch presence in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Please go to the following like to see where we do have branches

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/InternationalNetwork/Pages/Default.aspx

Secondly (and I think to the point) you can use your Bangkok Bank ATM card in Cambodia at most ATMs as they are on the same International ATM networks as we use. I recently used my Be 1st card at an ACLEDA Bank ATM card while on a business trip

Another item worth considering is that in Cambodia the Thai Baht and the USD are accepted almost everywhere in additiion to their local currency the Riall (spelling).

I hope this helps.

First, I bank with Bangkok Bank and they have been very responsive. Second, I was in Cambodia last week, and I had problems using the Thai baht while there. The US dollar though is not only welcome, but preferred. Just wish I could have found more places that would accept the baht. I travelled from Koh Kong to Phnom Penh to Bittanbang.

I was only in PP on business, not in other parts of the country. And as the post was about PP, I think he is pretty safe that THB will be accepted. I even found them happy to accept it in pretty small restaurants.

Another point I forgot to mention is that ACLEDA ATMs in PP dispense in 3 currencies, Riel, THB and USD. So you can even withdraw funds in the currency which is most convenient for you.

The Cambodian currency should be spent before you leave the country as it is not a currency which is broadly accepted overseas (if you think you get a lousy rate on THB abroad just try to exchange the Riel - we don't even quote it on our Website but we do the Lao Kip).

Edited July 15, 2013 by ianguygil

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I don't know about all the other Cambodian banks...

But here's what Canadia Bank (the only fee-free ATM option I'm aware of in Cambodia for foreign cards) says about making withdrawals from their ATMs using non-Cambodian bank bankcards.

Who may use ATM service

Canadia Bank's customers as well as partner bank’s clients throughout Cambodia. The customers must have sufficient funds in their account held with Canadia Bank and the Partner Bank’s. United States Dollars (US$) and Khmer Riel can be withdrawn. International Visa Card and MasterCard holders in other currencies will be able to withdraw US$ and debited later the with the counter-value in their account currency held with their bank.

http://www.canadiabank.com/atm_moneygram.aspx

Edited July 15, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Thighlander]

To the OP

Firstly, we do not have a branch presence in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Please go to the following like to see where we do have branches

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/InternationalNetwork/Pages/Default.aspx

Secondly (and I think to the point) you can use your Bangkok Bank ATM card in Cambodia at most ATMs as they are on the same International ATM networks as we use. I recently used my Be 1st card at an ACLEDA Bank ATM card while on a business trip

Another item worth considering is that in Cambodia the Thai Baht and the USD are accepted almost everywhere in additiion to their local currency the Riall (spelling).

I hope this helps.

I don't have a Bangkok Bank ATM card, as they do not offer fraud protection, like we are used to in the US. But thanks for the information about there being no branch in Cambodia. I've always had good experiences with BKK Bank in Thailand. I just hate fees, and for those with excellent credit, we don't pay any fees in the US.

The claim that the ATMs only dispense 50s is a surprise. Can anyone else verify that? I plan on using my Capital One card at Canadia or Acladia bank, and my understanding is there is no charge for that. I think ANZ would charge a non-customer, though, but I know they are reputable.

[ianguygil]

ACLEDA (the only bank I have met with in Cambodia) has more than 160 ATMs and growing. So finding one of their machines is not so hard. I have met their CEO, IT people etc. and this is an extremely well run and fast growing bank with some hugely innovative products. As far as I can see they dispense USD10; USD20; USD100 and KHR10,000 notes, but when I was there I could swear I cashed out a UNITY P2P payment in THB with 1,000 THB notes........

The other Canadia bank (I have never met them them so I don't know this bank) have about 70 ATMs it seems.

ACLEDA just won the Asian Banker aware for P2P Payments with their UNITY product. Just an excellent implementation in a tough environment....

[Thighlander]

Is Acleda a no-fee like Canadia?

[ianguygil]

I have no idea.

Convenience is always a more important consideration than a small fee to me. Especially in a city like PP which is not easy to get around and not that pleasant to walk in.

Others may well feel differently, which is fine. Just my particular value is to be willing to pay for service and convenience as my time is valuable to me.

Enjoy

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Is Acleda a no-fee like Canadia?

From the various posts on banks in Cambodia, and the research I did prior to my trip, the consensus here and on a couple of the primary Cambodia forums for expats is that Canadia Bank is the only known one not charging foreign cardholders an ATM withdrawal fee. Kind of like the AEON of Thailand, in terms of no fees.

As I mentioned, when I was in PP a year ago, I saw a lot of ANZ ATMs around... but they had the $5 or so ATM withdrawal fee.

Re Canadia, one nice thing is that they have an ATM at the PP Airport, outside the arrivals area. So you can cash funds there on arrival.

Canadia's website also has Google mapped their branch and ATM locations, as follows:

http://www.canadiabank.com/branch_location.aspx

http://www.canadiabank.com/atm_location.aspx

They list their airport ATM as being near the "Daily Queen" shop...

If you use a U.S. bankcard there, meanwhile, just make sure it's one that doesn't have hefty ATM or foreign currency fees like those charged by a lot of the U.S. mega banks when you try to use there cards abroad.

Even though you might be receiving U.S. dollars from the Cambodian ATMs, the U.S. banks will still treat any ATM or point of sale purchases as foreign transactions.

[ianguygil]

Just a quick note to those of us who are more on the convenience side of the equation, rather than the saving side. These 2 banks have quite different presences in Cambodia.

Canadia Bank appears to have 40 branches (and 7 new sub branches being opened) whereas ACLEDA has 238 branches.

Canadia Bank has 72 ATMs with a plan to expand to 100. ACLEDA has 165 ATMs and when I was there their HQ was full of new ATMs being prepared for deployment (in fact it was hard to get into the lift because of this so we all took the stairs 7 floors)

ANZ meanwhile has only 19 branches but has 125 ATMs.

So you will see a huge difference in the profile of these banks

We have no interest in either bank. But just the difference in the physical presence of the 2 banks will make a huge difference in terms of convenience to those who don't mind paying a few dollars for the sake of convenience.

There are 2 sides to everything. Simply focusing on ATMs without fees will not serve the interests of all members of this forum.

Here you can see all the ACLEDA ATMs and Branches on GOOGLE Maps. Thanks.

http://www.acledabank.com.kh/kh/eng/cu_branchnetwork_atm.php

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

It's a fair choice...

When I went to Cambodia/PP, I didn't really research ahead about the Cambodian banks, which ones charge ATM withdrawal fees and which one (Canadia) doesn't. It was just a quick holiday trip, so I hadn't concerned myself with it too much.

But now that I know most of the Cambodian banks charge a $5 U.S. or so ATM withdrawal fee on foreign card withdrawals, I'd be more attuned to the issue for the future.

And either way, it's good to know, and let others know, that both Canadia and ACLEDA have their branch and ATM locations posted and Google Mapped on their websites. So if someone is planning a trip, they can check for ATM availability nearby.

Best as I can see, the ACLEDA website says they have 51 ATMs in Phnom Penh, whereas the Canadia website seems to show some 30+ ATMs around PP, which isn't such a big city...

For saving $5 per withdrawal, I think I probably could manage to find a convenient Canadia location without too much trouble.

Also, as far as I can see, ACLEDA appears to not have any branch or ATM inside/on premises at the international airport in PP. whereas Canadia does, so just another factor to consider.

Edited July 16, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[ianguygil]

It's a fair choice...

When I went to Cambodia/PP, I didn't really research ahead about the Cambodian banks, which ones charge ATM withdrawal fees and which one (Canadia) doesn't. It was just a quick holiday trip, so I hadn't concerned myself with it too much.

But now that I know most of the Cambodian banks charge a $5 U.S. or so ATM withdrawal fee on foreign card withdrawals, I'd be more attuned to the issue for the future.

And either way, it's good to know, and let others know, that both Canadia and ACLEDA have their branch and ATM locations posted and Google Mapped on their websites. So if someone is planning a trip, they can check for ATM availability nearby.

Best as I can see, the ACLEDA website says they have 51 ATMs in Phnom Penh, whereas the Canadia website seems to show some 30+ ATMs around PP, which isn't such a big city...

For saving $5 per withdrawal, I think I probably could manage to find a convenient Canadia location without too much trouble.

As evidenced by the amount of time you spend on this forum every day, you seem to have plenty of time on your hands, so your choice is entirely understandable.

[Thighlander]

I'd rather hand 5 USD to a policeman than pay a 5 USD ATM fee to get money out, that will be entirely spent in the Cambodian economy. The big fees also encourage people to make large withdraws, and I've never been to Cambodia, but walking around with more than 5000 THB in your wallet in Thailand is just completely ridiculous.

[ianguygil]

As I have said I am definitely not an expert in banking in Cambodia and the only bank I know relatively well is ACLEDA

A couple of links which should help

http://www.khmer440.com/chat_forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=18894

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293939-i9162-k5932386-ATM_charges-Cambodia.html

[Thighlander]

there are two Dairy Queens at PNH. The Canadia ATM is located more by the departure area, but it's only about 60 meters from the other one. Worked like a champ. Took out 50 USD, and had 50 USD taken out of my Capital one 360 Account. It also automatically give your balance. The currency trading is nuts here, every small business seems to be doing it. Dollars are king, but If you can get 4100 Riel to the Dollar, that can work for you, too.

[Sheryl]

I live about 1/2 time in Phnom Penh. Thai Baht ARE NOT widely accepted and the places that will take them give a very poor exchange rate. Change your baht to US dollars before leaving Thailand.

Conversely when leaving PP to return to Thailand if you then change dollars to baht you'll get a lightly better rate than you will in Thailand.

Along the Thai border area it's different and baht more widely used.

As others have said, no Bangkok (or other Thai) banks in Cambodia but plenty of ATMs about and these will accept international cards although at a charge.

[Thighlander]

the hawker gives 3 US per 100 thb.......33.33 to buy......about 5.75% more than BKK. You are correct, they don't give favor to the THB anything like the Dollar.

xe.com says 4037 right now, and most give 4000.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Change your baht to US dollars before leaving Thailand.

Actually, as long as you're using a no foreign currency fee U.S. debit card, it's better to just wait until you arrive at the airport and use the no-fee Canadia Bank ATM just outside the departure area as a start, and then other of their ATMs when around town in PP.

No ATM fee and a better exchange rate (because it will be the VISA or MC network rate) than any of the banks or currency booths will offer. And much better than trying to sell baht for U.S. $ inside Thailand.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

...

Edited July 20, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

...

Edited July 20, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK